Self help can suck.
Helping yourself is noble and can be effective to a point… but that’s one of its drawbacks: it’s limited.
No matter how many books you read on self-development (motivation, attraction, and so on), you can only grow so much by teaching yourself because 1) you don’t know where your blind spots are; 2) going out of your comfort zone is challenging; and 3) it’s difficult to objectively assess your own progress.
For those serious (and not too stubborn) about helping themselves, consider these benefits of outside help.
Three Benefits Of Asking For Help
Still hesitant to let others help you in your process? Consider these benefits…
1. Learn About Your Blind Spots
Not happy with your job but don’t know what else you are passionate about? Feel anxious when it comes to intimacy but not sure what the root of the feelings is? Wish you had a better social life but don’t know how to go about it?
Blind spots are, by definition, blind. You might be able to see the gap of logic in other people’s thinking, but I guarantee that you can’t see it in your own with the same accuracy. You can laser beam through your roadblocks so much faster by talking with an objective friend.
Pro athletes have coaches. Therapists see other therapists. We all need help from others. And being able to admit that to yourself is a mark of courage, not one of weakness.
2. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
It’s easy to stay in our comfort zones whether we are conscious of it or not. Maybe you’ve been saying for years that you’re going to do something (get into a relationship, record an album, travel somewhere exotic), yet it hasn’t materialized in the real world.
Even if you do have awareness of your blind spots, it’s common to ignore them and let them slide. Having an objective friend, partner, or coach help you with accountability is an important step in the road to becoming your best self.
3. Get Honest Feedback
Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated that an ideal friend is a “beautiful enemy”. Someone that pushes you through your blockages when you don’t even know that you need to be pushed. Someone that helps you grow as a person.
If your friends are quick to praise any and all things that you do without ever handing over a healthy dose of criticism, then you might be hanging out with the wrong friends. You want people to push you, not be exclusively impressed by you.
Take Action Now
In all that you do… aim for self-awareness, not “self-help”.
You begin a completely new life when you go from thinking “I don’t really like my life right now”, to “I am going to change my life right now”.
This is your life and you are shaping it every single day.
Are you proud of the person you’re becoming?
If you want to become aware of your blind spots, supercharge your life, or want some advice as you transition a particularly tough section of your life, let’s chat.
Dedicated to your success,
Jordan
