It seems like everyone and their sister and their sister’s co-worker and their sister’s co-workers’s friend is in love with Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis. Notifications continuously pop up on my Facebook feed that my friends are liking the Rachel Hollis Facebook page and people are posting excerpts from her book along with encouragement for their friends to read it too.
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I first learned about Rachel Hollis when she was a guest on Jenna Kutcher’s Goal Digger Podcast (episode #146). Hearing the vulnerability, realness, humor and pure desire to do good in the world was enough to draw me in. And that’s just what her book does too.
I can’t blame everyone for loving Girl, Wash Your Face as much as they do. I’m just as in love with it as the next girl.
It’s a great book for working moms, stay at home moms, empty nesters, boss babes and any woman who strives to do good in the world. It’s great for high achievers or those that aren’t sure yet what they want to achieve. It’s for those who deeply value the people in their lives but may need a little reminder that it’s okay to value themselves too.
But here’s the thing.
Nothing is sugar-coated in this book.
Girl, Wash Your Face is not the sweet, decadent, dark chocolate cupcake that is filled with artificial fluff, covered in layers of drippy sugar-filled icing and served on a crystal pedestal at the grandest party. That cupcake may be delicious and satisfy your sweet tooth for the time being but it will result in an artificial high of energy that will inevitably lead to a sugar crash.
Nothing against cupcakes but they’re simply not what you need to nourish your mind and body.
Girl, Wash Your Face is a different kind of sweet.
This book is the natural, pure sweetness that nourishes and fuels your body and soul like a ripe piece of fruit that grew after you got dirt under your nails digging the hole to plant the tree that you watered and tended to for years before it finally produced the fruits of your labor. Hollis’ words are fresh and satisfying. They seep into your soul like the natural sugar from a fresh piece of fruit drips down your chin. It’s the raw, pure sweetness that’s refreshing and energizing. Nothing artificial, or sugar-coated, about it.
I read Girl, Wash Your Face a few months ago and always intended to write about it but for some reason I’ve resisted. I think it’s because there’s so much to say about it and I wasn’t sure where or how to start in order to do the book justice. Other than copying the book in it’s entirety, I wasn’t sure how to share the message any better myself.
But then I remembered that’s not the point. I don’t need to say it better. I simply need to share the goodness.
So I’ve managed to sum it up with seven reasons why you need to read Girl, Wash Your Face because I don’t want you to miss out. If you don’t own your own copy or haven’t read it already, you need to bump this one to the top of your reading list.
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7 Reasons Why You Need to Read Girl, Wash Your Face
#1 It’s Real
Like I mentioned, nothing is sugar-coated in this book. Nothing is artificial. It’s not a cupcake. It’s raw and real and she tells it like it is.
If you’re facing a challenge, you’ve got to face it head on, not wait until the universe takes care of it for you (because that will never happen). If you want to make a change in your life, you’ve got to roll up your sleeves and take action (which may sometimes involve making sacrifices).
In my mind, one of the most “real” things you can do is be vulnerable. I think one of the main reasons everyone loves this book is because of Hollis’ pure vulnerability. She’s brave enough to be vulnerable in a book that millions will read when we often struggle to be vulnerable with people we are closest to (at least that’s the case for me).
#2 It Reminds You to Be You
Authenticity attracts good things. Meaningful friendships, happiness, fulfillment, success.
These days it’s easy to get caught up in the comparison trap with everyone’s perfectly curated social media posts and our perceived notion of others’ “perfect” lifestyle. There’s nothing wrong with desiring more but we must be cautious that we’re desiring more because it’s what we want, not because it’s what someone else has.
Girl, Wash Your Face reminds us that all we need to be is our authentic self because that’s all we were created to be.
#3 It Helps Reframe Your Failures
It’s always reassuring to hear that our past failures didn’t happen for nothing. That perceived failure just means we’re one step closer to discovering what will work. Fear shouldn’t derail our motivation and drive. It shouldn’t rob us of our hope and ambition.
#4 For Empowerment & Growth
Hollis has achieved a lot in her life but she’s put in the blood, sweat and tears to make them all happen, even in the midst of hardships and turmoil. She didn’t expect anyone else to do it for her.
I don’t know about you but learning about other people’s stories and the work they put in to achieve their version of success always inspires me to push my growth edge, take action and work towards my vision of what’s possible.
# 5 It Reminds You that Everything Happens in His Timing
I can get impatient with life even though I know in the grand scheme of things, I have no control over how and when things happen. Sure we have to put in the hours and efforts to make things happen, but sometimes, putting in all the hours and effort you have to give to something still isn’t enough. This quote from the book says it all…
#6 It Gives You Permission to Dream
Hollis shares, “I think my ability to imagine my dreams in intricate detail is one of the biggest reasons I’ve been able to achieve them.”
It’s okay to dream about your future. You deserve to envision it in extreme detail.
Where will you be? What will your days look like? Who will you surround yourself with? What will your home/business/office look like? How will you feel?
Make your dream so vivid and real that you can almost touch it. Then, get out there and do the work to make that dream happen.
#7 To Bring People Together
We need people. Family, new friends, old friends, colleagues, our neighbor, the lady that works at the bank, the guy who owns the grocery store. We even need complete strangers every once in a while.
We can do so much more in the world if we help each other out and collaborate. Maybe that means offering to watch a friend’s kiddo so she can spend an afternoon pursuing her dream. Maybe it’s taking a few extra minutes to be with someone who’s been going through a tough time. Maybe it’s asking for someone’s perspective and really listening to their response.
There you have it. Seven great reasons why you need Girl, Wash Your Face in your life. It’s pure sweetness. The good kind of sweetness.
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