Asking For Help Is A Sign Of Strength

By Jeremy Brown

Somewhere along the line, being identified as independent became synonymous with being a person of strength. There’s a cultural connotation that suggests that independent people possess a sense of care-freeness, toughness and adaptability.

There is value in being a person of independence and that individuality is certainly needed in areas of life, but overall we’re a society made up of too many independent individuals.

We associate independence with strength, but when we rely solely on our own perspectives and individual strength in life, are we not actually hindering our ability to be independent? That’s the paradoxical question Molly Centrell-Kraig, founder of Women With Drive, poses in her “Successful Blog.”

The fast-paced, me-first nature of our culture leaves too many in the “fend for yourselves” mentality. When a stressful scenario presents itself, personally or professionally, what do you do? Do you gather up that strength within to attack the issue head on? Fall into an emotional funk? How about asking for help?

The latter can be perceived as the weakest of the three options, but I’d argue it reveals more intestinal fortitude than the former. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness. “Admitting you need help requires a great deal of confidence. Accepting help requires a humility that expands your abilities,” writes Kraig.

Often times, the value we place on self-sufficiency and independence gives us the opposite view. Pride too frequently curtails our ability to seek help, whether it’s a personal or professional issue. Many resist the idea of help because it contradicts the learning habits of a growing independent culture. “Believing you can do anything and fix everything if you just try harder and want it enough is instilled in us at any early age,” a recent Bradford Health Services post suggests. “The truth is we cannot do or fix everything, regardless of how hard we try or how much we want it.”

Emotionally we may be at our lowest when we’re reaching out for help, but mentally we are at our strongest in having the self-awareness to lean on friends, family or co-workers around us. Check your pride at the door, but have the confidence to confide in someone you trust. Let’s get away from the idea that asking for help is weak. It takes a strong individual to rely on others.

Jeremy Brown is the TEENPOWER, Communications and Special Events Coordinator at Youth Resources.