Author

Rachel Marie Martin

Rachel Marie Martin is the author behind Finding Joy and the book The Brave Art of Motherhood. She is fiercely passionate about living an authentic, joy-filled and driven life and because of that writes powerful truth for others hoping to be the catalyst for change.

Find yourself

“turn your wipers on”

by Rachel Marie Martin August 9, 2022

written by Rachel Marie Martin

Yesterday I spent an hour talking with my counselor. There was a time in my life where I assumed I didn’t need help, didn’t need someone to listen, didn’t need clarity. And then, well, life happened. And in all of that happening came a whole bunch of residue that I find hard to identify or let go. Residue.

That’s what I told her it felt like – “a build up of residue that is weighing me down.”

We talked through stuff.

I shared how I have the hardest time letting go of things because then I fear it will happen to me again.

I shared how I end up trying to fix everything and that the projections of others – true or not true – stick.

I shared how I found it hard to write lately because I’ve been feeling so bogged down with life stuff and I was worried someone would say, “Isn’t this page about joy?” (Which has happened. More than once.)

I shared how I compare and measure myself with the success of others and that sometimes I feel like I fraud because I write about not comparing and there I was – comparing.

I shared how I have anger and hurt trapped deep inside – from others mislabeling me or judging me.

And then, then in a moment that surprised me, she asked me to think about what others might need for their healing journey. She had me specifically focus on several people and asked me to work on forgiving and sending peace and cutting my own cord to them – which dragged me down.

Friends, it was hard. It was hard to forgive, hard to let go, hard to not cling to the stuff.

The residue.

And then it hit me – the residue was distorting my view.

Imagine your windshield in the car full of spots and dirt and build up and you forget that you have the power to clean it. That was me. I forgot that it wasn’t anyone else’s responsibility to clean that residue.

It was mine.

And by being stubborn, by thinking that looking at all of it was a badge of “look what I’ve dealt with” or whatever, it was only hurting me.

I dared.

I dared to forgive.
I dared to let go.
I dared to clean that residue from my spirit.

And today, today, I see a bit clearer.

Not perfectly – think how it isn’t just one swipe of the wipers to clean the glass – it takes work – that’s where I am. But the bit of clarity has reminded me of the power of joy.

Joy isn’t a given.
Joy isn’t easy.

Joy is in the willingness to look at one’s journey, one’s story, and to keep moving forward, keeping the vision clean, and letting go.

I hope this reminds you of the power you have in being willing to forgive, to let go and to stop giving the power to heal to others. I hope it encourages you to get help and talk to someone if you need to. I hope it encourages you to know that you are not alone in this journey. I hope it reminds me, even in this crazy busy that we tend to live in that you matter and make a difference.

You are brave.
You are enough.
You are worthy.

Turn your wipers on.

Love,
Rachel

August 9, 2022 0 comment

Find yourself

sometimes

by Rachel Marie Martin June 3, 2022

written by Rachel Marie Martin

Sometimes you don’t need someone to pat you on the back – you instead need someone to look you in the eyes and tell you that they believe in you but that you need to pull up your boot straps and fight.

Sometimes you don’t need someone to say “I’m praying for you” – you instead need someone to show up at your door with cleaning products in hand and walk in and help you out or bring you dinner or hold your hand during the hard things.

Sometimes you don’t need to hear that it’s just a season that you’re in right now – you instead need someone to love you where you are and to help you out of overwhelm and to believe in you when you doubt yourself.

Sometimes you don’t need cliche answers or a smile and wave – you instead need a friend. The friend who sticks her neck out for you, that puts herself on the line, that shows up no matter what.

Sometimes doing the hard thing is the right thing.

So with that.

I believe in you.

I believe that you are worth fighting for you.

I believe that you have to stop believing the “excuses” and “passes” that allow you to stay stuck.

I believe that in the midst of life and the crazy that you can find time for you.

Why?

Because you are worth it.

Did you hear that?

You are worth it.

And maybe you don’t hear that much in life so let me be the one to tell you how much you matter and how much your fight matters and your heart.

So pull up your bootstraps, look in the mirror, love you for you, and walk into the rest of your day with a bravery that is undeniable.

~Rachel

#findingjoy

June 3, 2022 1 comment

why being a mom is enough

I didn’t worry…I knew you’d be here.

by Rachel Marie Martin May 31, 2022

written by Rachel Marie Martin

“I didn’t worry. I knew you’d be here.”

