Read only if you’re human.
The sounds I want to hear when sitting down to write? The sound of the washer, dryer and dishwasher all whirring at the same time. The soothing sounds of my toddler and dog snoring just a wee bit as they sail off to dreamland. The “likes” of the picture I just posted on Instagram ticking up and up and up!
Does this happen every time I sit down to write? Nope. Is the sound of someone sailing off to dreamland often me? Yep.
I don’t have to tell you (but I’m going to because it was in my outline for this post) that we live in a time when it’s harder than ever to put away the picture perfect world we have in our heads and be thankful for our reality. Enter: Emily Ley.
Her book Grace not Perfection was top on my t0-read this list year as the title alone helps me realize I’m doing a good job.
Why should you listen to Emily Ley?
Well, she has twins, and a elementary school child which is reason enough right there but let me go on… She runs her own business – one she built from the ground up. It’s super successful and oh at the heart of it is her desire to make women’s lives easier. Also, random fact: she turned down Shark Tank.
If you read any of that and say “Meh” get out and start writing your own book for us all.
Emily is the creator of The Simplified Planner. Oh yeah – this woman has built a business on paper planners in the 21st century. Let’s add that to the list up there. She has struggled with infertility, stressed herself out to the point of breaking and just generally embodies the “when having done all to stand – stand” scripture.
That’s why I was excited to pick up her book and get a snapshot of what drives her.
Here are my takeaways…
It’s okay for the house to be a mess sometimes.
“You don’t need a Pinterest-perfect home; you need a home that works for you and makes you feel alive.”
No matter where you fall on the scale of perfection when it comes to your house – at some point in your week you look around and think it needs to be clean/cleaner/what has happened with my life. I cannot function with a messy house. And (while I won’t admit this to many) get a small thrill in cleaning it up. So when I can’t get to it and things are awry I start to unravel a bit mentally.
On the other hand, if I spend my entire free evening cleaning the house and getting it to where I like it, but don’t spend any time with my kid – the other kind of guilt sets in and I go to bed thinking WHY HAVE I FORSAKEN MY CHILD!?
This book reads like you’re sitting across from her having coffee and being told “it’s okay to let go of the mess.” Which is great. But what is also great, is Emily gives pointers as to how to manage it all. Like her laundry basket trick at the end of the night, or her Sunday night ritual. (You have to get the book to see what those are! Muahahaha).
It’s okay to take moments for myself.
“God’s grace shines through our ability to love others with sincere patience, gratitude and acceptance.”
Several months ago I started embracing early mornings. I am in love. Those quiet moments with my Bible and my coffee have revolutionized me as a wife, mother and human. Talk about women empowerment – how about all the women in the world spend some time with their Creator. Am I right? *First bump.
Here’s the thing – we can’t be in touch with that grace she talks about up there, if we’re not recharging ourselves. It’s like the airplane oxygen masks – put one on your face before you go to help someone else. You can’t be a help to others if you’re falling face first into the floor, ya goon. So why do we go through life without putting our “oxygen mask” on first? Selah.
It’s okay to take inventory of your social media.
Emily talks a lot about unfollowing people who aren’t pushing you forward. Get rid of the clutter, get rid of distractions. If there’s someone that pops up in your feed that makes you feel bad, unfollow! If social media as a whole makes you look around your room and wish everything was perfect, get off!
Since reading this book I’ve taken several large blocks of time when I don’t allow myself to get on anything social. It’s so freeing. It’s something I want to do regularly to break my brain of having to check in every 15 minutes.
Obviously I could go on and on but I’ll wrap it up. One of my favorite quotes from the book is this…
The difference between people who achieve their goals and people who don’t is their ability to dust themselves off and wear their dirty outfit proudly.
Towards the end she talks about finding your purpose in life. It’s a great reminder to listen to the tug God has placed inside of you and to hone in on your purpose.
That just shows that regardless of where you are in life as a woman – this book is for you. I can’t think of any woman that doesn’t need the “Grace not Perfect” message. Well, maybe that one girl that always pops up in my Pinterest feed. She’s clearly got it all together, summer winter, spring AND fall – but other than her – we all need this message.
Get your book here. While you wait for it to come in, read this post to see how to fit reading into your busy schedule.
