Life Lessons: It’s OK to Ask for Help

The most important lesson I’ve learned is to never be too proud to ask for help. This blog is about knowing when to reach out.

One of the first lessons I learned when I went out on my own at 19 was never to be too proud to ask for help. This was a lesson it took me about three years to learn, as it was quite humbling to have to get into a position where I felt that had to ask someone for help.

You see, I was raised in an era where you were taught to be independent; you are the captain of your ship and the master of your fate. Being so down and out that you had to ask others for help meant that somehow, you had failed. It was ingrained to me by my mother, my grandparents, my teachers, and even my scoutmaster. When things were not going your way, if you pull yourself up by your bootstraps, somehow everything would be all right.

It took the better part of two very frustrating years of being a ski bum to learn that sometimes that’s not true. I had spent almost two years in small-town Colorado, doing every menial job possible to support my skiing passion. You see, I was going to be the next world-class downhill champion.

Only I’d started skiing when I was 14 years old. The best skiers in the world typically begin at the age…