I am proud to say that my very first blogger freebie was a self-help book titled Permission Slips written by Sherri Shepherd of The View. Her publisher sent me the book to see if I might like it and want to share it with my Crazy Girls, and I do!

I didn’t know much about Sherri Shepherd before reading this book. I had seen Sherri debut her bathing suit-ready body after months of eating right and working out on The View. I was impressed with her upbeat Crazy Girl spirit (as soon as she finished walking the catwalk, she tore into a plate of ribs they wheeled out), but I didn’t know much about her life or her philosophies.

I devoured this book in two days, and that’s only because I had to take breaks to eat, sleep, and see my friends. Reasons why I recommend this book to my Crazy Girls:

1. It has a great cover. I don’t care what anybody says, we all judge books by their covers. I like the bright colors and cute typeface on the cover, and Sherri looks quite cute. The book ‘s cover lets me know that it’s going to be light-hearted and helpful, like an evening spent laughing and reminiscing with my girlfriends.
2. It’s a great concept. Sherri writes herself a permission slip whenever she tries to do something for herself that makes her feel guilty for all the wrong reasons. By writing out the permission slip, she frees herself to feel good about doing or feeling the way she wants. After all, she’s been given permission. She writes herself permission slips to let go of the past, to be an imperfect mother, and to forgive her parents. She encourages us to think about the things we need to write ourselves permission slips for.
3. She’s had an interesting life. Sherri takes us through her trials and tribulations as a struggling stand-up comedian, her insecurities as a hostess on The View, and her battle with a food addiction and being diagnosed with diabetes. She is imperfect—and that makes her very relatable.
4. She makes big mistakes and admits them. Sherri was quite the Dating Dummy in her 20s and 30s and does not even pretend to make herself look good when telling the stories of all her bad decisions. She refers to herself as a person who has to make a mistake several times before she really learns. Her stories were dramatic enough to make me want to learn from her having made them so I never had to feel the misery she did. Her stories are thought-provoking without being sensation or self-deprecating.

I didn’t identify with all parts of Sherri. It seems like she may be focusing so much on clinging to her faith and her son to really take great care of herself. The book never mentioned what she liked to do for fun or fulfillment. It was all The View, the Bible, or her little boy. I know life changes dramatically when you have a kid, but you’ve got to still have a sense of self outside of your job or your kid. Jobs end. Children grow up and leave. I wonder if and when Sherri will dedicate time again to her true passion—stand-up comedy. And when she’ll make enough time to find the life partner she so desperately seemed to want throughout her life.

Overall, it was a great book with a memorable and helpful concept. I’m going to write myself the following permission slips:

1. I give myself permission to speak of my bad experiences with guys as infrequently as possible. It’s bad enough that the stuff happened in the first place. Why live it again and again?
2. I give myself permission to not follow The Rules all the time. I have some Dating Dummy tendencies, so I find it to be in my best interest to listen to the advice of books like The Rules. But sometimes, it’s just too hard and you have to call the guy, your voice seething in suppressed anger, “Where the f*** have you been?!” Sometimes, that’s just what it takes.
3. I give myself permission to feel lost sometimes. I believe strongly in the power of declaring what you want to the Universe, but sometimes, I just don’t feel that sure. I wonder if I’m making the right decision in pursuing a career working for myself. I wonder if I’ll be broke and confused and feel like a failure. I give myself permission to worry about those things a few minutes, and then I dispel those doubtful thoughts and affirm to myself that I am indeed making the right decision—even if it won’t be easy.

What permission slips will you be writing for yourself today?

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Tagged as: Book Reviews, books, guilt