A Shoulder To Lean On

You can probably tell from the title what this is going to be about. And that's fine, I ain't too proud to steal my own material every now and then. But thinking about asking for help isn't really a sign of weakness as much as a sign of wisdom. Still far too many of us dread the image that we come off as weak if looking for help. So the vicious circle goes round and round.  

 Pride can be a powerful thing, it can lead great armies and it can defend justice. But used in the wrong way, it blinds you and causes you to stand against the common good. In this particular context I'm talking about when you should ask for help. 

 A number of years back I was showing a product I to a potential client that was responding favorable to the item I sold. Right at the point of closing the deal, their partner came in and practical threw me out the building, without having the opportunity to pitch the product to them. The sad part is, I had done my research of the business and knew the product as a good fit for their needs. 

 It was the outside partners idea that decisions like those went through them and not through the partner I initially contacted. I bring this up because the impression the upset partner left with me was, "I make these decisions alone". Which a lot of you may think is fine, but when other lives are in the mix, like those of the silenced partner or other employees, how much stubbornness and pride do you need to wield? 

 As I've gotten older and hopefully a bit wiser. I'm learning what I can and cannot do in my personal and professional life. I've learned that sometimes power is an okay thing to let go of, that as we mature others around us are maturing as well. Sometimes while we may think we know all and can do all, really we can't. That sometimes it's alright to get advice from someone less vested, to let them look at the problem with fresh eyes. 

 So don't be so prideful to think the old way is the best way or that it's your way or the highway, all the time. Because you never know the road may have changed since you last drove it. And a shoulder to lean on can be the smartest thing you can do. 

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