Girl, Stop Apologizing

Girl, Stop Apologizing came at the perfect time for me. I was looking for a jump start in motivation and this book did just that.This book is broken into three sections: excuses to let go of, behaviors to adapt, and skills to acquire.Excuses to let go of was the section I needed. This section lists out 8 excuses that I am 100% guilty of making. These excuses cover everything from insecurities to procrastination.It's a catch-22, because your feelings of not enough keep you from proving to yourself that you are. You haven't yet achieved the things you hope for, and so you decide that you're unable to.I know I make these excuses and I know that I hold myself back by believing them. This is not new, but hearing someone else call out these excuses for what they are has allowed me to acknowledge their presence and let them go. This relief is the lasting impact of Girl, Stop Apologizing on my life.The behaviors to adapt section is a self-confidence booster. It's all about doing what you want and embracing your dreams. There is one exercise that I especially appreciate because it asks readers to look at the future they want as a way to set their goals, vs. just taking each day at a time and hoping you get somewhere, eventually. I struggle in the details and often feel overwhelmed in survival mode, so reframing life as striving towards an overall goal genuinely never occurred to me.The skills to acquire wasn't as helpful to me. It felt like a rehash of various self help book ideas - wake up early, drink water, be positive/grateful, etc. The section was so forgettable that I looked up other reviews and blog posts to jog my memory on what the section covered. Based on what I have read from others, I can only assume that I missed the point.To be honest, I came into this book uncertain if I would like it. I didn't click with [b:Girl, Wash Your Face 35542451 Girl, Wash Your Face Stop Believing the Lies about Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rachel Hollis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513038393l/35542451.SY75.jpg 56965748] and I am often uncomfortable with how much Rachel talks about herself. I was similarly uncomfortable with the amount self talk in Girl, Stop Apologizing, but it didn't stick out as much as it did with her first book.Overall, I gained a lot from Girl, Stop Apologizing - I let go of my excuses, have a better way of establishing goals, and stopped eating as many mindless snacks. Rachel kicked off my motivation and helped me out of overwhelm.(I was not aware of the controversy surrounding the author prior to reading this book.)

I thought “Girl Wash Your Face” was okay, but this was even worse. This book is not really relatable, unless you are a stay-at-home mom with a wealthy husband.

I feel like Rachel tries to be relatable but really misses the mark. For instance, she wants to teach you that “it's okay to fail” because even SHE did it. What's her example? Well, when she published “Girl, Wash Your Face” she said it was going to be a NY Times Bestseller.. and it wasn't. It didn't become one until 10 weeks later. Isn't that awful? How she had to fail so hard and wait 10 WHOLE weeks? What a failure!!

She's also extremely judgmental in this book. For example, near the end, she talks about how she was at a coffee shop and saw these people sit down who were supposed to be working but instead were looking at social media. First, if she's so “in the zone”, why does she notice? But second, how does she know what they came to do if she doesn't engage with them?

I'm sure some will find the book inspiring and motivating, but for me it was a slog. At least the last book I felt like she was relatable with some of her really intense stories. Here, it just feels like a rich girl saying “Just DO it,” which will fall flat with a lot of people.