There’s a genuine sense of achievement that comes from doing things on our own. And it’s also nice when things are done for us occasionally. But often a mix of these is best – receiving a helping hand to accomplish the tasks before us.
At one extreme, we tend to believe we must do everything on our own. And certainly we have many responsibilities we shouldn’t neglect or defer to others. All the same, we set ourselves up for failure and burn out when we don’t surround ourselves with a team that has our back through the ups and downs of life.
At the other extreme are those who have deferred all responsibility to others. They’re constantly looking for a handout and blaming others whenever things are not going well in life. But this extreme position doesn’t deny there are times in which it is wise to receive help and let others serve us as well.
And learning to receive a helping hand is generally a wise approach.
A helping hand is not doing the job for us. But it is coming alongside us to help us do the job better than we could do alone. We still have to pull our weight, but with the help of another, the load is not so overwhelming that it takes us out.
For instance, this might be a friend helping us to move, the helping hand of a colleague at work, or even the erotic partnership with our wife in lovemaking.
Whatever it looks like, there are many situations throughout our life and relationships in which an all-or-nothing approach leaves us wanting. Receiving a helping hand allows us to remain humble in what we can do without neglecting our responsibilities.
In the end, life doesn’t depend on your efforts alone, though you still have a part to play. Learn to receive a helping hand – balancing your responsibilities with the needed support from others as well.
