I just finished reading Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis. Wow…talk about keeping it real! Women of all ages can find some truth in this book.
How easy it sounds to just stop believing the lies you tell yourself; to become who you’re meant to be. Well, It’s…Not…Always…That…Easy. And, I don’t think the author intends for it to sound easy. Because, she straight talks each lie, the turning points, and the steps she takes to stop believing the lies. Hollis comes across like your best friend and personal life coach all in one.
The Lies We Tell Ourselves
What resonates with me about this book is we’ve all told these lies to ourselves. Well…that is unless you’re perfect and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that no one is perfect! We are prone to self-doubt, compare, judge, and want for more. Thank God…I didn’t have a social media account until 2012! If I had to keep up with the flawless pics of beautiful lives and perfect families on social media while raising my children, I’d definitely had a lot more insecurities about being a mother.
Furthermore, I guarantee those we follow have self-doubts, have insecurities, have something they’re working through. The mothers, the successful career women and the college girls that look like they have it all together…don’t have it all together…all the time. I admire the social media accounts I follow that not only share the perfect moments but also share the not-so-perfect moments!
Balance and Beliefs
When my kids were little, their dad was working 2nd and 3rd shifts as a police officer and I was a teacher. I remember feeling insecure as a mother and comparing what I was doing to other mothers. There were times when I felt like I was going crazy! Because, we were like single parents living in the same house. I felt like I was on a merry-go-round that just kept spinning faster and faster; barely hanging on, flying parallel with the ground, and trying not to lose my grip. Definitely many times I felt like I wasn’t good at balancing work and the needs of my family.
I’m going to take a guess that when we “see” what we believe are uber-confident women that have it all and it appears that life is one king-size bed of rose petals; those women are just better at camouflaging their insecurities than the rest of us. And, that they are following the lyrics of Miranda Lambert to “Hide your crazy and start acting like a lady…gotta keep it together even when you fall apart!” The pressure we put on ourselves is crazy!
What Resonated With Me
I think that is one of the biggest takeaways from GWYF. Someone else’s “perfect life” is probably not so perfect and is not God’s plan for you! You need to stay in your lane, live your life, do the best you can with your life. If your kids are clean, fed, and loved, you’re doing great! We have to stop thinking…”If I could just be like them, my life would be so much better!” Nope, no it wouldn’t. They are not you, you are not them. Do not compare yourself to anyone but you. God doesn’t compare us to each other. He just expects us to do the best we can with what we’ve been given. How often do you wash your face?
Pray often, work hard, be a nice human, love your family, be a good friend, be humble, take care of yourself, value yourself, and have perceptive. Find the good that is smacking you in the face, that you come to understand is always there even though it may not look like someone else’s.
“There isn’t one right way to be a woman. There isn’t one right way to be a daughter, friend, boss, wife, mother, or whatever else you categorize yourself as. There are so many different versions of each and every style on this planet, and beauty lives in that dichotomy.” -Rachel Hollis
Clearly, we are all a work in progress. Always questioning whether we’re getting “it” right. The good stuff, the crappy stuff…It’s all part of life! Girl, Was Your Face is honest and authentic! It is not a cure-all! But it could be the kick in the butt you need to evaluate how you’ve been showing up for your life and to choose to approach it differently. How often do you wash your face?
“You must choose to be happy, grateful, and fulfilled. If you make that choice every single day, regardless of where you are or what’s happening, you will be happy.” -Rachel Hollis
Having Faith
Moreover, don’t forget that every single day we’re given a new cup of mercy! For me, having Faith gives me the quiet confidence to know that I’m doing the best I can. And when I can’t do it on my own, I try my best to give it up to God. That’s how I try to approach the life I was meant to live. How do you live the life you were meant to live? And, how often do you wash your face?
Check out Girl Wash Your Face Here
