I’ve never been one for fads. I know full well that they pass and I have very little interest in being a follower. Especially when the fad goes against my very being. Like gaucho pants… I haven’t a clue who thought those were a good idea, but the thought of them still haunt me to this day. They just go to show that popular opinion is NOT always correct.

One trend that I tend to see many folks follow religiously is that of literature and best-sellers. When there’s a publicly accepted “good” book out, you can bet someone you know has read it, and so has someone they know, and so has ten other people that they know. And not only do I find most trends annoying, but I also find reading pretty un-enjoyable, too - making book trends a double-whammy of unpleasantness for me. So, if at this point, you’re guessing I probably wasn’t the first person, or second, or third, to reach Rachel Hollis’ hit self-help book that hit the shelves this year, you’d be correct.

But the point of this post isn’t to inform you of how late-to-the-game I was in reading it - it’s to point out that I actually did read it in the first place. Yes, me, the self-proclaimed nega-tude and raging pessimist read a self-help book. Weird, right?

Here’s what’s weirder… I liked it, a lot.

Before I get into this further, I must confess, I don’t often have the time to pick up a book and read it cover-to-cover, which is partially why I don’t often read in general. But, I’ve always loved a good audio book. So, I listened to all 20 chapters of Rachel’s words through my headphones, which, in my opinion, made the book even more powerful because if you weren’t already aware, it’s narrated by Rachel herself. And, it probably goes without saying that the person who writes the inspiring words probably can do the best job portraying the message aloud.

So back to beginning… I was at my old job months ago when a co-worker introduced me to this book. At the time, my exact response to her reading suggestion was, “yeah, no thanks, I’m not much for that whole self-help thing”. She ended up convincing a whole group of ladies to read the book and by the time I’d left that job, I was nearly the only one I knew who hadn’t picked it up. But, I’ll admit, hearing so many positive reviews really did have my interest slightly peaked.

Months passed and this book kept popping up in my life - on social media and in conversations with other folks who I know. Finally, I bit the bullet and Googled Rachel herself and listened to her talk about the book. Her explanation video can be seen here. After watching and re-watching that video over and over again, my annoyance with this book fell short to my intrigue and I finally just had to see what the fuss was all about.

So, I downloaded the book, gave the first chapter a listen, and then the second, and before I knew it, I’d listened to all 20 chapters in one sitting. And I’m glad I did.

Those that have read it before could probably attest to the book’s authenticity, honesty, and emotional depth. It’s entertaining and enlightening - just what a motivational piece is supposed to be.

Here’s what it’s all about, for those who haven’t read it: Rachel begins and ends every chapter with a lie that she used to believe that kept her from living her best life and then explains the tools she used to overcome them. She is fun and relatable, discussing real-world topics like alcoholism, not feeling worthy, being bad at sex, and the fear of being a bad mom. I highly respect Rachel for the things she’s been through and overcame, the stories she’s shared, and her wisdom that’s she’s attempting to impart on us readers. She wants to demonstrate that if she can overcome all the things she has and still live the healthy, happy life she does, then so can anyone else. She truly believes - and I do a little more so after reading this book - that only we have the power to improve our lives. She posits that we need to follow our own dreams and paths because we are the only ones who can. No matter how supportive those around us are, they will never want what we want for ourselves, as much as we do. And no one else can control our happiness or contentment with our lives. Even though its often much easier to expect someone else to improve it for us, we have to start taking responsibility for those things ourselves.

As someone who has struggled with happiness my entire life, I’m grateful for the advice. I’m not saying that Rachel’s book “changed my life” or my outlook on life, and I’m not sure how well I’m going to be able to implement the strategies she wrote about, but I’m damn sure going to try. Rachel’s book helped me decide to try and wake up every day with the mentality that if I want to be happy, I have to do more to make it so. She’s helped me decide to do more things that bring joy to my life and stop wasting time being sad. I’m 24 and I’m LITERALLY not GETTING ANY YOUNGER. I’ve got a long way to go, but thanks to this book, I now have a bit more motivation to try and make it happen.

Rachel got it right with this one, in my humble opinion. I should apologize to everyone that I judged at the mere mention of them reading this book. Rachel Hollis’ Girl, Wash Your Face is worth the read for anyone who needs a little inspiration and encouragement, for sure. It’s proof that a little positiveness goes a long way.

While I won’t be going out to buy flowy calf-length pants any time soon, maybe, this time, popular opinion is right.