Why is it so hard to ask and receive help and support? Why do you shy away from actually letting someone else give support and help to you when you go out of your way to give to everyone? I know it feels great to give but what else is going on?

Well surprise, surprise … it’s the same bottom line … the not good enough stuff in another guise. Many people feel that it’s better to give than receive … better to offer than take … better than what? Than being seen as somehow selfish and self-absorbed …somehow not deserving because in the old paradigm world of fear, the more you can do by yourself, for yourself, the better. I mean if you have to ask for help that shows that somehow you are weak and not ok. So the cycle becomes give, give, give and take very little – particularly if you have not really “earned” it!

How well is it working? Do you ever feel that you have given enough? Do you ever feel that it is really ok to let yourself ask for help, support and/or assistance and really let it in? If you do not then I suggest you consider that always giving and not receiving – like always picking up the tab at coffee, deflecting a compliment, always being the first to offer help no matter what, denying help for yourself etc. is actually quite “greedy”. When you are always the one giving, others are denied the joy of giving to you.

When you do let yourself receive, when you are aware that giving is only half of the whole process and that receiving is just as important, you will discover that joy abides in both giving and receiving.