The Downside of Self-Sufficiency

I learned early in life to be self-sufficient, not to need, “Do it yourself: don’t ask for help”. While this may seem empowering, even wise, at first glance, one downside is: I shrunk my world. If I couldn’t do it, it didn’t get done.

Another, though, is that by not asking for help, I didn’t learn the art of co-creating, of “doing with”. This is SO essential for healthy teamwork and family dynamics.

Moreover, by believing I was “doing it all myself” I was denying the real truth: so much of what I was doing depended on others’ work:

  • How did paper and pens come about?
  • What if I hadn’t learned from the teacher who taught me penmanship and how to read in grade school?
  • Where did these vegetables come from?
  • If cavemen had not invented the wheel, where would humankind be?

Self-sufficient? NOT!

Remaining ignorant of our inter-dependency, the co-creative nature of life, has a great impact. If I believe I am doing it myself, I cannot acknowledge you for your input. Acknowledgment enhances well-being of individuals and relationships. If I am ignorant of the inter-dependency of my life with all of nature, I may abuse it (consciously or unconsciously) and cause harm to other forms of life. A belief in self-sufficiency prevents the merging of skills and ideas, the result of which is “1 + 1 = 3” or, “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts it’s made of”.

Where might you shift from self-sufficiency to inter-dependency?
Where is your belief in self-sufficiency limiting you?

How will you co-create today?

What is YOUR wisdom?