“No thanks, I’ve got it”. Sound familiar? How many times have you been faced with a task that was bigger than you, but you just didn’t have it in you to ask for help? Let’s face it, in today’s society women are becoming the superwoman – a career oriented, forward moving, and independent commodity; self-reliant and afraid to let the wall of capability down in order to accept a gracious helping hand. If this doesn’t sound like you then maybe you can relate better to a story of Miss Independence:
Miss Independence, a 32 year-old, independent professional woman, found herself hospitalized with sepsis and needing surgery. A strong willed woman, self reliant and self assured was suddenly and utterly incapable of caring for herself. In the blink of an eye, her world was turned upside down, and for the first time in her adult life, she was in need of help, completely dependent on her caregivers. Her sister came to her aid and stayed by her side throughout her recovery. This new sense of vulnerability and the outpouring of support she received led to a life-changing attitude. No longer was her success measured by how much she could accomplish on her own, instead, now, she realized that the solid foundation that enabled her growth and accomplishments was actually a structure of the support system she had all along.
In this example, Miss Independence discovered that the backbone to her independent ways was actually the strong family support system she had all along. Many times our support structures go unnoticed and are often forgotten as we travel the path of self reliance. Self reliance is often be based on the reality that we have a common and yet distant bond with family; distant enough to encourage us to spread our wings yet close enough to catch us when we fall. And every one of us will fall, to some degree, at some time in our life.
The key to taking care of oneself is by understanding that everyone needs a helping hand from time to time, and by remembering that being self reliant doesn’t mean that you must do things entirely by yourself. Being receptive to help and being strong enough to ask for help, when needed, are signs of a healthy attitude.
Categories: Developing Awareness
