Embracing the Help
We all want that “you-go-girl” moment, but we can't achieve it alone.
by HANNAH KARLIN ★ AUGUST 2, 2022
Whether you want to be an NYC Vogue writer, a high-powered businesswoman, or a badass lawyer, you always need some support. Though it may be difficult at first, at our age, it's critical to ask for and embrace help from family and friends. Accepting help doesn't make us weak… it makes us powerful.
Others with more experience can help us navigate decisions and tasks. Why not accept aid from those who have dealt with similar challenges? Family, friends, and even strangers can be valuable guides in our lives. They may provide a higher level of insight. At the end of the day, we are all human. We make mistakes, get flustered, and are consequently paralyzed by the stress. Help from others can provide a sense of relief by picking us back up or preventing us from the fall.
Within this discussion about help comes the emotional necessity. Even if we are doing everything right (which is quite rare), we might be falling apart internally. This is the crying in your bed after a long day at work or the silent panic attack during a lecture. While it can look different for everyone, we all experience it at some point. This is when help from others is deeply needed. So, while the emotional distraught may be considered a "you" problem, it doesn't mean you have to handle it alone.
We have grown with the mentality of "I can do it all." As much as we may want to think that, truthfully, we sometimes need a helping hand. It takes a supportive text from your friend to get you through another date. It takes a long phone call with your mom to decide on a job offer. It takes a compliment from a stranger to give us the confidence for our presentation. The assistance doesn't make us any less capable- it just makes us stronger. While we may strive for a sense of independence, a smart, independent woman knows when to ask for help.
If we ignore help from others, then we might (figuratively) explode. Trying to handle things all by yourself can be a dangerous game and definitely won't get you to the Vogue office or law school. It's even easier to explode when self-comparisons have become such a constant. With the wave of social media, we consider ourselves and our lives inferior to the highlights from others. Maybe you became so negative that you didn't end up going to the interview at all?
Those who know when to ask for help and embrace it are on the upper hand. They are the ones that become better team players and gain more success. You genuinely understand the meaning of "two heads are better than one." May I remind you that there really isn’t any loss from asking for help.
That confident, high-heeled woman walking along the street, with a briefcase in one hand and an iced latte in the other, is the product of the behind-the-scenes work that we don't see. The help from others makes this woman appear put together, those who support her in moments of vulnerability. It’s the help that gets us to the places we desire to be.
Cover Photo Credit: Pinterest