One of the most interesting things I have noticed as I have progressed throughout my career, and really my life in general, is that people never ask for help. Or, at the very least, it is rare.
Someone may be struggling to solve a problem. Maybe it's trying to get in touch with a certain vendor, or trying get to the right tutor for your kid, or even needing to go to the doctor for a physical issue that's been ailing you for months. A lot of times people are so focused on being independent and accomplishing something on their own, that they do not realize when they have wide-ranging "rolodex" (after all, that's just a metaphor now) or people that can realistically help them solve their problem.
Sure, maybe it's admirable that someone wants to be independent. But, I liken this scenario to the cliche family vacation where everyone is packed into a car and the dad doesn't want to ask for directions because he thinks he knows where is going. (This was never me, by the way...okay maybe it was me). Only after a few hours of wandering the empty roads does he succumb to the pressures of wasted time and ask for help.
My message today is simple: do an audit of the people you know. Open up your iPhone when you have some down time--I like doing it on plane rides because I can't really do anything else--and go through each person in your phone. Make sure you have up-to-date contact info. More importantly, make a mental note of who they are and whom they know, so that the next time you have a question they could answer, you will know to reach out. Don't forget, it's not who you know, but what you know about whom.
Don't underestimate someone's willingness to help you because it is just a matter you deciding to ask. There's no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in "I need help!"
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Quote of the Day: "When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.” – FDR
Song of the Day: "Love Me Now" by John Legend
*My latest book; "Living on Purpose: Stories about Faith, Fortune and Fitness that will lead you to an Extraordinary Life", is available for order - Click Here*
I couldn’t agree with y6ou more. This is why I started fighting Sports Card hobby fraud only for free in 1992. NO ONE ELSE WAS DOING IT! Just like you said, almost no one asks for help or complains to the WRONG PEOPLE! So I became their middle man. By 1997 I got online with computer skills I started at age 13 from 1980-1983. I had a website up from 1997-2004. I interviewed nearly every executive from every card company and became friends with several. I did many hundreds of investigations. Then became a Forensic Document Examiner in 1999 interning with a famous FDE and Private Investigator for well over 200-hours at my own expense.
Even though I’ve been suffering badly from Myasthenia Gravis with Hyperthymusism (no meds work right or at all), Degenerative Disk Disease (6 ruptured disks in my neck & low back) and Fibromyalgia since 2009 and have been homebound and mostly bedridden, I still fight any fraud I see. Plus I’ve never made a penny profit from this hobby, I donates a minimum of 30,000 Sports Cards & autographs every year from 1989-2015. Gary Carter inspired me in Spring Training 1989 and we were good friends until he passed away in 2012 way too soon. I was elated when he was voted into the HOF on my birthday (Jan. 7th) in 2003. When I told him he sent me several HOF items autographs and a yeatrbook autographed stating “Great to hear I was voted in on your birthday!!!”. He was an absolute gem. Whenever I saw him he’d have his trademark ear to ear smile like he knew something none of us understood (and I know he did).