Whybe a Badass - Book Review

Even though Jen Sincero’s “You Are a Badass – How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life” came out over four years ago, it wasn’t until recently that this book was put on my radar. I started seeing this book all over Instagram.  You’ve most likely seen it flashed across your social media--it’s the one with the bright yellow cover, with “YOU are a BADASS” stamped across the front. I was curious, so I read it a first time. I couldn’t get enough, so I went back and read it a second time. And, I just finished reading it a third time with a more attentive eye.

Why should you read this book?

This book covers the whole aspect of self-help: working out, diet, money, career, relationships. Everything we face in our modern, busy lives, without seeming trite in any of it.

“You Are a Badass” is all about getting clear on your visions, understanding what truly makes you happy, and generating the reality you want to live in by taking necessary action.

Takeaway

1.       Believe in yourself

2.       Take necessary action

3.       Positive changes are certain

Now let's break down the specifics

and get into the meat of the book.

The book is divided into 5 easy-to-follow sections:

Part 1. How You Got That Way “Most people are living in an illusion based on someone else’s beliefs.”

Part 1 of the book breaks down the self-limiting ideas we have inherited from our parents or others who raised us, sometimes without ever consciously realizing. This chapter will open your eyes to – and force you to get real with – the unremarkable aspects of your life. Yes, that sounds like the last thing you want to be doing at any given moment, and though, by doing this, as Jen puts it, “you can start to drag out the stinky carcasses of your limiting subconscious beliefs and give them the heave-ho, thereby opening up the space to invite the fresh, new, awesome beliefs and experience that you’d love to have, into your life.”

Part 2. How to embrace your inner badass “When we’re happy and all in love with ourselves, we can’t be bothered with the bullshit (our own or other people’s).”

Once we’ve confronted our demons head on and chosen to leave behind our limiting beliefs, Part 2 is all about filling that space with all the good stuff. Think mantras, affirmations, and treating yourself with all the things that promote positive feelings. This means accepting the things you can’t change, and choosing to love yourself – all of yourself!

Part 3. How to tap into the motherload “Remember, everything you desire is right here, right now. You just have to shift your perception in order to see it made manifest.”

Chapter 11’s title, “Your Brain is Your Bitch,” pretty much sums this all up. Mantras, affirmations, and chanting are all good on paper and coming out of your mouth, but unless you whole-heartedly believe in what you’re saying, they’re not going to do anything.

My current mantra: I am strong.

Part 4. How to get over your B.S. already “Because so often when we say we’re unqualified for something, what we’re really saying is that we’re too scared to try it, not that we can’t do it.”

Back to being uncomfortable – this chapter is all about confronting the “stories” you tell yourself – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Figure out what you say to yourself, and change the language. We are SO lucky as human beings to have this tool to change our perception. With work, we have the ability to objectively look at our thoughts, and tell ourselves a different story.

Part 5. How to kick some ass.  "Deciding is freedom. Indecision is torture.”

This was a big one for me. I’ve always fallen into the default of “I don’t know.” What do I want to eat today? I don’t know. What do I want to do tomorrow? I don’t know. What movie do you want to watch? I don’t know! Committing to a decision always felt like a dooming fate, rather than “freedom,” as Jen puts it. She helped me recognize that indecision is the culprit for confining me to my comfort zone. “I don’t know” is (slowly) being replaced by “I’ll know what to do soon enough.”

What's next?

READ IT!

I recommend having a journal to jot down your ideas as you read, or buy the hard copy so you can keep notes directly in the book. I personally like to write in the pages of the book so whenever I’m feeling down, I can go back and look at some of the passages I highlighted or underlined.

Write down your actions! Like me, you are probably more likely to DO your actions if you write them down first!

A few extra favorite quotes 

More quotes from this book that I love:

“Surrendering is the free-falling backwards into the unknown and trusting that The Universe will catch you. And this can’t be done from a place of lack or a place of mistrust” (part 5)

“So often, we pretend we’ve made a decision, when what we’ve really done is signed up to try until it gets too uncomfortable” (Part 5)

“By becoming aware of what we do, we can investigate why we do it and then chose to keep it or drop it, instead of blindly reacting through habit (Part 4)

“The people you surround yourself with are excellent mirrors for who you are and how much or how little you love yourself” (Part 4)

“The only failure is quitting. Everything else is just gathering information” (Part 5)

Which one is your favorite?