Don’t be afraid to ask for help, unless...

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help, unless you are afraid of succeeding.” - Harvey MacKay

In what is remarkable insight, MacKay illustrates a very common weakness in people -- that they worry about being seen as weak and unknowing. The most able CEO's I have ever met were curious, active listeners, and always anxious to sit you down to learn. Their attitude was that there was something to be learned from virtually everybody.

Why we are afraid to ask for help is unusally simple. It revels in our own perceived self-worth, accomplishments, talents, wealth, or position. Somehow, a look our accumulations should be evidence enough of our “superiority”...over you. At its core is the need for adulation. I don't need help...especially from you. It is a terrible tragedy when the virtue of self-reliance is transformed into a vice.

On the other extreme is the sickness of envious comparison. We look bitterly at those who have better status, richer talents, or greater possessions than they do. They are hyper-critical, and tear down others as if they were entitled to do so.

In the end, those who don't ask for help rarely make it beyond themselves.