{Stuck}

I’m currently reading the book, “She Takes on the World” by Natalie MacNeil, and I hit a page in the first chapter that I can’t seem to make it past.  The book is supposed to be, “A guide to being your own boss, working happy, and living on purpose.” and I can’t make it through the first worksheet…

You know the one…

“What would you do daily if salary wasn’t an issue?”

“If no one would judge you, what would you do for a living?”

“If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you try doing?”

(Paraphrased for a general idea, not direct book quotes)

You’re supposed to answer the entire page before moving on… and I can’t do it.

I think to myself, “Well of course I’d still train dogs.  But I’d like to knit more.  Or make more bracelets.  Ohhhh or draw!  Or write.  Garden?  Sleep?  Can I be a professional napper?”  And then she has the nerves to bring up our childhood dreams.  Because I’m sure my 37 year old body should be getting on the back of stunt horses, and winning gold metals for gymnastics.

I’m most likely sounding like a broken record over the past year or so… is this that mid life crisis thing?  Or am I just as broken as I feel some days?  I don’t ever want to be stuck with doing just one thing for the rest of my life.  There’s so much to do out there in the world.  And then I’m scared to death that I’ll be working my butt off until my very last day here on earth.  If only I could pick one thing…

Can I perhaps be a professional blogger who constantly blogs about trying to figure out where her niche is in this world?  No?  Maybe?  *checks bank account*  Nope.

Here’s hoping I can look back on this in the future and snicker about my childish ways.  Here’s praying I’ve made some headway by then.

In the meantime, may I borrow someone’s answers so I can finish this dang book?

~Emily

Girl Wash Your Face {Book Review}

I have gotten 100% hooked on personal development books… have I said that before?  I like the personal, and real life stories, I like learning from them… I like spending 5 hours reading when I should’ve been working on something else, because at least it’s educational and good for me… right?

I avoided buying, “Girl Wash Your Face” by Rachel Hollis for some time now.  There’s so many “Girl Boss” type books out there in the past 2 years, and almost all of them are geared just at 20 something year olds, with no kids, and city living, and designer jeans, I assumed this book would follow suit.  No offense to 20 something year olds with designer jeans and fancy city apartments, but this late 30 year old, with two kids, ripped jeans, and more animals than designer anything… It’s hard to relate.  I took the chance on Rachel Hollis after stumbling on a video from her Rise speeches, and I was hooked.  If you’re on Facebook you can view the video here.

I still began the book cautiously, but within the first chapter I knew I liked this girl.  I knew this mid-30 year old and I would mesh just fine as she told the story of peeing her pants while jumping on a trampoline with her kids.  She tells it much better, and I swear there’s a point, but if you’re a mother at all, you’ll get why this is so relatable.  And that was the whole point, she’s human, just like you and me.

I was really drawn in during a chapter on perspective.  How everything we face in life 100% depends on where we’re at in our life at that time, how we judge it all from what’s happening to us, what we’ve been through.  In her words, “We don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are.”

She catches me off guard several more times with truths I really needed to hear.  Things like how my dreams, your dreams, will never be as important to anyone else as they are to us… no matter what.  If we don’t do them, someone else will as we watch.  How we tend to seek out others to give us permission to quit.  And so many other vital things that I really needed to hear right then and there.

Guys I was crying by the last page.  A good cry, part ugly cry, but a good cry all the same.  I battle a ton with insecurities, and fears.  I am a horrible unfair judge on myself, and I’m all too eager sometimes to let my past, or my perception of my past give me permission to quit on things.  Rachel’s writings didn’t make me feel ashamed or guilty for my feelings, but she pushed me to finally own my life, for my sake.  Without guilt.  Without leaving my family behind, or without dropping thousands of dollars for the latests organizing and self help books and gadgets.

I’ve been stalking all of her sites ever since that last page.  She’s a mom, she runs her own business/businesses, she’s a wife… she’s me… she’s you.

In all fairness a few sections went into areas that weren’t made for my life, but I still gleamed plenty of inspiration from her stories on adoption, and fostering, struggling with a newborn… things I won’t be doing (hello, I like my sleep) but still were relevant to the over all story.  She also brings in her faith a few times as well, but I don’t believe anyone who does not agree with her faith would be offended or bothered by the overall point and message.  The book is a very quick read, worthy of at least 2 more read throughs.  And if you sign up for her mailing list via her website: thechicsite.com they’ll send you a free study guide to go along with the book.  (I haven’t checked out the guide yet, I found it after I finished the book.)

I’m truly very happy I stubbled on that video that made me finally buy, “Girl Wash Your Face.”  The book was just what I needed right now in my life, and I really hope it touches you the way it did me.  Finding the right message in personal development type books can be tricky, we all crave a different message at different times, it can be very hit and miss finding the right words during the right seasons of our lives.  This one just so happened to nail it for me.

Let me know what you think!

 

I did not receive any compensation for my review of this book, and purchased the book on my own.  I make no compensation from my readers clicking on any links in this post.

{Goals}

Dreams and goals are a favorite topic of mine.  You’ll find on my book shelves at least a dozen or two personal development books touching on dreams and goals.  I’ll admit that half of my reading is me trying to figure out what my goals and dreams should be.  I’m really stuck on the whole, “What in the world should I be doing?”

A book I was reading tonight spoke of how like the story in the bible of the master who gave 3 servants a gift to do with what they choose, and how he came back to see what they did, and one had buried it away.  (Worst paraphrase ever)  The author suggested that God’s really not big on telling us what to do (freewill and all), but he gives us a big scoop of talent, and depends on us to invest it wisely in ways that best serve him.

What am I doing today?  What would I like to be doing?  What should I have been doing?

Or one of my favorite quotes ever, “Are you busy like a bee, or busy like a mosquito?”  Lord knows I’m busy alright, anyone within earshot knows I’m busy.  If I had a nickel for every time I said the word “busy” I’d no longer have to be busy.

Busy eats up so much time, wastes so much energy, cracks already fragile nerves… I don’t like being busy.

So tonight (instead of sleeping obviously) I’m sitting here rethinking my goals and dreams.  Ways to figure out the right paths, while keeping my hands and mind busy, yet not being too busy for everyone around me.  And of course being still enough to hopefully hear and see some golden, holy signs pointing the way.  This is the first year in several that I haven’t finished my big old list of 101 things I’d like to accomplish this year.  I still love my list, and the sense of accomplishment I get when I cross things off that list, but I don’t want to add things just to add things.  I don’t need to be busier.  Just more accomplished.  🙂

What’s your dreaming, and goal setting tips?  Favorite reads to add to my list?  Do you set lists of to-do’s?  Share with me!!