My neighbor's kid asked me a simple question that made me realize I overcomplicate things

I was helping my neighbor's 10-year-old son with a school project last weekend where he had to ask people a question and write down their answers. His question was 'What's the best way to ask for help?' I started giving him this whole speech about being clear and polite, but he just looked at me and said, 'But my dad just says you should ask.' It was so simple it kind of stopped me. I've been running a small online advice blog for about two years now, and I realized I write these long guides about how to phrase things, when the core of it is just being brave enough to put the question out there. I've probably spent more time worrying about the 'right' way to ask than actually answering people. It made me look back at all the times I didn't ask for something because I was trying to craft the perfect request. Has anyone else had a moment where a kid's simple view of something made you rethink your own complicated process?

3 comments

3 Comments

derekl798d ago

Just ask, the worst they can say is no.

clairem476d ago

Yeah the "mental roadblocks" thing is so real. I used to overthink asking my neighbor for a ride to the mechanic. Finally just sent "hey, any chance you're free Tuesday morning for a quick car drop-off?" and he said yes right away. I mean I'd built it up into this whole favor in my head.

lilys828d ago

Got a similar wake up call from my niece last year. She wanted a snack from the top shelf and just yelled "Aunt Lily, I need the cookies please!" while I was drafting a text to my boss asking for a deadline extension. I had three paragraphs and she had six words that worked perfectly. We really do build these huge mental roadblocks where a simple path exists.