You don’t have all the answers. And neither do I. Asking for help is an underrated skill.
First, we must know what we need help with. This requires reflection, humility and acceptance. We must admit to ourselves, “I don’t know”.
The amount of information we have access to is a double-edged sword. We can get information within minutes, if not seconds and mostly for free. Which is absolutely amazing!
But, this information is never tailored specifically for us. It can give us a false sense of security. Especially because we usually look for information that confirms what we already believe.
We self-diagnose our ailments from information on the internet rather than go see our doctor.
We spend hours scouring case files on the internet rather than hire an attorney.
We pick default settings on our investment accounts rather than hire an investment advisor.
Now don’t get me wrong, we can learn so much from the internet. But sometimes it’s better to hire someone for advice. The three instances that immediately come to mind are medical, legal and financial advice.
I understand that cost is a deterrent for hiring someone for advice. However, I also think we convince ourselves that we know or can find out all of the answers. Not wanting to hire someone comes from the belief that we can answer all the questions ourselves. It can be a blow to one’s self esteem to admit that you don’t know something. Don’t take it that way. Nobody has all the answers. Sometimes it’s better to just ask for help.