It’s Okay to Ask for Help (And Why You Should)
Building a successful business or personal life requires help. You may want to go it alone, but the benefits of asking for help are life-changing.
Welcome to the 21st issue of The Aim and Soar Life, a weekly Christian personal growth and lifestyle newsletter that provides actionable, relatable, biblically rooted content to help you live abundantly and GROW YOU. GOD’S WAY.
Hello Fam!
You’ve probably experienced burnout at work or in your personal life, but did you know that a lot of times burnout is completely avoidable?
We live in a multi-tasking culture where having a full plate is considered the norm. It has become affirming for people to refer to others as a “boss,” making “boss moves.” We have fallen prey to the “hustle and grind” mentality.
And there’s nothing wrong with legally “securing the bag” and building generational wealth. God loves faithful workers, but many of us put on our superhero capes, and take off to save the world, only to return to the Batcave looking and feeling like a train wreck.
Building a successful business or personal life requires help. You may want to go it alone, for fear of feeling needy or fear that others will see you as incapable. However, the benefits of asking for help are life-changing.
Asking for help can improve your mental health, increase your productivity, and save you time and money.
1. Improve Your Mental Health (STRESS BE GONE!)
Back in the day before GPS and cellphones, you had to stop and ask for directions when you got lost. I hear gasps from my younger readers. LOL.😂
Inevitably, you would find yourself stuffed in a car on a road trip with someone who was too proud to stop and get directions.
The unwillingness to stop and ask for help usually led to arguments, frustration, and frayed nerves—especially on a long trip.
Well, guess what??? When you take this same prideful attitude in your business or personal life and refuse to ask for help, you are bound to get frayed nerve syndrome too, better known as being stressed out.
If you want to reduce your stress and improve your mental health, make asking for help a part of your plan to simplify your life.
First, you should make a list of the things you need help with, even if something on your list seems small or insignificant. It’s sometimes the small details that cause the most stress when we can’t address them. Don’t be ashamed to put anything you need on your list.
Next, find out who can help you with those things. There’s a reason why successful businesspeople hire virtual assistants, and busy moms and dads hire nannies, housekeepers, and babysitters.
You don’t have to spend big bucks either. Think of trading services with someone. I have done this before, and it has worked out nicely.
Third, and this is the kicker, you’ve got to actually reach out to the people you identified and ask for help. Start with your circle of friends (those who are competent in the area you need help). Most people will be willing to help you, and if they aren’t, they can always point you to others who can.
Doing these things can relieve the pressure of deadlines, give you more clarity, and significantly reduce the stress that comes along with being a one-man or one-woman show.
2. Increase Your Productivity (Get More Done!)
Your productivity level is determined by your mental and physical health. When you ask for help, you make room in your life to focus on the tasks that most need your attention, while simultaneously reducing your task load. This can lighten your mood, and give you physical energy.
If you have ever worked for or with a micromanager, you know that it can greatly reduce productivity. I once worked for a boss that had to go over every little detail of every project. She rarely got anything done. You know why? She was too busy focusing on details that competent people were able to handle, instead of addressing the things she really needed to get done. Don’t be that person.
Ask competent people for help and allow them to help you.
I was complaining to a relative and fellow business owner this week that I didn’t have enough time to post on social media and do some other things necessary to promote my new projects because I needed to focus on writing.
And you know what slid off her tongue with ease? “Hire someone to do that for you.” I had been considering it for a while, but hearing someone else say it made it finally click. I already have two competent people in mind that can assist me. I can also have these “virtual assistants” do some other tasks that need to be done.
The trick here is freeing up your time so that you can do what matters to you or attend to higher-priority tasks. This can include focusing on business projects or a well-needed vacation. That’s totally up to you. In the end, this will help you to be more productive.
3. Save Time and Money
One thing you can’t ever get back is time. You can waste a lot of time searching the internet for information, traveling down the rabbit hole for hours, only to find that nothing on your to-do list has been accomplished.
When it comes to building a business or ministry especially, it pays (by not spending unnecessary time and money) to ask for help. When you don’t have expertise in an area, it’s best practice to secure a coach (anyone who knows more than you do and is willing to help) who can help you map out and achieve what you are trying to accomplish. You can write down specific questions to ask for clarification on your ideas, business plan, etc…
This is a far better approach than trying to piece everything together from YouTube University or Google. 😂
Having a real person or coach to talk with who has already walked the path you are taking can help you avoid costly trip-ups and time-wasters.
Again, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to secure a coach. I can’t stress this enough. Start with your circle of friends, church members, and others who are willing to assist you. You can compensate them for their time by giving them an agreed-upon amount. If someone is unwilling to accept money, ask if you can donate to their favorite charity.
If you need assistance in your personal life, such as organizing, de-cluttering, or cleaning, there may be someone in your circle who has excellent organizational skills. Trade services. Barter. Do what you need to do to save your time and money.
And by all means, if you have the finances to afford professional coaches or personal helpers and are willing to splurge on their services, by all means, do it!
So go ahead, improve your mental health, increase your productivity, and save time and money by asking for help.
If this post has been of value to you share it with someone else.
Meet on the web:
email: sherrhonda@sherrhondadenice.com
Until Next Time,
GROW YOU. GOD’S WAY.
Sherrhonda😍
Wow...this is exactly what I need to look into.
I needed every word of this. Thank you Sherrhonda!