Do you struggle to get the help you need to elevate your work or impact?

If so, you are not alone. Working with others and surrounding yourself with people who can support and encourage you makes sense – but too often we don’t do this. We soldier on by ourselves. We limit what we can achieve and we take waaaay too much time trying to figure stuff out on our own.

If and when you next fall into this trap, self-check against the following:

Do I have a mindset around not trusting others?
Maybe you’ve been let down before, and decided it’s better not to involve others. Or you believe it can’t be done well if you don’t do it? Do you feel your project is too precious or fragile to share with others? Lots of the work I do around belief includes strengthening our belief in others. This can be a big step – moving away from tightly protecting an idea, towards trusting and sharing it with others who can support you.

Am I a Lone Ranger?
If you find yourself thinking “I work best on my own”, or “others slow me down” then hi-ho silver, we’ve got a problem! Humans are not inherently lone creatures. Yes, deep work requires solo time for thinking and creation, but to truly bring something alive in the world, we need to bring others in. As the proverb goes “If I want to go fast, go alone. If I want to go far, go together.” The idea, business, project we want to see in the world needs others for it to thrive.

Is my ego overly involved?
It happens to all of us, and as leaders, bringing self awareness to when the ego is dominating our decisions gives us the chance to resume the reins. If you notice that you want the glory for yourself, or you feel threatened by someone achieving the task that you normally do, then watch out this doesn’t translate into a mindset of keeping things close and not involving others. Feel into the concern that if I’m not the only one, what does that mean for feeling relevant or desired? What is possible on the other side of ego?

Am I playing too small a game?
If you’re reading this and thinking ‘hmm I just don’t need anyone else to support me’, it might be because the thing you’re working on, or the game you’re playing is contained enough for just you. Which is absolutely fine if that’s how you want it. But if you’re frustrated at your lack of progress, or unfulfilled in what you’re doing, then these are strong indicators that your heart is calling you to level up your impact.

Am I not owning my value?
This is a massive one for women. It has a flavour of not wanting to bother others. You might be inspired and excited by your project, but you hesitate to expand it by including others. You think “I don’t want to bother them, they won’t be interested.” “It’s only a small thing, it might not work, I won’t share it just yet.”  Owning our value – owning that we will find people who are excited by what we’re about and want to support us can be a breakthrough. It’s a crucial step toward living a more fulfilling life, and making the difference we want to make.

Which one of these is most prevalent for you?

What support could you ask for right now that would make a difference in the work that’s important for you?