How to get a little help from your friends

Sometimes you need a hand.

“No one cares about your career more than you”, I was once told. And although it remains one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received, today I’m going to make a few exceptions to that rule. (Apologies, Angelo. I owe you a lunch.)

It’s been three months of running my own business and it turns out, my friends have never been more amazing. I have a network of support and advocacy I could have only imagined. But asking for help can be tricky. Today, I’m here to change your mind about that.

First off, if you haven’t yet, go watch Amanda Palmer’s Ted Talk on the art of asking. She wrote a whole book about it. Her Ted Talk simply opened me up to the idea that you have to know what you need in order to get it and you have to offer up kindness in return. Here’s what else I’ve learned:

Support somebody else’s career- I am a connector. I am constantly thinking of who can help who and how each will benefit. I was taught early on about “job karma”. It rarely hurts to recommend other people or to connect two parties who can mutually ebenfit each other. Before I was on my own, I was always putting other resumes or LinkedIn profiles into other people’s hands. I never expected anything back. I liked the having the reputation as a “helper” of sorts. Turns out, that kindness comes back to you. Several of the gigs I have now came…