As I was reflecting on career do-overs, my train of thought took me a few station stops up the line.
In addition to situations I wish I could do-over, I started to think about what behaviors I would shift if I had a re-do on my career.
Truly, there are many things I’d do differently (I now have such a different perspective on the adage “Youth is wasted on the young” but I digress…) If I had to pick one thing, though, it’s this:
Ask for help.
We all have life experiences that have shaped us and contribute to how we show up in the world. I was a latchkey kid and learned to be independent and self-reliant at an early age.
Growing up, this worked out ok. As an adult in the workplace, this didn’t serve me. And it took me more time than I care to admit to figure that out.
I was lonely.
On top of that, I was physically exhausted from overworking, mentally tapped out from all the overthinking, and missing out on the collaboration that would’ve made the work better and my life easier.
So I hobbled along, not asking for help.
But I gotta say, self-reliance is overrated. It consistently kept me in my “Cycle of Doom” (see below).
And it’s masked in many different ways. Do any of these thoughts sound familiar?
- I’ll figure it out
- I don’t want to be a bother
- I don’t want anyone to think I don’t know what I’m doing
- It will take too long to engage someone else
While it seems harmless enough, the fallout is anything but.
I’m here to tell you that asking for help is not…
- A sign of weakness
- Admitting defeat
- Career limiting
- Proof you’re not cut out for the job
It is a sign of:
- Vulnerable strength
- Open-mindedness
- Being teachable
- Your humanness (remember, you are not a robot!)
We live in a relationship economy, and work gets done with and through other people.
Ask for help when you need it.
On behalf of your Future Self, thank you. 🙂
