🤝 Asking for Help: The Bravery in Vulnerability

By Ken Stoddart:

There was a time when asking for help felt like defeat.

I believed strength meant silence. That resilience meant pushing through alone. That if I just worked harder, drank less, succeeded more—things would eventually fall into place. But the truth? They didn’t.

In my toughest moments—grief, addiction, shame, loss—I discovered something no boardroom, no Ironman, no bank account ever taught me: asking for help is strength in its purest form.

We live in a world that praises independence, but real healing requires connection. Real change starts when we surrender pride and choose courage. Not the kind forged through status or power—but the quiet courage to say, “I can’t do this alone.”

Asking for help is not weakness. It’s wisdom. It’s honoring your pain instead of hiding it. It’s trusting someone to hold space for your truth. It’s choosing dignity over destruction.

When I reached out—first to professionals, then to spiritual mentors, then to friends who didn’t flinch—I began to heal. I began to rebuild. I discovered a version of myself more powerful than the one I’d spent years projecting.

So if you’re in a storm right now: ask for help. Whisper it. Shout it. Write it down. Do whatever it takes to crack the door open—because light will rush in.

You are not alone. You never were. And asking for help may just be the bravest thing you ever do.