Review of “You Are a Badass” by Jen Sincero

This month’s read was another book that’s been on my “to read” list for quite a while. I purchased the paperback version of the book on vacation several years back. I started to read it then but didn’t finish the e-book version until this past month.

I enjoyed reading the book and was surprised by the many actionable steps included in it. When I read a book on my Kindle, I use the app’s highlighting feature to highlight certain types of notes using the four available highlighting colors:

· Yellow = general note

· Orange = another person’s quote

· Pink = external resource

· Blue = actions I need to take

I had 18 Blue highlights in this book, so I have a lot of work to do to apply what I’ve learned.

Some of the ways the author suggests you (and I) apply what you learn in the book include:

1. Get rid of your bad habits by becoming aware of what you’re not happy about in your life, understanding the bad habits that create those things you’re not pleased with, and swapping out the bad habits for good ones.
2. Breathe deeply, clear your mind, check in with your body, become present in the moment.
3. Associate with people who are doing the things you want to be doing to get inspiration from them.
4. Set honest goals that are just outside your comfort zone.
5. Write down your goals and vision for your ideal life, read your goads just before bed and just after getting up.
6. Pay for some coaching or mentoring to help you get to where you want to be quicker.
7. Use your mind, body, and soul together to make your goals a reality.
8. Figure out what actions make you feel invincible and do them.
9. Love yourself.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book included:

• “You need to go from wanting to change your life to deciding to change your life.”
• “You’re going to have to let go of old, limiting beliefs and cling to your decision to create the life you desire like your life depends upon it.”
• “If you want to live a life you’ve never lived, you’re going to have to do things you’ve never done.”
• “…awareness is your key to freedom.”
• “…faith being greater than your fear.”
• “When we get so wrapped up in our heads, we miss out on what’s available to us right now in the moment.”
• “…you create your reality.”
• “Try seeing yourself through the eyes of someone who admires you.”
• “Your job is to be as you as you can be.”

As with any book, there are some areas that I’m not sure I agree with. Still, overall, I liked a lot of what I read and hope I’ll use the information as inspiration to move forward with creating the life I truly want, not the life I think is within social norms or what other people expect me to do.