Recently a friend gifted me a book she has been reading called Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis. I had no idea who Rachel Hollis was, but once I paid attention, it seemed that she was everywhere. Thankfully my friend caught me up and gave me a copy! If you haven’t heard of it the book is based on 20 lies that the author once believed about herself, personal stories on each topic and how she worked through them to achieve happiness.
I like the style of Rachel’s writing and she really comes across as down to earth and practical. I would describe her as girl next door-ish who just happens to own a multi million dollar media company and is an accomplished author…. I read a chapter a night, so that I could focus on the “lie” or topic of each one. Some of them resonated with me and like anything, some didn’t. One of the things I appreciated were the 3 tips at the end of each section where Rachel offers readers some suggestions that helped her destroy the lies that were getting in the way of her best self. This makes the book concise, practical and easy to consider implementing into your own life- basically what all of us busy mamas need!
I’m going to get a little personal with you and share which lies in Girl, Wash Your Face hit home for me. I think that a lot of them are common to so many of us. Some of them I have worked through and think, “yeah, nailed it” and others I’m like “woah, maybe it’s time to pay attention to that one”.
Lie #1 Something Else Will Make Me Happy
I’m a Gemini, I like shiny things and am inspired by multiple things a day/week/month. Sometimes the constant changing and switching and trying to achieve or do different things can really become a trap. What if we just stopped and reflected and enjoyed where we were at NOW? Also…. spoiler alert, you are the only one who can make yourself happy. BAM. Rachel says, “I figured out what makes myself happy and I do those things”.
Lie #2 I’ll Start Tomorrow
Who hasn’t said this? It is so easy to put things off, avoid, replace, etc. What I have learned in my 35 years is that the “things” you were going to start tomorrow and never did almost always come back to bite you in the butt. The author suggests tackling this one by also being careful with commitments. This makes sense to me. Rather than jumping on the next big thing or overcommitting yourself Rachel suggests, “Slow down your yes. Only commit to things you know you can accomplish because they’re incredibly important to you.”. I think a lot of this comes down to knowing your values.
Lie #10 I Should Be Further Along By Now
So. Much. Pressure. I don’t think it matters what it is- being married, having kids, owning a home, running a business, travel, going to school, etc. So many women think they “should” be doing this or doing that and when they look at where they currently are, feel like they are coming up short. The author points out how so much of this is negative self talk and expectations we place on ourselves. She suggests making a list and really paying attention to how many things you have done- usually it’s much more than you think. Give yourself some credit!
Lie #17 I am Defined By My Weight
Rachel says, “The lie I used to believe was that my weight would define me, that it would speak volumes about who I was as a person. Today I believe it is not your weight that defines you, but the care and consideration you put into your body absolutely does.”. The past few years, I have been trying really hard to focus on an active lifestyle because it is GOOD for me. Focusing on my strength gains, commitment to myself and that awesome feeling of doing something just for me has made me so much happier than fad dieting & scale obsessing ever did.
The big takeaway from Girl, Wash Your Face? “You, and only you, are ultimately responsible for who you become and how happy you are.” Rachel tells you this takeaway in the second paragraph of the book, and you may think well, that’s simple. But then you read on and read about her lies and realize your own lies and it all becomes a whole lot more muddled before it becomes clear.
Have you read the book? I would love to hear your thoughts!
