If you haven’t heard of Rachel Hollis and her books Girl Wash Your Face and Girl Stop Apologizing, you might be living under a rock, or maybe the self-help genre just isn’t your thing.
The self-help genre IS my thing and after feeling completely inspired by Girl Wash Your Face, I was pretty excited to read Girl Stop Apologizing: A Shame Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals (and by read I mean listen on Audible). Rachel tells us this is a “tactical” guide to creating goals and going after them (there are some good tips for that in the book) but in my opinion, it’s mostly inspiration that might get you started on creating whatever kind of life you’ve been holding back on.
There is one caveat: I am not a fan of hustle, something I feel like Rachel thrives on and encourages. As a 51yo mom of 3 and business owner I have been hustling for a very long time and honestly, I’m hustled out. I have a dream and I’m going after it but I’m going at my pace. The pace that I want to live my life. 20 years ago when I was 31? Yep. Hustle. Now at 51? Call it maturity, call it “I’m freaking tired”, call it whatever you want…if I feel like watching movies with my kiddos at night instead of answering e-mails or writing blog posts you can bet I’m gonna do THAT.
Early on in the year I jokingly told my friend Kelly Welk at the Dreamcatcher Community that I think what I want out of this year is “peaceful growth”. I say this jokingly because as we all know, growth is hard! Rarely is it peaceful! Kelly assured me that yes, I can actually have peaceful growth – it’s entirely up to me how fast or how slow I move. She also reminded me that giving 150% effort for weeks and months on end is most likely not sustainable (for me). It’s okay to take breaks. It’s okay to slow down. It’s okay to sleep in. A simple statement with a profound impact on my outlook😊
Rachel Hollis has created a movement that is so obviously needed by millions of women everywhere. Her social media accounts have millions (YES, MILLIONS) of followers, she is speaking on stages worldwide, and I will confess…I’ve listened to just about every podcast she’s ever been on. I connect with her stories of big dreams and I’m inspired by her willingness to just “go for it”. For too long I’ve had dreams that I’ve been afraid to chase and I’ve experienced shame around the idea that I might want something for myself. Her books had the words I needed to change my perspective.
There are some wonderful take-aways in both of her books that I connected with not just in a business aspect but in life too. I’ll share a few quotes here, maybe they’ll have an impact on how you go after your dreams or even just your day-to-day living.
“It’s possible to pursue something for yourself while simultaneously showing up well for the people you love. It’s possible to be a great mother and a great entrepreneur. It’s possible to be an awesome wife and still want to get together regularly with your girlfriends.” (I struggled with ALL of these, so much Mom/Wife guilt!)
“If I want to achieve any new thing in my life, the questions is never, Can I do it? The question is always, What am I willing to give up in order to get it?” (In other words, every Yes also requires a No)
“This amazing thing happens when you start to grow in one area of your life: other areas improve with it.” (I will attest to this. The minute you step out of your comfort zone and/or experience growth, your attitude and confidence change which helps to improve relationships and mindset. Not to mention it brings new opportunities your way, usually opportunities that you didn’t even imagine.)
“Not having the knowledge makes you teachable, not stupid. Not being in shape makes you moldable, not lazy. Not having the experience just makes you eager, not ignorant.” (How freeing to realize that I’m teachable! Why I expect myself to know everything is beyond me, I would never expect that of someone else. It was hard for me to get comfortable with the idea of being a beginner but this helped.)
I do recommend you pick up this book and write your own notes in the margins (or listen on Audible). I’m a believer in the power of story and of positivity, this book has both and might just give you the kick you need to shut down those excuses you’ve been hanging on to😊
-Marnie Rae