I don’t ask for help easily. And I am using that adverb very loosely. It would be more apt to say that I have to be cornered to ask for help. In the professional domain, this stems from the need to not look ignorant or stupid in front of my peers. In my personal life, it comes from not wanting to impose on anyone else. I am still working on the latter. But I have gotten better in the professional sphere atleast.

I have found that asking questions early on is far better than waiting until I have exhausted all my options. It helps to steer me in the right direction, saves me hours that would otherwise be spent going down the wrong rabbit hole and most importantly, team members prefer it when questions are asked upfront. I also slowly came to realize that others have similar questions and almost nobody takes me as seriously as I take myself. Everyone has a million other things on their mind.

So that sums up my self talk argument. Don’t take yourself so seriously.