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I think things appear in your life when you need them most. I have heard about the book “Girl, Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis a while ago, but I never felt compelled to read it until now. The truth is I have been wallowing, but I didn’t realize that until the first chapter of this book. By Chapter 2 I could already see that yes, I do have the power to change my mindset and what’s been bothering me lately, but I haven’t. Instead, I’ve been feeling sorry for myself. She starts with her greatest lesson of the book, which is only you can “choose to be happy, grateful and fulfilled.” This message is flawed, though, which I didn’t immediately realize. Some people deal with issues that are out of their control.
I liked that she begins each chapter of a book with a lie about herself and then proceeds to talk about how she proved it wrong. For example, Don’t listen to no. I found it inspiring that she self-published her first book when she was asked to change it. It made me want to look up self-publishing as well.
More highlights:
- “Do nothing.” Your world doesn’t implode when you don’t go a million miles an hour, as she puts it. I needed this reminder because I am constantly adding items to my to-do list and I never stop!
- Her story about her family’s experience with the foster care system touched my heart as the mother of an adopted girl. I can relate to feeling the frustration about how many opportunities addict parents are given to keep their children when they don’t seem to be trying.
- I can relate as a mother to feeling overwhelmed by all the things you’re supposed to be doing, like sleep schedules and eating organic foods, etc. She touches on comparison to other moms who have it all together, seemingly. I needed to hear that this is just a season that I will get through. It made me emotional to be reminded that someone is praying for the chaos I am crying about.
I didn’t relate to everything, though. In one chapter she talks about her sheltered childhood and seeing the diversity in the people at Disneyland. She talks about learning that people were different than her, which sounded so privileged and naive to me and not relatable at all, so I skipped this chapter.
I also did not understand what was so inspiring about her relationship with her husband, which began with him basically using her. It was unclear just how he changed overnight.
Overall, I enjoyed small pieces of this book. But as others have pointed out, not everyone has the means to control their outcomes. I recomend it if you constantly battle negative self-talk and need motivation to pursue a goal or dream, but not everyone can relate. Her perspective is privileged and she fails to mention her nanny and the advantage her CEO husband gave her in building her business. Yes, she show tenacity but she also has many advantages.
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Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.