{"id":38337,"date":"2016-12-19T16:37:48","date_gmt":"2016-12-19T14:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.power2improve.com\/?p=38337\/"},"modified":"2016-12-20T23:15:56","modified_gmt":"2016-12-20T21:15:56","slug":"4-reasons-why-asking-for-help-makes-you-happy-and-successful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.power2improve.com\/en\/blog\/2016\/12\/19\/4-reasons-why-asking-for-help-makes-you-happy-and-successful\/","title":{"rendered":"4 reasons why asking for help makes you happy and successful"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u2018Who wants to help a person who asks for help?\u2019, (almost) all hands go up. \u2018Who asks for help easily?\u2019, almost no one hands go up. For quite some years, this is how it goes in our workshops, all over the world. I too struggled with asking for help for a long time, and I tend to gradually learn it more in baby steps. <\/b><\/p>\n

Last Monday, I asked for help via a Facebook post. One in which I wondered how I could get a Christmas tree back home, all by myself. My former colleague Koen responded and offered his help for Tuesday morning. And that\u2019s how a beautiful tree was acclimating in my shed a few hours later. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Weak, lazy or ignorant?<\/h2>\n

So, why is asking for help so hard? We tend to have many, mostly negative, thoughts about it. \u2018What do other people think of me when I ask for help?\u2019 That I am weak, lazy or ignorant, probably?\u2019, for example. Often just the opposite is true. Many people feel honored and consider it a gift if they can help someone. It makes them happier, and there is even some <\/span>scientific evidence<\/span><\/a> that it could possibly help them to live longer: \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

#1. Offering help makes happy<\/h2>\n

Offering your help is volunteering. Research shows that the more people volunteer, the happier they are. Researchers from the London School of Economics <\/span>found<\/span><\/a> that offering your time, attention and talents feels like a reward: <\/span><\/p>\n

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  • <\/i><\/span>
    Donating time actually gives you the feeling that you have more of it.<\/span><\/div><\/li>\n
  • <\/i><\/span>
    The act of giving creates social ties, which make you feel loved.<\/span><\/div><\/li>\n
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    Giving leads to empathy and life satisfaction. <\/span><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    When you give to others, your body and mind behave the same way they would if you had received something from them. Happy people also tend to give more; thus, an upward spiral of happiness occurs. <\/span><\/p>\n

    #2. Helping\u00a0fulfills you<\/h2>\n

    Helping people both boosts your self-confidence and adds meaning to your life, Vanessa King, author of <\/span>Ten Keys to Happier Living<\/span><\/a>, explains in her TEDx Talk. The opposite is also true, she says: \u2018Happy people offer more aid.\u2019 Another vicious spiral of happiness. <\/span><\/p>\n