Your people want to help you. Let them.
Even if it's just an invite to coffee.
Where my independent overachievers at?
You know who you are — the kid who got stuck doing all the work in “group” projects at school. The dependable one, the reliable one, the easygoing one who never asked for anything. Somewhere along the way, you learned you couldn’t trust other people to show up for you, so you got used to showing up for yourself.
And it worked really well for you, but you paid a high price. It’s lonely being the only one who looks out for you.
I met up with an old friend for coffee today, a former client I hadn’t seen in *checks calendar* at least four years. As we started chatting, I noticed my overachiever instinct bubbling up, that desire to pretend everything is fine when it isn’t. Luckily for me, he reads this newsletter (hi, Justin! 👋🏼), so I had to be honest.
And you know what? It was wonderful! We swapped laughs and empathy, caught up on each other’s lives, and then something amazing happened — he asked how he could help. We came up with a few ideas and agreed to stay in touch.
I drove home feeling heard, supported, and a lot less alone.
TL;DR Your people want to help you. This is your reminder to let them.
Hi. Robin. Independent overachiever here. Just a question… how do you find “your people”? 🤔
Thanks for this Robin, I need this reminder! I find it far too difficult to ask for help (or even accept it when it's offered). It's a good point that maybe brainstorming with a friend could be a less scary way of approaching it. And remembering that people genuinely want to help. 😁