Don’t Hide Your Weaknesses

Feb 13, 2023
The VA Connection: Don't Hide Your Weaknesses

During my morning routine with the chickens last week, I noticed one of my hens, Lavinia, was acting strangely. Even though I had just sprinkled her favorite treat all over the floor, she was standing apart from her chicken buddies, all puffed up and looking away. Normally, she would have been right under my feet, so I knew something was wrong.

After prodding her to walk, I could see that she wouldn’t put weight on her right foot and understood immediately what was happening. She was hiding her injury to stay safe. Any sign of weakness would make her a target - not only to a predator but to her flock mates as well.

Later that night, while Lavinia and I were lying on the couch together (yes, you read that right), it occurred to me that sometimes new Virtual Assistants do the same thing. They hide their weaknesses so they will remain undetected - the fear of looking unprepared or unknowledgeable stops them from asking for help. 

Here are some thoughts that might be running through your mind:

  1. I don’t want to be a burden. You worry it will bother someone if you ask for help. You’ll be taking their time; they might resent you or think you’re freeloading.
     
  2. I should be able to figure it out alone. So, you keep trying the same thing over and over, working longer hours, hoping for a different result.
     
  3. I don’t want to be judged. You think that if you were smarter, you would know what to do. You’re certain you’re the only one that is this clueless and exposing that would be embarrassing and maybe even humiliating.

If that resonates with you, you’ll need to shift your mindset and replace those thoughts that are keeping you stuck.

Virtual Assistants are natural problem solvers. And the key to solving problems is not in having the answers, but in knowing the questions to ask to get to the solution. When you think about it that way:
 

  • Asking for help is smart
  • Asking for help is powerful
  • Asking for help is liberating

Remember that you’re a business owner now. So ask the questions you have and stop acting like a chicken!

 

 

 

 


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