Almost everyone in their lives will reach a point where they feel lost, stuck and frustrated, it could be the result of a change in circumstance like losing a job or breaking up with a partner. No matter what the situation is, there is no way of hiding the emotional impact change can create. Sometimes you can be going through life smoothly, and then all of a sudden you find yourself at the bottom of a deep hole!
There was a young man who left University, he had been a graduate for 6 months and in that time had no luck finding a job, he had applied for every job he could find that he though would help his career get him started, but had received one rejection after another. This had been going on for 6 months and he was now at the point where he was running out of money and felt helpless. He was at the bottom of a deep hole and didn’t know how to climb out of it.
One day a psychologist is walking past, looks down and sees the man down at the bottom of this hole, “what are you doing down there” she asks the man, he replies telling her about his misfortune and how he is stuck in this hole and doesn’t know how to get out. The psychologists offers to help with a counselling session, the man agrees and pays the psychologist for her help. An hour passes and the man had poured his emotions out, feels worse than before, is even more upset. The psychologist says she has to go and offers to meet the man the same time next week for another session which he agrees to.
After a few hours of getting himself back together he decided to visit the doctor, and tells the doctor everything, the doctor listens, and then offers the man some medication to help with his problem, the doctor writes out a subscription for the man, then throws it down the hole for the man to catch. “What am I going to do with this” he says to himself, I’m still stuck in this hole and I don’t want medication, I want to fix the problem.
A few hours go past, someone from the man’s university who had left a couple of years earlier was walking past and noticed him down the hole, “what are you doing down there?” he says, the man tells him the story. The passer by, then says “i’ll help you” and jumps in the hole with him. The man responds “why did you do that?, now were both stuck in the hole!” to which the man responds “I’ve already been in this hole, and I know the way out! Follow me and I’ll show you the way”.
The moral of this story is that if you feel stuck, don’t know what to do next often the best solution is to find someone else who has been in the same situation before and can show you. You see, any problem you have, there are many people who know the solution, you are never alone!
I myself have been stuck in many holes, not knowing what to do, and usually you can figure it out yourself. But sometimes you just have to ask the right person for their help and even though it can sometimes be difficult to ask, remember that most people enjoy helping others. Think of a time someone came to you with a problem which you instantly knew how to resolve, that person could have been completely stuck in a hole until you jumped in and helped.
As you grow and improve your life you will constantly be falling down holes, some deeper than others, and having people around who can help you can be a great thing. When I interview Entrepreneurs, and business leaders they have all been in this situation, and what’s lucky is as you learn to climb out of holes you get stronger and one step closer to achieving what you want in life. Don’t panic, take a deep breath and ask for help.
