Recently it seems like I have been having this conversation with a lot of people and I'm not sure why so many people are having a problems with understanding that life is cyclical, but you can get yourself stuck in a rut if you are not actively engaging others in your growth. Self awareness, is about knowing the who, what, when, why, and where (yes physical location matters) of your life.
To be clear I do not claim to have all the answers, but being a self aware person means that I understand that not having all the answers is a big part of life. Knowing when to ask for help, who to ask, as well as in what manner you ask, are things people need to consider when they find themselves in a rut and without any idea as to how to get out.
It's important be comfortable with yourself, and know your strengths, but most importantly know and understand your weakness. It's OK to ask for help! I don't understand why people keep trying to go through life trying to do everything on their own. Personally, I think this is due to our misconception of what it is to be entrepreneur, in other words we have this erroneous idea that self-made people are really self-made. However, people don't understand that being self-made does not mean you go at it alone. If you look at the wealthiest people the Vanderbilt's, Rockefeller's, and Carnegie's they all have one thing in common. They all knew when and how to ask for help. Without the Cornelius Vanderbilt, the John Rockefeller's would have never amassed the wealth that he did. If Thomas Scott would not have mentored Andrew Carnegie, he would have never of learned the ins and outs of business that made him such a success. Even geniuses like Edison needed the help of people like JP Morgan to take his inventions to a global scale.
I guess what I am trying to say is know yourself, where you are in life and seek those that can help you advance and reach new heights. You will be surprised to see how many people are genuinely interested in watching you succeed. However, very few people have time to mentor people that are not ready to be mentored, especially if they still haven't figured out who they are or what they want to accomplish in life. So again be self-aware pay attention to your surrounding and see how you best fit into that world, and don't be afraid to ask for help, but seek those that truly help you.
This was an enlightening post. To really know one self- we would have to isolate from the world (which is controversial). We might not see eye to eye on this, but I completely agree that one should ask for help, because as an individual one cannot carry the whole weight. Sometimes though its easy to become so critical without other, or we just feel lost in knowing where to began. So I will close this conversation that can go in so many directions, by saying we really shouldn't be afraid to ask for help, the worst that can happen is being back in the same place you were with no answer.
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