Ever since I was a little kid, I have tried to be as independent as I possibly can. I always want to achieve things people say I will not be able to do. I want to push harder than anyone thinks I can and, more than anything else, I want to prove people wrong.

I have refused help from anyone along the way as much as I can. I am often told that everyone needs help at some point or another and I quickly reply with, “But I don’t need it.” I have more pride than I probably should and I refuse to let anyone see me fail. I have been supporting myself since I was 17 years old and I want to make it to the end and say, “I did it by myself.”

For a couple of years, I was doing really well — supporting myself as a full-time college student with a full-time job. I was slowly saving money that eventually all seemed to disappear, but I still was able to support myself and keep my life moving forward. However, I recently reached a point where my bank account was filled with zeros, my mental state was failing, and I simply didn’t know what to do anymore. So what did I have to do? I had to reach out and ask for help.

It took a lot for me to accept the help provided by others. At first, I felt like I had failed. I felt like everyone was laughing at me and poking fun at my pride. After a little bit of time, I learned that wasn't the case. People don’t offer help to poke fun at you or make you feel like less of a person. People want to help because they want to see you succeed. The people who offer help have just as much faith in you as you do. They help you because they know that this one setback is not going to bring you down permanently. They know that you will put their help to good use.

It took me falling short of where I want to be to learn the things that I can improve. I can improve my spending by creating a plan. I can improve my mental state by talking to a professional. I can improve my stress by organizing everything else. It took me needing to help, to learn how to NOT need help.

I learned that those who offer help aren’t the ones who laugh that you need it, they are the ones who believe you don't need it.