We all have our own struggles. Things we need help with. Things we aren't good at. "I can handle it", we say. We internalize our struggles and won't even share them with those closest to us. We try to shoulder the burdens life throws at us and that yoke gets heavier and heavier until we fall to our knees.
I have good news. There are many people willing to help. Some are your family, some are your friends and some you haven't even met yet. The part we have to remember and understand is by allowing that person to help, you are helping them too. Yes that is right, by allowing others to help you, you give them a sense of pride, of teamwork, of accomplishment. In some cases you give them human interaction, a friend, you give them a better image of self, a work ethic and even a skill they didn't have before.
I learned a hard lesson about help early on as a father. When my daughter was about two years old I was doing something that I wanted to get completed quickly because I was busy. She kept wanting to help and I kept telling her no. I was hellbent on getting it done and getting it done now and she would just slow me down.
After I completed my task, my wife stepped in and said, 'All she wanted to do was help you.' 'Why couldn't you just let her help a little bit?' What a fool I was. My daughter wanted to spend time with her dad by helping him. I was so focused on the task that I didn't look at the world through her eyes and how much pride and sense of accomplishment she would have by just being able to help her dad.
I would like to say I learned my lesson...for the most part. I haven't turned down my kids when they ask for help but I need to get better at asking them and others for help. So I can give them the sense of pride, teamwork, accomplishment, work ethic, skills and a relationship to carry with us into the future.