Lend a hand


Sometimes the most difficult thing a person can do is to ask for help. Ironically, many times when the request comes, we think we are too busy to help our family, friend or colleague who is vulnerable and asking for support.

I recently found myself in a situation I could not fathom and my back was up against the wall. There was no way out, and I needed the help of every person I knew, and didn't know. My requests for help became pleas for support and aid. I was desperate.

To my surprise, some people who I thought were very close to me, were actually very distant. In response to my request for help, one person told me "if this is an emergency, call 911." Another friend told me his travel schedule - I think that was an indirect way of telling me he was busy with work. A couple of other people never responded. I didn't have time to internalize the hurt or disappointment of this behavior, I had to try to solve the situation that was before me.

The majority of my friends could not stop trying to lend a hand to support my cause and grief. One friend listened to me hurt, cry and plea for mercy. An army of friends and family began praying for my cause. Another family member dropped everything in her life to support me 100%. Another person took an airplane to be by my side, to physically just be present. Another friend proactively offered his finances, if that could help the situation.

I found myself trying to make sense of the rejection I received when I was hurting and vulnerable. I discovered that I cannot rationalize it, or understand it because I am not wired the same way. Rather, I must forgive and let go of these situations. Time is the only thing we have worth spending in this life. How and with whom we choose to spend our time speaks volumes about the content of our character. Everyday, we all have a choice to make - "at what point will I help another, before I help myself?" 

The lesson I learned from this situation is to lend a hand whenever I am asked for help. If I ever think I am "too busy" to help another person who is hurting, I need to pause and re-examine my priorities.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "A life of service is a life of meaning"; and, Dr. King was right.

#ONWARD


Jason is an expert at teaching people to transform Dreams into Reality. He has amassed a lifetime of expertise in the field as a General Manager for General Electric leading large teams, where he ran a $400 million dollar business, he was a former leader of Global Operations for a Fortune 100 company, an attorney and CEO of a non-profit that helps children with Autism. In addition to his professional experience, he is a US Paralympian, holds 15 world records in ultra-running and mountain biking, is an author, a highly sought after motivational and business speaker and is the 1st and only blind person to run across America - 3,063 miles where he averaged 51.5 miles/day for 59.5 days. For speaking and media inquiries visit www.jasonromero.net 

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