Why is it so hard for some people to realize they need help?
If I've learned one thing during this past week of unimaginable pain and loss over my father's unexpected passing, it's that people are always willing to help whenever they see someone struggling. I posted about losing my dad online and people who I didn't even know reached out to me and offered their condolences; my friends and acquaintances asked if there was anything they could do or if there was anything that was needed; and of course my close friends didn't even ask, they just did whatever they thought was best to help and I cannot tell you how much that meant to myself and my family!
This whole process has made me think though about why it is so hard to accept help, no matter the circumstance. I know in my case, at times it is stubbornness: thinking I can do everything and if I can't, well I'm going to knock myself out trying because I know I can do it. At times it is also pride: no one can do it the way I would do it or do as good a job or care about it as much as I do, so I will just struggle through, no matter if it takes me twice as long or I waste valuable energy getting frustrated and stressed, I have to do it myself!
There is a lot of that thinking going on with small business owners and entrepreneurs and frankly, they are doing themselves a great disservice by having that mindset. How can you expect to grow your business if you are busy being pulled in fifty directions? How can you ever expect to bring your business to the next level if you're trying to handle every aspect of the business yourself?
Obviously you have the intelligence, drive, determination, strength, and courage to start your own business and in the beginning it may have made perfect sense for you to do everything yourself. But once your business starts to take off and you find there are ever increasing demands on your time and attention, why is it so hard to realize that you might need some help? I understand the feeling of protectiveness you may have over your business: it is your pride and joy and no one will ever feel quite the way you do about it, but that doesn't mean that no one else can help you. Part of being a smart business owner is not just coming up with a great idea, product, or service, it's also realizing what you can and cannot do then delegating what you can't or don't want to do to someone else.
Bottom line: there is nothing wrong with asking for or accepting help; it doesn't mean you're weak or have no control over what's going on. What it does mean is that you realize your strengths and what you love doing and let others deal with everything else!
