The EveryGirl's Guide to Life
Maria Menounos
Maria Menounos is an "everygirl" in many ways and she brings that to this refreshing book. She is a daughter of Greek immigrants who grew up doing janitorial work along side her Mom and Dad and went on to realize her dreams through persistence, a solid education and her attitude. Menounos has a strong sense of practicality that is evident throughout her writing as she conveys so many ideas about saving, spending less and being resourceful. Her Hollywood life however, is evident and perhaps even she is not aware of how it comes through when she calls Everygirls' with household staff "advanced" or talks about "gifts that don't cost that much" being under fifty dollars (Five O!). Still when one reads about Maria being the youngest reporter on Entertainment Tonight at the age of 22 and later simultaneously reporting and acting plus balancing all of the things she talks about in her book, one keeps it in perspective and admires her tremendously for her attitude and tenacity. Early in the book Maria quotes a good friend who once said "minds must remain in possibility" and what a smart thought for anyone to be reminded of in life! Now that is an advanced Everygirl!
The book starts off very strong in my opinion (being a neat freak as I am!) because the first chapters are about the Everygirls' Foundation, i.e. getting organized, one's office, decor' and maintenance of all of the above. To me, these pages are genius!
Maria takes the reader through every item in her closet, bathroom, office and more, all the while describing how one can create bins, labels, systems, files, etc. (a Virgo's wet dream!) Everyone will surely get something different from Maria's ideas since you may already be doing things that work for you in this area or you may be doing similar things and can enhance them, or you could be starting from scratch. Regardless this section of the book is my favorite and I will probably find myself returning to it for ideas again and again.
Lots of things that Maria writes of here are things you could find out about at Ikea, on line or from watching HGTV but she takes the time to put it all together and tell you what has worked best for her. It's like having a girlfriend's advice, and that of a pal who is an all star success in every aspect of her life!
One of my favorite lines in the book is in this section when Maria says "the key to happiness is being organized" and there is so much truth to that. Order creates peace and harmony! The things that Maria reminds the reader over and over in all areas of this book is that one doesn't need a high IQ, wealthy parents, the best looks or a college diploma to accomplish these things...in the case of being organized one just needs to put in the time and effort, as is the case in so many of the areas that Maria writes about. Maria puts a positive spin on life - "Yes, you can do it!"- and it's wonderful!
Being the aforementioned neat freak and lover of organization I forgot to mention the many other "foundation" related topics. Maria also talks about your PDA, having a tool box and so much more. Something as simple as making a photo copy of everything in your wallet and storing it in your home just in case you lose your purse or having a black book with all of your account statements and pertinent industry, personal and vendor data in one place.
Time is also spent talking about household decor and maintenance and again Maria hits the nail on the head and tells us what we mostly know but need to be reminded or need to apply to our lives. These are just some of the things Maria writes of and I can't say enough about how helpful Part 1 of the Everygirls' Guide to Life is.
Next up on Maria's guide list is style and just as I admit to being a lover of organization, I also admit to not caring much about my make up or the latest trends. Therefore I won't be the most thorough on this area of the book because I honestly had to skip over the skin and make up portions. They were just too lengthily and detailed for a person who is lucky to get make up on while she is at stopped a red light or gets to bed early enough to wash her face much less apply products.
That being said, Maria's experience with make up and wardrobe is extensive and she brings many details of what products and techniques she has learned of to the reader. I am sure this section would be a dream to some Everygirls but it was a bit much for me. I started off strong making notes about cleansing products and by the time Maria was talking Topper (what?!?) and facials I was seriously lost.
It did inspire me to move my facial scrub product into the shower and have a DIY facial that night and these are the types of affects that this book can have on any reader. Also helpful were Menounos' lists of basic essentials in Everygirls' wardrobe along with affordable, high quality brand suggestions. Maria truly brings a wide array of topics to the table and inspires you to improve on them. I am buffing my nails and I will keep all of my spare buttons from new garments in one place now!
Part III in Menounos' book is about Everygirls' emotional foundation and what a smart area to cover! So many women struggle with long term friendships that are energy drainers or family members who are undermining; it's a hard choice to make between your heart and your mind and Maria puts much of this into plain thoughts with the help of experts as she does some of the more difficult topics in her book. Such a simple thing as a list that reads "A Good Friend to Me Is" is a heart warming and simple reminder to Evergirls about what is important and how to take care of themselves.
Also talked about is love and marriage and Maria is warm and straightforward, telling the reader what everyone wishes they had taped to their bathroom mirror since they were eighteen. Again, simple and obvious but refreshing!
Having lost about forty pounds while working and traveling like a fiend, Maria is an excellent resource for her next section which is dedicated to the Everygirl and health. She goes into detail about how she lost the weight sensibly and reasonably and continues on with healthy habits, recipes, workout ideas and life skills that helped her keep them off.
Advice like writing down everything you eat in a day or drinking a cup of hot water to quell your hunger are some of Maria's golden tips.
She even goes so far as to include a copy of her workout routine in the appendix along with other references that she writes of in the book. There are some delicious recipes and again Maria reminds the Everygirl that effort and commitment are ingredients to success, not some of the qualities society focuses on and that many feel they fall short on. Regarding health and fitness, the reader comes away with "I can do this" like in so many areas of this book. All of these areas make up a successful life and much of the steps are realistic for anyone's lifestyle.
The last portion of Everygirls' Guide to Life is about business and it is chuck full of information about how to dress for an interview and pack for business travel but it left me wanting more as it related to real business. It does not talk resumes, salary negotiations, starting your own LLC, account or client management, how to stay ahead of tax season, what to look for in an employer, etc. It is strong in Maria's experiences, much like her make up and wardrobe chapters, because those are the topics she has had wide-ranging exposure to in her line of work. It does include an idea to write a list of your career goals and what you are doing to achieve them. Again, another really simple and obvious idea but so useful and productive like much of Menounos' book!
The book finishes up with the idea that life is more about giving that anything else. Giving to family and also to charitable organizations and groups. Hardly any person can really say they spend enough time and effort giving and Maria reminds us of this selfless topic, tying in both volunteering and holiday gift giving self help items. Menounos' flare for systems in every area of life are admirable and each reader will take different things from them... all good!
Something that I should mention: I bought this book on my kindle so I missed out on the full color layout and many of the side bar boxes and photos. The photos that I did have on my kindle were in black and white and there were a lot of them! Maria is her own brand and she is beautiful so there is nothing wrong with that but you will see a lot of Maria in the illustrations. That and her beautiful dogs that she adores and speaks of often in the book as well.
You can read this book in a day or two depending how much time you have to sit and read.
This book will spark your imagination, get you thinking and maybe get you started on some healthier habits, smarter approaches and more orderly living.
Thank you Maria Menounos for your courage and for sharing!
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