Take The Hand

If you're like me, you have a hard time accepting help.You hate to be less than accomplished, less than perfect, less than complete. And so taking someone else's help is so difficult. You feel weak, and you hate to feel weak. You want to be strong and independent. Always.I read this somewhere: "It's as hard for strong people to be weak as it is for weak people to be strong." Think about that. Just as hard to be weak as it is to be strong.So folks like us, we shy away from help. We muddle on our own. We try to figure out everything by ourselves. I once read "A Clockwork Orange"—a book so full of slang that it comes with a glossary at the back. I never looked at the back. Figured out everything on my own and finished the book and marveled at how hard it was to understand. Then, I turned one more page, found the glossary and went, "Duh. I just made that a LOT harder than it had to be."Don't be me.

• Stop making things harder than they have to be
• Swallow your independence for a little bit
• Accept that sometimes you might need the outstretched hand.

You might need the word of coaching advice, the technique pointer, the voice that says "Stop. Let me show you how to do that better."The helpers are out there: you just may not be paying attention to them yet. Open your eyes. Open your ears. Open your heart. Take the hand. Accept what is offered. It'll be okay. Trust me.