You are a Badass An Inspiring Book I Read Recently

The title caught my attention. I saw the title and was immediately intrigued enough to buy the book. The yellow cover is plain. It has no pictures or graphics just the words You are a Badass® in large font across the top. The subtitle, How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life, aligned below. The boldness of the title caused me to believe that it contained profound words of wisdom.

I was correct. You are a Badass® How to Stop Doubting your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life changed my outlook. It inspired me to do three things.

• Decide whether I really wanted what I said
• Believe I had what I needed to accomplish my desired outcome
• Plan and go for my desired outcome with all that is in me

Inspirational works cause people to think or ponder. This book, however, challenged me to act. I cannot remember how I found this book. Jen Sincero was unfamiliar to me. Occasionally, I search for books or resources by subject. Perhaps this Is how I found this book. Who knows? I am grateful for it. At the time, I felt overwhelmed and needed something to boost my spirit.

Stuck and Searching

I experienced ambivalence about the growth and direction of my side hustle. Lack of clarity around service offerings and the appropriate target audience hampered my ability to establish consistency. These difficulties prevented me from gaining traction and moving the business forward at a steady pace. As a result, I felt frustrated. Often, I felt like a failure. I knew what I wanted my side hustle business to provide but could not clearly express it. Consequently, I could not sell it.

The faltering made me feel that I could not grow a successful, sustainable, and satisfying side hustle. Feelings of inadequacy began to surface. You too, recognize those feelings we get that stem from childhood experiences. The thoughts and beliefs that warn you to stay in your box. Try not to be or do something different. No one in my family had ever owned a business. What made me think I could?

The Path to Greatness

Then I found Jen Sincero’s book. The following passage is from the Introduction.

This is about getting mighty clear about what makes you happy and what makes you feel the most alive, and then creating it instead of pretending you can’t have it. Or that you don’t deserve it. Or that you’re a greedy egomaniacal fathead for wanting more than you already have. Or listening to what Dad and Aunt Mary think you should be doing.

You are a Badass® pg. 12

You are a Badass® How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life is divided into five distinct parts. Each part contains stories that captivate and explain the concepts Jen wants to express. She writes like she is having a conversation with a good friend. Imagine learning about a bowling accident that caused her to have pain in her feet. As the story continues, she hilariously described looking for a mattress only to have the salesperson lie down next to her on the mattress. She sneaked out so that she would not embarrass the salesperson. Who does that?

Mantras and Motivation

Throughout the book Jen weaves stories of her life experiences to share her wisdom and insight. This wisdom is coupled with challenges to move forward. In addition to the stories, she includes statements of fact. I began using these statements as daily mantras. One of my favorite follows.

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.

You are a Badass® pg. 151

The book also contains lots and lots of curse words. For some reason, hearing her curse freed me. Sometimes I want and need to let it out. After reading the book, I do, occasionally. Additionally, she guides the reader to recognize self-sabotaging behaviors and beliefs. From there, they learn to create a life that fulfills them. Finally, she helps the reader to develop money making strategies that work.

Unfortunately, I do not read as much as I used to. Therefore, when I read something that really makes an impact in my life, I want to share it.

“I want to be happy, whole, satisfied and successful. What about you?”

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