Embracing Imperfection: Lessons Learned from Laundry

Do you and your partner have certain tasks where one of you just excels? At our house, it's folding laundry. I have to admit, my husband's skills are superior. The way he can retrieve a forgotten load of laundry from the dryer and effortlessly whip and fold it so tight, training those pesky wrinkles right out—it's like magic.

He's so good at folding laundry that sometimes I think it's painful for him to watch me do it. I can practically feel his OCD itching to take over and do it himself (or sneakily refold it when I'm not looking).

Lately, with a few too many loads piled up, I've turned it into an activity. I've always despised doing laundry, but I won't lie, putting on Ree Drummond from Pioneer Woman and opening up the windows to let in some fresh air has made it somewhat enjoyable!

That feeling lasted until I needed to fit all the towels into the linen closet. I ended up transferring one tote's contents into another to create more shelf space for towels. It was a relief, but it kind of bothered me that the edges weren't perfectly aligned and the towels weren't all identically shaped like when my husband does them.

Later on, I mentioned to him that I managed to fit them all in but had to make extra shelf space because I didn't fold them small enough. He chuckled instantly. "I know, I saw...but that gives it character. I think it's cute how you did it." The conversation turned into full-on belly laughs as I blamed the dryer for shrinking the seams of the towels, causing them to be crooked. He assured me that wasn't the case and offered to show me another way if I wanted to learn, but he'd never refold my "character towels" because both ways result in clean, put-away laundry. What a supportive environment to take risks and fail forward!

This experience marked a great evolution in our relationship as our values have shifted—clean and put away over clean and put away PERFECTLY. Just a couple of years ago, I wouldn't have dared touch that laundry because he'd definitely refold it all, reinforcing my self-imposed label that "I'm bad at laundry." It's a reminder to stay open with people and see them with fresh eyes each day. Sometimes, the only thing holding us back from growth are outdated limiting beliefs. If I'd always believed I was bad at laundry, I wouldn't be improving by avoiding it.

What are some self-imposed limiting beliefs that prevent you from achieving joy and success in your life? Know that those thoughts aren't real. They might feel real, especially if you seek affirmation from your environment. Our brains are wired to find what we seek. So, let's seek joy. Remember, failing forward is part of the journey.