Help

February 18, 2021

I recently spent 2 solid days trying to learn a new computer program for my business. I messed around with instruction videos and help documents for a dozen hours and got just part of the way there. It was discouraging, because I know that lots of people know how to use this program, and I'm fairly bright, but I just wasn't getting it. 

But then I saw my daughter sitting with my mathematician husband getting help with her physics homework, and I realized something that I wish I had understood 9 hours earlier: I need a tutor! So I went on UpWork.com and connected with Jessica, a Wisconsin-based mom who is an expert in this program. It only took an hour of working with Jessica online to get me up and running in the basics. I could probably learn the rest of my own, but I know I'll go way farther way faster working with Jessica, so I'm going to keep asking her to hold my hand for an hour each week until I'm completely solid. 

One of the most important things I have learned as an adult, especially as an entrepreneur, is that there is never any shame in not knowing something, or in asking for help. Even if you've tried. ESPECIALLY if you've tried. This is something that kids don't really understand, so it can be hard to get them to realize they need help with things like schoolwork. They want to be able to do it on their own so badly.

But being able to seek help calmly and sensibly when you need it is crucial to success as an adult. So if you notice your child beginning to struggle, step in early. Now is that time of the school year when extra help can make a huge difference! You can use our list of Tutors and Tutoring Centers in your area as a starting point, but there are also many informal options, like relatives or older siblings of friends. 

As I tell my own kids: "If someone knows it, so can you." There is always a path from what I know to that thing that others know that I don't happen to know yet. Some say the tougher the path, the sweeter the success, and that might be true. But it's also true that the shorter the path, the FASTER the success. You don't always want to make the path shorter for your kids, but sometimes you do. So if you need your own Jessica, we'll help you find her.

—Deb