Those were my sixteen-year old son’s words to me this afternoon after he climbed into my minivan.

Normally, he takes the bus, but today that bus that we rely on was canceled. The call came in this morning, and in that moment my day changed.

I knew I had to leave at 3:20.

I knew I had to change afternoon plans.

I knew I had to sit in a long school line.

I knew I had to be there.

Sometimes it is really easy to dismiss our impact as moms, as parents.

We look at the really big stuff as the importants and yet, that gift of being there and them not worrying – it really is priceless.Sometimes it is really easy to think we aren’t doing enough or to overlook the simple things which really are the giant things.

He didn’t worry.

That is the gift.

You see, even if I couldn’t have been in that line I would have taken care of it, of him. I would have solved the problem.

I am there for him.

For them.

And that, that is the gift.

When he came out he didn’t look at the other vehicles or compare or wonder or worry. He just saw me and smiled.

Don’t ever dismiss the gift of letting them not worry.

I’ve shown up for all of my kids.

Sometimes it’s not perfect.

Sometimes it’s messy.

Sometimes it’s rushed.

Sometimes it feels like it doesn’t matter.

But I’m there.

In fact I have not a shadow of a doubt that my kids, no matter what, would say, “My mom wasn’t perfect, but she was there.”

Friends, that’s priceless.

Thanks for being there.

It matters.

-Rachel

#findingjoy

Ps….I wrote this while waiting for him (again) to be done with work. And that pic is of him nine years ago. I love it so much, it captures his kindness. …and I have a chapter in my book about the strength of moms where I drove overnight after returning from Haiti to get this son home to Tennessee to get him to get medical care….we show up….we show up…here is the link to my book, “The Brave Art of Motherhood” -> https://amzn.to/3lygaRC

May 31, 2022 0 comment

perspective

dear anxiety…

by Rachel Marie Martin April 6, 2022

written by Rachel Marie Martin

Dear anxiety,

Sometimes you are loud, like a roar, a tornado and I find myself twisted in thoughts and worries.

Sometimes you are silent, stealthy, and I slowly become aware that my heart is racing and my mind worrying.

Sometimes you make me question my strength or the love of others.

Sometimes you create doubts and worries.

But anxiety, you don’t win.

I’m just putting that out there.

Even though I know your tactics and the fallacy of “run through that scenario in your mind again and again” and how you try to rob peace. You see, despite the worries and the doubts I’ve learned I’m strong.

Stronger than you think you I am.

Yes, I stumble at times.

Yes, I feel alone at times.

Yes, I have sleepless nights at times.

Yes, I worry at times.

Yes, I have moments of fear.

But, I also have good.

I also have joy.

I also have hope.

I also have love.

I also have optimism.

I also have clarity.

I also have sleep.

I also have progress.

I am brave.

And brave is no longer allowing you, anxiety, to define worth, capabilities, and potential.

It is brave that I set down the past, despite the cry for you to hyper-analyze it, and love the present and work hard for the future.

You see, I’ve found the antidote.

Grace.

Hope.

Peace.

Persistence.

Kindness.

Authenticity.

Joy.

Bravery.

You are strong, but I am stronger.

-me

*words by Rachel Marie Martin of Finding Joy

April 6, 2022 4 comments

Rachel Marie Martin Original Quotes

Best Motivational Quotes for Women

by Rachel Marie Martin March 31, 2022

written by Rachel Marie Martin

One of the things I enjoy the most is creating short quotes that remind us of our strength. Over the years I’ve created a large collection of these words and often get asked if I have them together. This list is a selection of what I like to call my Brave Girl quotes – or best motivational quotes -ones that remind women of their strength, even in the face of adversity, and the courage it takes to keep going. Remember – your trying, your showing up, your giving – it all matters.

