The power of asking for help...

"I've never found anybody that didn't want to help me if I've asked them for help." - Steve Jobs

I had a couple of great experiences last week that made me think of that quote. I try to practice the "Never Eat Alone" philosophy and I had great lunch meetings last week with friends who also run businesses.

When I ask for help and receive it, I am always amazed at how good I feel afterwards. First of all, I'm learning and growing, so I'm excited by that. Next there is a feeling of gratitude towards the other person which creates an instant energy - and it makes me want to give back. And then when you can give an idea or a shared experience back and you've helped them, too, it's such a great feeling.

This is a video of Steve Jobs explaining his feelings on asking for help as well as trying and failing -

The other thing it reminded me of is how much I miss my YPO Forum. "A YPO Forum is a small group of YPO or WPO peers who meet regularly to exchange ideas and experiences on the issues that matter most to them. In the 40 years since its inception, forum has become a universal language spoken today by nearly 22,000 members on six continents. This shared language creates immediate and meaningful connections among members worldwide."

When I joined YPO in 2008, I was placed into a brand new Forum of new members, and we immediately clicked. Fast forward 6 years, and after meeting every month of the year (Except July and August) for a 1/2 day together, we wound our Forum down as most members were graduating to WPO. (The picture at the top is my Forum at our last retreat together. These guys are still like brothers to me.)

This October I will be joining a new Forum of mostly new YPO members, and I'm super excited to get to know these new members and getting back into the routine of sharing experiences, helping when I can and getting help when I need it. It's extremely powerful.