Throughout my lifetime, I've struggled with asking for help. It's been one of my biggest challenges – whether it was advice, money, resources, or anything else, the guilt that washed over me whenever I had to reach out was overwhelming. Even when the people I asked seemed happy to help, treating my requests as no big deal, I couldn't shake that uncomfortable feeling.

Solo travel changed everything for me.

When you're navigating unfamiliar places alone, asking for help isn't just useful – it's essential. And here's what I discovered: it gets easier. It really does. As I helped other travelers find their way or shared tips with locals who asked, I realized something profound. I was genuinely happy to help them. So why wouldn't they feel the same way about helping me? This simple shift in perspective began to crack open the armor I'd built around my self-reliance.

As a trained yoga instructor, I still regularly attend classes taught by other instructors. Yes, I can practice at home, and I do. But there's something invaluable about being a student, about letting someone else guide your practice. I've embraced this dual identity – sometimes I'm the teacher, but I never stop being a learner. I seek out courses, teachers, and experiences that expand my knowledge in areas I'm passionate about.

Running my own business has pushed me even further outside my comfort zone. I've had to find courses to fill knowledge gaps, hire coaches when I'm stuck, seek mentors for guidance, and – perhaps most challenging for me – pay others to handle tasks I could technically do myself. That last one was a huge hurdle. But here's what I learned: paying someone to do something they're skilled at saves me time and energy. I don't need to learn everything. I don't need to do everything myself. And trying to do so only leads to frustration and overwhelm – a place I've learned to avoid.

My background in Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture, massage therapy, moxibustion, and various movement practices might suggest I can handle all my wellness needs independently. And technically, I can perform many of these techniques on myself. But giving yourself a massage, while possible, doesn't compare to receiving one from skilled hands. Moxibustion is manageable solo, but acupuncture? That's where things get tricky.

Recently, I visited a Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor in Suzhou. She's remarkable – trained in Shanghai, a visiting scholar at Oxford, fluent in English, and visiting doctor at a clinic here a couple days each month. Today, she performed acupuncture on me, and it was my first time receiving treatment from a true professional rather than attempting self-treatment.

The experience was extraordinary. As she manipulated the needles, I could feel the energy – sometimes tingling, sometimes pressing. When I mentioned this, she confirmed she could feel it too. Having performed acupuncture on friends and relatives in the past, I knew this sensation from the practitioner's side – that distinctive feeling when you hit the right point and connect with the body's energy. But experiencing it as a patient was entirely different. My leg even began twitching from the energy movement. It was absolutely amazing.

This experience crystallized something important for me. Even professionals need professionals. I'm a coach, yet I still seek coaching when I need to talk through challenges or gain new perspectives. Being skilled in something doesn't mean you don't benefit from others' expertise – in fact, it often means you appreciate it even more.

The transformation from someone who couldn't ask for help to someone who actively seeks it hasn't been instant or easy. Even now, I sometimes feel that old resistance creeping in. But I push through it because I've learned a fundamental truth: we're not meant to do everything alone.

Whether you consider yourself a professional, think you should be able to handle things independently, or simply struggle with reaching out – remember that seeking help isn't a weakness. It's a recognition of our shared humanity, an acknowledgment that we all have something to offer and something to learn. And sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is simply allow someone else to share their gifts with you.