It had been over an hour, and still nothing. I was no closer to solving the problem than when I had started. My browser window had over ten open tabs, I was reading reviews, Reddit entries, asking ChatGPT, anything I could think of to find what I was looking for. But nothing. Frustrated, I left the café. The research would have to continue another day.

See, some weeks ago, I found out that a service I’d been using for years was going to be cancelled. I had added it to my to-do list to find a replacement, but had been unsuccessful. I kept avoiding it, telling myself it was too much work. Honestly, it didn’t feel great, like I was being forced to spend my time on it. Now, the day of the deadline had arrived. My plan was to go to the gym, then continue researching until I found a replacement, no matter how long it took. It seemed like it was going to be a long day. 

I arrived at the gym and started exercising. During my warmup yoga, it hit me. I realized that all this time, I was trying to do it on my own. I had to find an answer, I had to figure it out, but for some reason, I had not even considered that I could ask for help. I stopped my yoga routine. An idea struck me: What if I asked my brother for help? I had to act fast, as the nine-hour time difference might mean he was already sleeping. I messaged him, and he was still awake! Perfect.

We talked, and in less than five minutes, I had found the solution I was looking for. I had spent several hours researching and gotten nowhere, but now, after a short conversation, I was done. I had found a solution that was easier, simpler, and cheaper than what I had been searching for. And all of this because I asked for help, not from ChatGPT or Google, but from another human.

I realized that sometimes, I get too caught up in trying to figure things out on my own, no matter what. But this experience showed me that it’s good to take a step back and give myself space to think. Maybe I don’t need to do this alone. Maybe all I need to do is call someone and ask for help.

So what about you? 

Is there something you’ve been trying to solve on your own that could be easier if you asked for help? Or, if it were easy, what would that look like? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Until next time,

Angel 

P.S. For anyone who has been thinking about getting out of the routine, I am rereading this book, and it’s so inspiring: To Shake the Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret