You are a Badass3 min read

Rating: 5/10

I was led astray by the amazon reviews of You are a Badass, by Jen Sincero. Jen begins the book by complaining about the self-help world. She says most self-help books are crap. She says they really don’t provide any real advice, that, these books, just blow smoke up your ass.

Unfortunately, greater than 60% of this book was smoke.

In fact if she cut out ~70% of the fluff in this book I think it could be a great book. But, alas, she didn’t.

There are some good pieces of information, however:

• Picture yourself as a successful person, what is that like? What have you accomplished?
• Stop making fun of yourself. It’s cheap humor and paints yourself in a bad light. Not in regard to other people’s view of you (maybe a little), but, more importantly, the way you see yourself.
• Analyze your reasons for doing something. Is it to get back at someone? Because your parents, or someone else, says you should be doing it? Or is it for the right reasons: because it will be fun. Because it’ll change someone else’s life in a positive way.

My favorite piece of advice from the whole book is specifying the actualization of your goals; writing down, as specifically and measurably as possible, what your life will be like when you succeed? What does your life look like when you have accomplished your dreams and goals?

Sorry for the wall of text here but it’s worth it. I did the exercise and, not only enjoyed it, but felt it defined the reason I am blogging and making videos. It got me a little bit closer to my dream. And if I get a little bit closer every day, a little bit better, I think it’s inevitable that I’ll get there.

Write down your goals and your vision of your ideal life in the present tense and be as specific as possible. Where do you live, who do you live with, what do you do for fun, who are you surrounded by , how much money do you make, how do you make it, how do you give back to the world, what are you wearing, etc. Make it so freaking awesome that you can’t read it without weeping and wailing and putting it down to compose yourself every few sentences. Read it to yourself before you go to bed and when you wake up every single solitary day I am so not kidding over here. Become obsessed with it. Think about how you’re changing your life and who you’re becoming and be in a state of giddy expectation about it as often as possible. The more you focus on who you’re becoming , and the more emotional you can get about it , the faster you will become it .

I did this exercise, in my physical notebook, and found it quite fun. Also, it put more exact reasoning behind why I am doing what I’m doing. Why am I starting a blog? A YouTube channel? I am doing it to learn things, to teach people about the things I learn, and to make money. Of course, there are others, but that is what it mostly boils down to.

Overall, You are a Badass, it is not bad, but it is not good. I felt like I was attending a religious event for 90% of it, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I didn’t buy the book to attend a religious event. I bought the book to be given actionable, succinct, advice. To be guided on becoming successful.

-Zach

Quotes I Liked

• If you want to live a life you’ve never lived, you have to do things you’ve never done.
• Find a mentor or a hero or a role model. Get clear on why this person is impressive and inspiring to you, and when faced with a challenge that leaves you guessing how to react, ask yourself, What would my hero do?
• It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.
• KEEP THE BEGINNER MINDSET