Ask, And It Will Be Given...

I went on a scavenger hunt tonight - we had to come back with various photos of this and that, always including at least two team members in the shot. Extra points were given for innovation and creativity, which inevitably led to some interesting moments. Some of our team were occasionally a little hesitant to bowl up to complete strangers and request permission to photograph them (doing weird things, no less), but we all pushed past that and got some really cool shots in the end. In fact it was amazing how willing people were to help out when asked. It's something that I've been ignorant of for years and am only recently coming to realise: if you're nice, many folks will go out of their way (at least a little) to give you a hand. Not everyone will, of course, but far more than I ever expected. I suppose I'd always worked on the assumption that everyone pretty much kept themselves to themselves and couldn't be bothered (why should they?) to aid anyone else. That was the theory I'd lived by, and it affected the way I operated. I never asked anyone for anything unless I knew that I could repay them. Well, for some odd reason, that's not necessarily the way it works in the real world. So now my motto is Well, it never hurts to ask. Oh, I'm not completely reformed - old habits die slow - but the idea (and its consequences) has opened up doors for me that I didn't even know existed. The biggest block for most people to flat out asking for help is plain embarrassment (read: pride). Others however don't want to become bludgers - parasites who are always taking from others. That's a valid concern, but there's a way to make sure you never fall into that trap: when roles are reversed and someone is requesting your help, give them all you can - and don't send a bill.