As I sat down to read #GIRLBOSS written by the clothing empire Nasty Gal's founder Sophia Amoruso, I was beyond intrigued to learn the backstory to one of the most successful woman in the business and fashion industry. While reading the book it spoke to the deepest parts of my
soul. From the very beginning she points out that her tale is nothing close to the
fairy tale people have described her journey to be. Although it may not be a
fairy tale, where she came from to becoming the owner of one of the fastest growing E-Commerce sites is nothing short of an
inspirational story.
This book shouts that hard work and determination will get you to your wildest dreams. Over and over Amoruso states that instead of wishing and hoping for your dreams to become reality you have to get off your ass and do something about it. The thing that makes #GIRLBOSS stand out is Amoruso’s 'differentness' that she applies to growing Nasty Gal. In a world full of followers and social media copycats it is hard to embrace individuality and the idea of staying true to yourself. Personally I found myself struggling with this in all aspects of my life. Will people like the title of my blog? Did I overdress for the occasion? Are my insta pictures up to standard? Everyday I am bombarded with thoughts of what others might think of my decisions and actions. After reading the wise words of Amoruso I realized that although I am swimming upstream, I am staying true to myself, and that will stand out more than anything else when it comes down to the nitty gritty. Thank you Sophia for the reality check we all desperately needed.
One of the things that stuck out to me most was that throughout the book was how Amoruso used symbolism to describe a day at the park as her younger self. When she was running around with a red string, she convinced herself and everyone else that it was a kite. She ties her red string episode to different strategies in which she uses to succeed in the business world.
“Life is unwritten, like a great big experiment. Why not see how long the red string of my imaginary kite can get? And why not let it whisk me up into the sky with it when my dreams start to become reality? For that, I think it’s worth putting up with making some compromises, and even playing by (some of) the rules.” – Sophia Amoruso
Here Are Our Top 5 Fav Quotes:
1. “Abandon anything about your life and habits that might
be holding you back. Learn to create your own opportunities. Know that there is
no finish line, fortune favors action. Race balls-out toward the extraordinary
life that you’ve dreamed of, or still haven’t had time to dream up. And prepare
to have a hell of a lot of fun along the way.” - Sophia Amoruso
2. “It sounds incredibly platitudinal, but no one will ever
be able to love you if you don’t love yourself. What’s beautiful about it is
that if you love yourself enough, you don’t need the validation from anyone
else. My advice to #GIRLBOSSes is to get excited about the mistakes you’ll
make.” – Leandra Medine, Manrepeller.com
3. “My advice to aspiring #GIRLBOSSes: As hard as it is, stop
caring so much about what other people think. Find a way to hear what you want.
Recognize what is your dream. And then put everything you have into that: your
work, the relationships you surround yourself with, the food you put in your
body. Everything you have control over in your world should feed that dream and
make you feel like a #GIRLBOSS!” – Christene Barberich, Refinery 29
4. “The smattering
of stores screaming “normal” from their windows just did not cut it for me, and
the thought of paying to look like everyone else seemed utterly ridiculous.” – Sophia Amoruso
5. “But, here’s the real shit: You can’t have it all, and
nothing comes easy. You will make sacrifices and compromise, get let down and
let other people down, fail and start over, break some hearts, take some names,
and learn to pick up and continue when your own heart gets broken.” - Sophia Amoruso
In times of need find your red string and create your own silver lining. Channel your inner #GIRLBOSS and start working towards your dreams. Snaps to you, Sophia Amoruso.
To sound off on #GIRLBOSS, follow us on twitter @Rebel_Redefined and use the hashtag #RRbookclub.
XO,
Alex Nelson
@aw_nels
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