Girl, Stop Apologizing — Book Summary

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Introduction

'Girl, stop apologizing: A Shame-Free Plan for Embracing and Achieving Your Goals' is a self-help book by Rachel Hollis. It was published in 2019 and was among the New York Times bestselling books. Rachel has delivered this book in a fun and practical tone. She shares her journey of managing home and children plus working and building her own multi-million Media company.

This book is a must-read for stay at home mommies and also working women. It helps women to learn how to balance home and work life, how to keep a deaf ear to people’s negative opinions about their life choices, and how to start working towards their desired goals.

The book has a guideline on how to let go of the excuses that keep us stuck. It can teach adopting great habits and behaviors that set us up for success and can help gain the skills necessary to make exponential growth possible.

Interesting quotes from the book

Summary of the book Girl, Stop Apologizing

In the first part of the book, Rachel Hollis described nine excuses that keep people away from chasing dreams and goals. Goals are important. Don’t give up on them because you’re afraid of what others will think of you; or because you don’t believe in yourself. You have to believe in yourself to become the person who you always wanted to be! The author wants us to think about the question of 'What if' that can bring about a positive change in life.

Rachel encourages women throughout this book by sharing her own life experiences. Despite having only a high school diploma, she has worked hard to run her own business. Rachel described how she succeeded in event planning. After four years of working in the event planning industry, she chose the blogging field that became popular. She wrote about how her blogging career grew and how she created a six-figure revenue stream. She shares her struggles, how she devoted weekends to professional growth. She even worked for free during her working hours, only to learn about the event planner industry.

There are solutions to the excuse of not finding time for our goals. In the book, she described 5 hours a week solution, a way that can improve the results of achieving the desired goals. She shares how she has written this book by waking up one hour earlier than usual. One hour a day can make a difference and can bring us closer to achieving anything we want.

The step to get closer to your goals is to reconfigure the time you have. You should write down a timeline of your current week and devote at least one hour more to your goals every day. She calls that FIVE TO STRIVE.

Sometimes, we wait for the perfect moment whole life. We expect things to get better. But we should act proactively today! Ask yourself: "If not now, then when?" She says that this saying has become her mantra and the answer to many challenges.

Don’t expect that in the future you will have more time. Start planning and take time for important things.

The thing that keeps us from following our dreams is often the belief that we are not smart or capable enough. Rachel shares how she feared to manage her accounts because she was not good enough in accounting. Then she took an Online business accounting program at Harvard Business School and got good grades. She learned new things and managed her own business successfully.

Our past does not determine our destiny. Opinions of others should not make us feel dejected. Limiting beliefs from our childhood should not limit our goals and ambitions.

Many times, we do not pursue goals because we fear the opinion of others that can consider us losers, unsuccessful. Rachel quoted Eleanor Roosevelt; she told us: 'Nobody could make us feel bad without our consent.' And that is true. In reality, it doesn’t matter if somebody likes us or not. The important thing is what we think of ourselves. So never let the negative opinions of others shape and limit your life!

Many women focus on too many goals at once. In the end, they achieve nothing with this. Instead, rather focus on one thing at a time. When you achieve one goal, focus on another.

Rachel advises that we write down our 10 most important goals. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Visualize yourself to have successfully achieved these goals. Try to motivate yourself.

You need to ask yourself: 'WHY you want it?' Rachel tells us how important that WHY is. A goal doesn’t have a time limit. You can achieve anything if you really strive and work towards that goal.

Too often, we don’t dare ask for help. We are afraid that we will turn out weak or incompetent. Asking for help is not a bad thing. All successful people have helpers. Rachel wrote of how having a house help has made things easier for her. There is nothing wrong with asking for the help of any kind, whether personal or professional.

To achieve your goals, you need a solid foundation. And for that, you must take care of your overall health. Rachel discusses the importance of practicing gratitude, exercise, getting up early, and developing great habits. She shares her morning routine and gives an example of how to start a day and how to motivate yourself to succeed in life.

You should set your priorities straight and learn to say 'NO' if things disturb the peace of your mind.

Rachel shares six skills that not only help achieve goals but also help in everyday life. She wrote in-depth about Planning, Confidence, Persistence, Effectiveness, Positivity, and Lead-Her-ship skills. She gives ideas and experiences on how to acquire them. She wants every woman to realize the importance of the mentioned six skills.

What can we learn from the book Girl, Stop Apologizing?

1. 1. Ask for help when you need it. Surround yourself with smart and good people.
2. 2. Have gratitude, visualize your desires, and find solutions on how to archive your goals.
3. 3. Know what you are lacking and improve that.
4. 4. Don’t bother about what other people say, because most of them don’t give a shit to your life’s decisions.
5. 5. Take care of your overall health and wellness.
6. 6. Develop great habits for success.
7. 7. Learn the six skills: Planning, Confidence, Persistence, Effectiveness, Positivity, and Leadership.
8. 8. Believe in yourself!

Review of the book Girl, Stop Apologizing

An interesting motivational self-help book. This book expresses ways on how to manage home and work life. I liked how Rachel Hollis described our excuses and the actions needed to achieve our goals.

Conclusion

An engaging motivational book. It can help for stay at home mommies, who would like to fulfill their business dreams and goals. In general, the book can help you understand where you are wrong in achieving your goals and contains many useful tips for any ambitious woman.

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