DailyOM - Asking For Help

"We like to be helpful. We volunteer at schools, shelters, food banks. We give millions each year to charitable organizations. On a more intimate level we make chicken soup for sick friends, dog sit for our neighbors, even stop and help strangers with car trouble.

Yet many of us are reluctant to ask for help when we need it. Any number of reasons may keep us from reaching out and asking or even accepting assistance. Pride, embarrassment, not wanting to be an imposition, or fear of rejection can keep us from seeking help, even when we very well may be in need.

Needing help is not a weakness. It may be a challenge and a risk to ask for help, but that gives us one more opportunity to grow and learn. Reaching out to others teaches us many things about ourselves. Asking for help requires examining our own needs and accepting areas where there is room for improvement in our lives. We are called to put aside our egos and admit that we are not totally self-sufficient.

There is certainly no shame in needing assistance setting up a new computer or asking someone to hem a pair of pants for us. There are times when we may need even more help, someone to drive us to the doctor, lend us money for an emergency, or talk to us when we're down. When we ask for help, we come to understand that we all need each other. And, allowing others to help us offers an opportunity for our family, friends, even strangers to feel useful and appreciated. Like we want to be helpful, so do others.

Reaching out for assistance teaches us to trust. Whether we call upon people, animals, angels, and/or the universe, we can believe our needs will be answered. We are ever reminded that there is compassion and that we are loved and cared for. Think of ways that you could use a little help in your life and reach out and ask. Let someone be of service to you today. Give and world gives back. Allow that to happen.

From DailyOMp