If you are a control freak or perhaps just naturally a private person, help can truly be a four-letter word. However, not being willing to ask for help can be much worse.
I had a conversation with someone recently that was going through a tough time. I offered my help by trying to talk the issue out with him, but he wasn’t willing to go into the issue other than at the surface level. He told me that the best piece of advice that he received was to never take advice from a friend (irony noted).
I do understand where he was coming from—you have to be careful when you receive advice. Some people who give you advice have ulterior motives. Others are biased and can’t be objective. And still others don’t have the requisite experience for their opinion to be truly valuable (for example, if your sister’s business experience amounts to running a lemonade stand with her kids, you probably don’t want to be taking business advice from her).
However, there is another way to get help when you have a business- or even a personal issue- and that is through good old fashioned moral support. Sometimes, this is the best help that you can receive. Having someone to echo that a bad situation does, in fact, suck or to provide an empathetic “I’ve been there before” or even just to listen can help you to clear your head or to talk through a situation yourself, no outside advice necessary.
So, if someone you trust or at least respect is willing to lend an ear, take him or her up on it. Don’t underestimate the value of help, even if the help is just being there for you in a challenging time.