“She was strong. Not because she always wanted to be, but because sometimes she was forced to be. Her strength was often hidden from others. It was the strength that kept her going even in the hard times. At first she didn’t see her strength, but as time passed she began to celebrate that she was truly a warrior. Brave”
Rachel Marie Martin

“She didn’t give up. She was a fighter. She was a believer in the good. She was a kind soul. She was a giver. She was a dreamer. And even on the hard days she kept going. So often no one saw. No one knew of her brave. But it was there. She saw her future. She learned from her past. She was grateful for her now. She was both grace and grit. An inspiration.”
Rachel Marie Martin

“She dared. She took the first step even without the answers. She called the friend and mended the relationship. She stood her ground even though she was afraid. She believed in the good even though life felt hard. She stepped out of comfortable and embraced the risk. She knew that her life mattered. She knew her voice mattered. She knew her courage mattered. So she dared.”
Rachel Marie Martin

“She was brave. Maybe she didn’t see it. Maybe she dismissed it. Maybe she forgot it. But in it all she was brave. Not because of the big things, but rather for all the moments where she kept on showing up. She kept on trying and she kept on loving. That is brave.”
Rachel Marie Martin

“She was on a journey. It didn’t look like the journey she had planned. In fact, sometimes she felt lost. That part was hard. And yet, she kept trying. She kept putting one foot in front of the other. She kept moving. She kept having faith in the future. She didn’t stop. She kept going.”
Rachel Marie Martin

“And she felt her heart get lighter that day. She stopped comparing. She stopped letting others put their too-small-boxes over her potential. She stopped listening to the critics and started listening to the hope of her dreams. She started to see her strength. Her bravery. Her beautiful heart. and in that moment the impossibilities felt possible.”
Rachel Marie Martin

“She rose up. She may have felt beaten down. She may have struggled. She may not have had the answers. She may have been afraid. And yet, she rose. She stood up. She tried again. She dared. She gave back. She believed in the good. She was the meaning of brave.”
Rachel Marie Martin

*“She was knocked down. She got up. She decided to not be bitter but to be brave. To keep fighting. To see the good. She didn’t let the hard stuff win. She did.”*
Rachel Marie Martin

*“And she let go of yesterday so her heart could find joy today.”*
Rachel Marie Martin

*“Even in the midst of so many changes and unknowns she took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and dared to make today good.”*
Rachel Marie Martin

“She exhaled. She clung to hope. She stood up for what she believed in. She was strong. Maybe it was a quiet strength, but it was there. You could see it in her eyes. They were filled with determination. They dared to have faith in the sacredness of tomorrow. She lived bravely.”
Rachel Marie Martin

“And she stopped comparing. She stopped grading her life based on the success of others. Instead she shifted her focus. She saw her strengths. She embraced her quirks. She began to love the reflection in the mirror. And then she found happiness again.”
Rachel Marie Martin

Thanks friends! You all inspire me.

~Rachel

March 31, 2022 1 comment

This isn't what I thought Life Would be Like

There is Always Light

by Rachel Marie Martin March 30, 2022

written by Rachel Marie Martin

I don’t know who needs to hear this right now, but I know someone does.

If it’s you, then I want you to trust that these words are meant for you at this moment. I believe in the synchronicity of the universe and trust that there are moments when we are reminded that we are not alone or to keep up the faith.

This is about light and hard stuff and why there is always light, in other words, hope.

Life can throw us a bunch of curveballs.

It can be hard, it can be challenging, it can feel lonely. And in that space of dealing, we can feel like we are the only ones with the struggle or the loneliness or the unsettled feelings. Those curveballs, whether they are unexpected or part of the wave of existence, can knock us off of our track. They can make us feel like everyone else has it together and there we are – struggling and feeling the complexity of life.

First, my friend, you are not alone.

You are not the only one.

You are simply, in this moment in part of the wave of life.

There will be the crest again.

There will be the light, the sun, the joy, the freedom.

And all of your trying, all of it – even in the small – it all matters. Don’t go to bed tonight discounting your story, instead be simply proud of your story. Be proud of the showing up, the trying the giving. Especially in these moments where the wave feels deep and the prospect of light dim.

It is there.

Sometimes we can’t see the light. Yet, it is still there.

It will return.

Trust me.

You make a difference.

I know on the hard days it can be hard to believe it, but I truly believe that the hard days illuminate our strength and our love for others in the journey. These days shine a light on tenacity and bravery and in the end become the places where others say, “Wow…if she (he) can do it…then maybe I could too.”

So keep on fighting.

Keep on believing.

Keep on taking steps.

Keep on being real.

Keep on taking care of your heart.

And always, always remember just how deeply important you are to this world, to your family, and that your story – it matters.

~Rachel
#findingjoy

picture by me of the lighthouse on Tybee Island (in Georgia) on a very foggy night. Despite the fog, the light still shone. May you remember that in your own journey – there is always light. It may not be there now, but it can return.

March 30, 2022 0 comment

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