If personal care services are looked at in much the same way, perhaps you can hire out that early morning dressing routine, that tub transfer or whatever it is that impedes getting on with the day - and spend your energy on your education, career or serving your community instead. The volunteer time you put in is the most gratifying thing you do, but you need someone to help with showering and dressing before you can get there. Perhaps you work for an independent living center. But you need a dresser, driver, gofer and leg bag emptier. But there's no skiing without some assistance on the hill.
Independence is a relative thing.
It's part of being human. And accepting help, of course, in no way prevents us from helping others ourselves. From this perspective, a decision to use more help is not an admission of failure, but an act of empowerment. In fact, accepting additional care may provide optimal independence. For many, taking responsibility and control over an appropriate level of physical assistance brings more freedom and flexibility than rigidly refusing all help.