The Dream Team

Photo credit: Tiny Acorn Portraits

Everyone wishes there was more time in the day to do what they want to do, yet no one has been able to bottle up time and sell it. I started to think, how much would I pay to have more time? If I needed just one more hour in a 24 hour day, how much would I pay to have that hour? $60 - a dollar a minute? What is that hour worth? Some people would pay $2 a minute, $3 a minute etc. As the saying goes, “Time is precious.” In the past, I used to judge people who hired help even though all they were doing was buying time. In other words, if they really wanted to do more in a 24 hour timeframe, they paid for help. Ironically, when I became financially able to afford help, I thought I was weak for needing it. Nowadays, I say, “Bring on the help!” even if I have to pay for it.

I recently read (and when I say read, I mean, listened to) Rachel Hollis’ book, “Girl, Stop Apologizing”. Rachel encourages women not to be afraid to ask for help. Allow me to paraphrase one thought that she mentions in her book about asking for help. She asks her readers to think about the CEOs of large corporations who need teams of people to accomplish their business goals, yet why does a mother with small children and a small business feel weak because she has to ask for help? I totally agree with Rachel’s analogies about asking for help and I love how she drives the point home by giving examples of her life situations. This vulnerability allows her followers to see that she has her own issues and if she can do this, we can too. In the book, Rachel lists off the help that she needs in order to live her life while simultaneously accomplishing her career goals. Her list consists of nannies, housekeepers, help with getting her dog bathed and car washed, a food stylist and a food photographer for her cook book, an occasional in-home spray tan service, a clothes stylist, a make up artist, a hair stylist and a few more helpers that I’m forgetting. What I love about her sharing her list is that IN ADDITION TO her team at work who support her with her business goals and her helpful husband who supports her with her business AND family goals, she still needs a lot of help. I consider Rachel’s chapter on asking for help a thoughtful pinch to fans like me and I hope that we can pass along her message to our friends and family because this is a gift that keeps on giving. I like how Rachel challenges anyone who throws shade on this amount of help to weigh it against the amount of product and content that she puts out in a given day. I’m pretty sure her haters have to go into silent mode because even they know that anyone who doesn’t have this help, couldn’t possibly do what she can do in a day.

The celebrities that honor the fact that they wouldn’t be where they are today without a massive amount of help are awesome. Thank you celebrities, for being thoughtful to all of us who look up to you and need to hear that no one can do it all alone. I’m not talking about help as in - with their talent, having their parents’ support and their managers guidance. What I’m talking about is the DREAM TEAM: the drivers, the drop off dry cleaning service, the grocery delivery service, the esthetician who makes house calls, the nutritionist, assistants, accountants, lawyers, florists, realtors, photographers, tutors, drivers, editors, dog walkers, private yoga instructor, private chef, publicist, night nurses, the handymen, pilots, the computer specialist, home organizers, social media manager, etc. These Dream Team members, as well as the ones that Rachel mentions above, are just a sample of the many types of help available. Seeing or hearing about help this way gives us the opportunity to forgive ourselves for not being exactly where we want to be in our lives. The Dream Team that one celebrity needs is a reality check for the rest of us. Clearly, there isn’t enough hours in a day to do this all by ourselves.

Not that I have to justify it, but besides not having enough time, the main reason that I have my own Dream Team is because even though I care about a lot of things, I don’t care enough to invest my time in doing them for myself. As I age, I have started to really value my overall well-being. Therefore, I seek help for things that are not my strengths. I have no desire to learn more about clothing trends, skin care, hair removal, make up, manicures, pedicures, hair, teeth, yoga sequences, massage, physical therapy, home design etc. None of these are in my wheelhouse. Besides, there are just too many people in the world who know what they are doing in all of these fields. These experts are excited and willing to help others. I would rather pay someone who earns their living doing what they love to do than me dreading the tasks while it uses up my precious time.

It’s basic math. With the time that I don’t spend on figuring out how to do things that I’m not interested in, I am able to use for things that I really care about: being a wife, a daughter, a mother, a sister, having a business career and maintaining my house. Oh and sleep. Yes, part of my 24 hours in a day consists of a good amount of sleep.

Again, in the book Girl, Stop Apologizing, Rachel talks about having help with her appearance. It makes sense to me. When we look good, we feel good. And when we look and feel good, we…wait for it…act good. Poor grammar but you get my point. It’s a win-win-win. If you need a Dream Team to help you act or do good, then by all means, gather your resources and put your team together. No one loses if you ask for help. Sweet dreams!

Pinches,

Barb