Alright ladies, you know those mean, degrading, and demotivating things you think about yourself? Well…us, too! But, why do we default to thinking negatively about ourselves, and how do we stop?

Rachel Hollis’s Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be is a relatable deconstruction of the lies that many women tell themselves on a daily basis. She highlights many of the falsehoods that women tend to live by and explains to her audience, through quirky real life stories, why perpetuating those lies could harm them both mentally and physically.

Rachel tackles the lies that many women tell themselves in the various facets of their lives, such as motherhood, love, career, and self. She admits the lies she has told herself, like “I’m not a good mom”, “I’m better than you”, and “I am defined by my weight”, to show that these lies are shared by many and can be overcome by making a few changes to your lifestyle.

Her style of writing allows for the reader to connect with her on a personal level, making it feel as though you are talking to a friend! This creates an environment that feels safe, takes down walls, and allows the reader to truly reflect on the advice Rachel gives as to how to overcome and defeat the lies.

Here’s what spoke to me the most:

• Don’t flake on yourself!
  Rachel personifies willpower in a way I have never experienced before. She asks you to look at your willpower like a friend. Now what type of friend would your willpower be? Is she reliable? Dependable? Can you count on her? Or does she cancel plans last minute or worse, never show up? Rachel explains that if you break promises to yourself, like “I will work out today” or “I will start to wake up earlier”, than you will never be able to depend on yourself to get anything done. By keeping the promises that you have made to yourself, you will have a better understanding of what you will be able to manage when committing to do things for other people.

• Don’t judge others, not even in your mind!
  It’s easy to say that you are not a judgmental person until you see someone walking down the street in clothes that you think are not appropriate or kids that are screaming in the middle of a grocery store. Most of us would rush to judgement and make a few comments to ourselves. Rachel challenges us to think twice before jumping to conclusions. She asks us to consider what they may be going through or the day that they have had. The truth is we don’t know the life story of the person standing behind us in line at the store, therefore we don’t know what is appropriate for them. Rachel reveals that by policing yourself to consider peoples’ situations first before rushing to judgement, you will be more inclined to see the positives in other rather than the negatives.

• Where you are right now, it’s ok…even if it’s not where you thought you’d be.
  Many of us believe that age marks milestones that are supposed to be achieved by that point in life (for example “I should be married by 25”), but that’s simply not true. Rachel explains that goals do not need time limits! You do not need to feel down when you don’t get married when you thought you would, don’t have babies by a certain age, or graduate college with people from a different generation! She wants us to celebrate what we have accomplished and grant ourselves grace for what we are working towards. Rachel points out that the place you are in now is preparing you for exactly where you are meant to be in the future!

Want to leave those ugly lies in the past? Rachel’s got your back! She can help you defeat those deceitful thoughts through her book “Girl, Wash Your Face”. Leave the negativity in the past and move forward seeing and believing the best in yourself!

Madison Rodriguez is a contributing writer for Inspiration Rising. When she’s not writing, you can find her at the beach reading her favorite book or keeping an eye out for her favorite animal with her trusty, four-legged friend, Boots. She earned a B.A. in English Literature from California State University, Fullerton.