Many of the problems we face in our day-to-day lives are because we do not (or hesitate) to ask! How many times you took wrong decisions, purchased something which did not fit your needs, got lost in an unknown city, or missed interesting deals; just because you did not ask??
It is difficult to ‘ask’ for help. If we ask for help, we fear getting labelled as not independent, not smart, inefficient, or someone of inferior quality. This phenomenon is universal ! Fear of asking, a strong mental barrier, creates all sorts of problems at every level of our lives.
I came across one brilliant, and inspiring Ted talk of Amanda Palmer, an American performing artist, singer and songwriter. In this talk she shares her fascinating experiences about asking help from people. Starting with, asking dollars (to make a living) by standing as living statue in a wedding dress without uttering a word, to her journey of becoming successful crowd funded music artist! She was able to do great things in her career in performing arts by literally asking anything and anywhere!!
In this talk she explores the things that she were able to do in her life by openly asking for help. Act of asking for help and receiving it, creates a very different kind of connection and bonding with the other person. From her experiences, she even wrote a book entitled, the art of asking !
Art of asking is utmost essential for avid backpackers and enthusiastic travellers. It can make your travels more easier, safer, and memorable ! It helps in various ways:
- Discovering local secrets and less known amazing places
- Get help at unknown locations
- Discovering food and culture of the places
- Save great deal of trouble and money
- Relives unnecessary tension and anxiety
Very true… we must not hesitate to ask for help, we can find a solution to many of our problems that way…