Asking for help is not something that everyone can easily do. Most of the time, we do things on our own and avoid asking others for help, not because we are confident in our own skills but because we are afraid of going over to someone and saying, “Hi, can you help me with something?” This begs the question – why is it hard to ask for help?
Fear of being branded as weak
One of the reasons why we do not want to ask for help is because it may give off the notion that we are “weak” or “slow”. However, not being able to do something because you are afraid to ask for help is actually worse than letting others know that you need assistance. You have to remember that at the end of the day, being able to accomplish the task at hand is what counts, regardless of how you did it or who you went to for help.
Fear of rejection
Admit it – it is hard to ask for help especially if you have this feeling within you that you might be rejected or simply ignored. However, if you do not even try, you will never know. What if there is someone who is willing to help you, but is just waiting for you to approach them first?
Fear of ridicule
Aside from being afraid of rejection, one other thing you might be afraid of is ridicule. You might have this negative thought lingering at the back of your mind, telling you that everyone would be talking about you behind your back once you ask for their assistance. Drown this negative thought with the fact that no man is an island, and even the best and most successful people ask for help.
The bottom line is, asking other people for help should not be viewed as a sign of “weakness”, rather, it should be viewed as the opposite. Letting others know that you need their help is much better than pretending you know how something should be done even if you don’t and end up screwing things up in the end.