Today you might face something difficult. You’ll push. You’ll test. You’ll work hard. But maybe things don’t go your way. And then you start to beat yourself up. You work harder. You push harder. You get frustrated. Try asking yourself: Do I just need some help?

One of the misconceptions of Stoicism is that it’s about creating invincible, untouchable super heroes. That it reduces you to an island, a person all alone, sitting in perfect contentment under a tree somewhere. But that’s the wrong way to think about it. Stoicism was created by, and used by, regular people. People who had to interact with—and depend on—other people. Even Marcus Aurelius—a guy who literally ruled the world—said: “Don’t be ashamed of needing help. You have a duty to fulfill just like a soldier on the wall of battle. So what if you are injured and can’t climb up without another soldier’s help?”

The art of asking for help is a noble one. When you need it.

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