I’ve Got This

RECENTLY, I OBSERVED a little boy standing at the open door of a large truck. He was sizing up the vehicle, determined to climb inside. The floor of the truck nearly reached his shoulders. His dad offered to help, but the boy instantly and confidently said, “I’ve got this, Dad,” and began to make the difficult climb inside.

Like this little boy, it’s easy for many of us to see a challenge and declare, “I’ve got this!” At a certain level, this is necessary and even admirable—we need to feel capable and confident. But when taken too far, the attitude of “I’ve got this” ultimately means choosing to go it alone. And when we go it alone, we come to realize the limits of our abilities.

We all have some things in our lives that come easily and others that don’t. The trick is recognizing that for those things that are new, scary, foreign, or just plain difficult, we don’t have to go it alone. There are people around us who can help us—people who’ve been where we are, who know where we’re going, and who can lend us a helping hand.

In fact, many of the greatest human achievements were only made possible by the collective efforts of many people working together on a shared goal. Projects like the pyramids of Giza, the Panama Canal, and the Apollo space program each required thousands of individuals working together, and the results were magnificent.

There is power in the humble recognition that we don’t know everything and can’t do everything. By acknowledging our need for help, we open ourselves to learning from others’ experiences and can benefit from their wisdom.

I once heard someone describe our need for others’ guidance with this analogy: “Once, at the beach, I saw a bird flying into the wind, flapping its wings so hard, almost frenetically, but staying in the same place. Then I noticed another bird, higher up. It had caught an updraft and was floating easily, unburdened in the wind.”1

When we go it alone, we may be like the bird who kept flying into the wind without progressing. Alternatively, when we accept help from others, their assistance can be like an updraft of the wind, lifting us higher and allowing us to soar.

References:1. Tamara W. Runia, “Your Repentance Doesn’t Burden Jesus Christ; It Brightens His Joy,” general conference, Apr. 2025, Gospel Library.