It’s OK to Ask for Help
Sometimes it can be difficult to admit our shortcomings. Pride steps in, and immediately we are wired to try to figure out how to handle it (whatever it may be) even in the face of disastrous results.
It just seems that admitting that we need help is a sign of weakness and feels kind of embarrassing. I am convinced that it takes more energy to try to figure out what to do than it does to just let it go and ask for help. This post hit me like a ton of bricks this morning at 4:45a.
I am habitually guilty of not wanting to ask for help because I don't want to inconvenience anyone, and I want to be able to say that I did it myself. I'm not one to brag, so my desire to do things on my own had nothing to do with wanting to make a big fuss about my ability. It's internal. Deep down inside, I wanted to know that I had what was needed to get the job done. Over the last few years, I've realized how counterproductive that has been. I'm not talking about rocket science, all-consuming type tasks. I mean the little ones like getting laundry done or picking the girls up from school. Things that extra help would make easier to manage.
Just ask for help already
After about two weeks of not putting laundry away, I was unable to tell which clothes were clean or dirty. As I prepared to rewash EVERYTHING, my husband decided to stage an intervention. The reality is this wasn't a one-off moment for me. This happens every single time I do laundry.
Since getting married he's always done his own laundry and seems pretty happy about getting it done. Unfortunately, I don't feel the same about this task. I HATE doing laundry. Somehow throughout our marriage, I managed to handle my own laundry pretty well. But adding the girls' laundry to the mix threw my barely-there process entirely off track.
Good-bye, Pride
During my latest stint of confused laundering, my husband offered to sort, wash, and fold everything. I thought this would be a task that would take days. He knocked it out in about four hours (including wash, dry, fold and laugh at Stephanie time). The only thing I had to do was hang clothes and put the folded ones away. I could totally manage that. Why hadn't this arrangement been made sooner? As I sat down, feeling extremely excited that everything was put away, I couldn't help but wonder why I had never asked my husband for help. It was evident that he has a much better handle on doing laundry than I do.
This morning, I started wondering about other areas of my life that might benefit from an honest evaluation. I made a list. What things am I holding on to even though I know that having help would make it much easier for me to handle? Who might want to help me but could be afraid to point out that they've seen me struggling?
Today's affirmation: Knowing when to ask for help is not a sign of weakness. Asking for help opens a door for me to learn how to better myself.
