Would you like some help?
So, I was just doing that thing where I was killing myself to carry everything in from the car in one trip. Do you ever do that? Refuse to make a second trip and load yourself down completely with everything.
As I struggled to get in the door to the hallway of my building, I set down a bulk package of toilet paper, opened the door, and kicked the toilet paper down the hall. One of my neighbors came down the hall and automatically gave me a smile of recognition. (Like, “Yep, I do that too.”)
He said, “Would you like some help?”
Without even thinking, I said, “Oh no, it’s good. I’m just going right there.”
He said, “Okay” and kept walking. I kicked my toilet paper a few steps more and was at my door. But it left me wondering, why do I so automatically say no to help? Wouldn’t it have been nice if he’d picked it up and set it at my door? I also noticed a part of me that would’ve been uncomfortable had he done that.
One of the things I’ve been working with in the last couple of years is the ability to be supported and receive. I’m painfully self-reliant at times. There are areas where that works to my benefit, but there are a lot of places that it’s limiting not to let myself be supported in ways that would feel really good.
I’ve been stretching into that more and more. I have people who support me in my business, where I used to do everything on my own. I have somebody who helps with planning and execution. I have help with the newsletter and a bookkeeper. I’m generally more receptive to my friends and people I’m in a relationship with, to receive from them in really beautiful ways.
And, my automatic was “No, it’s good. I’ve got it.” So just noticing, what would it be like if I took a pause to consider if that would be good for me. What if I expanded my ability to receive support even more?
While there’s nothing wrong with being self-sufficient, my questions for you today are:
Are you self-sufficient in a way that limits you?
Would you like to be more receptive in your life?
Are there places where you could use more support?
If so, what might that look like for you?
That’s my thought for today. If you identify a place where you’d love more support, and it includes someone like me in your life, that’s what I do. I help people stretch their edges and move into spaces that are unfamiliar and perhaps a little uncomfortable so they have a greater capacity for love, connection, joy and peace in their lives.
See ya next time!