Recap: books by Rachel Hollis

Morg
Jan 27, 2021
6 min read

I made a book haul from thriftbooks.com near the end of 2020. I set the intention to read 52 books this year. 52 books in 52 weeks. And, now that I have told you all this intention, I feel obligated to stick to it. I’ll keep you posted.

In my rather large order of books I caved and purchased the two books I’ve seen all over social media in the past couple years. I seriously had zero clue on what they regarded, but I just went for it, as I do most things in life. After reading the subtitles on the cover of each book, I was content with the purchase & thought they’d be the best, first books I’d read in 2021. These books truly got my mindset in check & fired up for the growth I’m ready to experience this year. My few tidbits on each are as follows:

Girl, Wash Your Face

Copyrighted in 2018 & hit the “must read” list shortly after. I’m a few years behind, but after reading, I think it’s a perfect book for January, the start of a new year.

Hollis notes that we "need to identify - and systematically destroy - every lie” we’ve told ourselves our whole lives. That is what this entire book revolves around. All the lies we tell ourselves, all the excuses we make & most importantly, how we can get out of them and reshape our minds to be better to ourselves. She follows up with “It’s impossible to go somewhere new, to become something new, without first acknowledging where you are.” This is so important, as well as a few more takeaways —

This is your one and only life you get. Your life shouldn’t look like anyone else’s. So, stop comparing. “The only person you need to be better than is the one you were yesterday.”
Falling off the wagon is OKAY. Failing is OKAY. Life would not be life if it was all mountains. There has got to be valleys, and there will be. It’s going to be okay, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. Keep reminding ourselves of this.
I’m a big goals and dreams gal. Hollis says “Nobody can tell you how big they can be” and “when it comes to your dreams, no is not an answer. . . No means merge with caution.” No one is out here telling you that your dream or goal cannot be attained. And if there is someone, you need to distance yourself SO far from them. Roadblocks are inevitable, they are going to happen. And when they do, simply change course in order to make it to your destination. Your perception is everything.
Hollis advises that we should set goals, not time limits. God’s timing is everything, seriously. And those who aren’t of faith - look at it as everything happens exactly how it’s supposed to. We shouldn’t compare our timeline to our neighbor. . we need to stop the negative self talk by telling ourselves we should be “further along” (chapter 10)

After reading this, the biggest lie I tell myself, you ask? . . . I’m not good enough (chapter 3). Today, it’s easy to compare ourselves to others, and measure our successes against those around us. And I’ll be the first to admit I fall for it every damn time. It’s easy to tell ourselves that coworker deserved that raise or promotion, the girl your ex is dating is better, or assuming we should be like our peers getting engaged, vacationing, or buying a car or house. It’s so easy to get it in our heads that their timeline should be our timeline too. But, why? Why are we doing this when we are our own individualized child of God? I’m admitting this as one of my faults, because I want to be better. I want you to be better. We are all good enough.

“Forward momentum is the only requirement”

Reading with friends? “Book Club” questions to ponder & share:

Do you mirror any of Rachel’s “lies” she tells herself? Which most resonates in your life? Don’t feel like you have to share this one out loud. But, really reflect on how you can take her experience and “helpers", and apply it to your life. How can you diminish the power of this lie?

Think of and discuss a time where something did not go your way or to your original plan — but in retrospect, something else better came from it. What can you do to remind yourself that in the hard/low/tough times, that everything happens for a reason & something good is to come of this?

Book Review: Girl Stop Apologizing

As women we are scared. Hollis blatantly points this out in the intro. It’s safe to say we all have goals and dreams — but a lot of them are untapped because we are afraid of rejection, judgement or failure. It’s even safe to say our upbringings shaped us in a way that undermined and undervalued women’s ambition and voice. This sent me in such a spiraling revelation.

“There is so much untapped potential inside people who are too afraid to give themselves a chance.” The lingering question of what if. . . can be the stepping stone to the next great thing in your life. But, what is holding you back? While reading this book, one determination stuck out the most to me — “As long as you’re not asking anyone to give you approval, then you don’t need anyone to give you permission.” As women, we need to go head on into everything with this mindset.

Hollis breaks this book down into three sections. The Excuses we need to let go of. The Behaviors we need to adopt. And The Skills we need to acquire in order to embrace and achieve our goals and dreams.

Excuses. They’re so easy to believe and allow into our brains. One excuse I hear a lot these days is “I don’t have time.” There are 24 hours in a day. There are 168 hours in a week, 8760 hours in a year. You do have time, you just haven’t figured out how to reconfigure your time to implement your efforts towards your goals. Hollis outlines three steps that will help, which includes our “Five to Strive.” We should be committing 5 hours a week towards the goal we are focused on. These hours should be sacred and planned into our weekly timeline. Some of us are spending 5+ hours A DAY on our devices & if your weekly screen time report is frightening you, let’s try these Five to Strive hours next week!

Behaviors we have to start picking up — as previously mentioned, we need to stop asking permission. Why do we feel the need to anyway? Let’s choose one goal and stick to it. Go all in on it. Build up your eagerness to achieve & do not be afraid to ask for help! As women, we are invincible 💪(but, help is okay every once in a while)

And while it seems to have been ingrained that we know the skills needed in order to be successful (who remembers SMART goals?! lol jk, kinda. . .) A few notes from Hollis on the needed skills: persistence, planning, effectiveness, positivity, confidence. . & I do want to end on this. When we look good, we feel good, and we do good. Let’s get ourselves to a point where we are looking and feeling good FOR OURSELVES. . . not anyone else. Work hard on yourself, no one else can dream your dreams, or achieve your goals, but you. None of it will matter if you do not believe in yourself. Let’s rock 2021 🤩

Reading with friends? “Book Club” questions to ponder & share:

What is a goal you have right now? Just one. How do you plan to achieve it? Remember the 10,10, 1 process outlined by Hollis in Behavior 2? Do this. Write it down, talk about it.

From the foundation of success, which step can you initially commit to? Hollis distinguishes the following to be able to set yourself up for success. Get Healthy (hydration, wake up earlier, eliminate one category of food for 30 days, move your body everyday, practice daily gratitude). Get your personal space in order. Build a great community. Develop great habits. Establish a morning routine. Do you honestly believe you can incorporate all steps to build a foundation of success for yourself?