Jessica PingSeptember Book of the Month Review
*Disclosure: There are affiliate links in the following article, meaning that, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using the links, I will receive a small commission.
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
https://amzn.to/2EyvyLc
You Are A Badass has been featured as a must-read in every book store I have walked into for the past 5 years. With its neon yellow cover, it’s already difficult to miss. When it’s placed on a stand at the front of the store, or on top of the shelf, it is completely impossible to avoid.
I purchased this book at Powell’s book store in Portland, Oregon last year. My friends and I were on our final spring break trip and had planned to spend a couple of hours perusing the massive store. As usual, it was easily spotted. The small colorful display overtook every other title in a 2 foot radius.
In the past when I encountered the book, I often only saw the brightness it exuded. As I sat in my wheelchair staring at it from across the room, I paused, allowed the discomfort in my eyes to settle as it adjusted to the background color, and read the title for the first time.
YOU are a BADASS.
Me. I am a badass.
At the time, I was working through a pretty difficult mental health episode. After weeks of attending regular counseling sessions and working on the exercises provided, I was improving, but no where near 100%.
At that moment, I felt uncomfortable, yet intrigued. I quickly closed the gap between myself and the book, plucked the center book from the carefully arranged display, and held it close while I continued to search the rest of the rooms.
That night, an excited and exhausted Jess opened the book for the first time. Sleep won and I fell asleep after reading a couple sentences. The same thing happened every night for the rest of the trip. By the time we returned from spring break, my English classes were back in full swing and reading for fun was off the table.
A couple of months ago, I saw the book again, as if for the first time, on the shelf in my childhood home. Having just finished Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis, I wasn’t ready for another self-help book yet. But, as time went on and I completed the lengthy Twilight series again, I finally picked it up and very quickly decided to name it a book of the month!
Initial Thoughts on You Are A Badass
When I first picked up the book last year, I was prepared to be enlightened. My insecurities were soaring and I wanted to feel powerful and back in control of not just my life, but my thoughts, as well. Since the initial purchase, so much about my life has changed, including the way I see myself. Now, don’t let me fool you. I am still an anxious and insecure young woman at heart. However, unlike 2019 Jessica, I am now an anxious and insecure young woman who knows I have inherent value and deserve as much greatness and success as anyone else.
I believe it is important that I preface my review by declaring the attitude and mentality I had when I read the first paragraph because books like these will be received differently based on where you are located in your own self-love journey.
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That said, I was shocked because this book was much less about motivating you to love yourself and much more about helping you live the type of life you’ve always wanted. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of self-love spread throughout this book. More specifically, every chapter ended with a reminder that at the center of all things, you must still love yourself first. That said, my initial thought after reading the first section of the book was this: Thank God I am reading this now.
Similarly to Girl, Stop Apologizing, I felt like You Are A Badass was very helpful in aligning my goals and desires with my actions and attitude, but less powerful in helping me feel good about myself. Again, part of that opinion might be driven by the fact that I was in a good space mentally when I consumed this book. That said, if you’re looking for a book to pull you out of a self-loathing rut, this would not be my first recommendation.
While finding and living out your purpose certainly can impact one’s mental health, if you are feeling like you are at rock bottom, this book alone will not fix your problems. Like all self-help books, You Are A Badass serves as a companion guide. In order for it to have any sort of impact on your life, you have to put the words on the page into action.
Privilege and Changing Your Life
In some ways, this book was a little bit too out there for me. With language discussing the universe and the motherlode on top of very noble and profound methods of forgiveness, I found this book challenging to constantly take seriously. The biggest takeaway that Sincero drills into your head right from the beginning is the idea that anything and everything you want in life already exists in the universe and is open for you to take if you manifest it correctly.
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Instantly alarm bells went off in my head when I read this. WHAT ABOUT PRIVILEGE AND INEQUALITY. SURELY SHE KNOWS THIS ISN’T A REALITY FOR EVERYONE.
I had to sit with this concept for a long while before I could move on. Not everyone is going to be able to manifest greatness and it’s not all a matter of attitude like this book and many other titles in the self-help genre would have you believe. That said, for those who do have the capacity to change their life, I believe the actionable steps in this book are a good place to start.
Actionable Steps to Becoming A Badass
To become a badass, you have to believe you are a badass. To believe you are a badass, you have to behave like a badass. Don’t let Hollywood fool you. Badass behavior has much less to do with being hostile and tough and much more to do with kindness and gratitude.
As mentioned above, I found the section on forgiveness to be interesting, but difficult to grasp at first. I made an annotation in my book that said the following, “but what about standing up for yourself? What about ensuring you’re not walked all over?” There is a quote in the chapter that reads “It’s not about them anyway, it’s about you…How was I involved? Why did I attract this to myself?”
In my mind, when I first read this concept, I was frustrated because it seemed like Sincero was asking me to take the blame for all unfortunate circumstances that happen to me. Upon further reflection now that I have completed the book, I realize that she is trying to show her readers that little choices we make throughout the day, month, and year are what manifest these problems into existence. Instead of festering in our own anger at everyone else, she is telling us to look deeper and see how we can prevent a similar situation from unfolding in the future.
You Are A Badass thrives on this way of thinking. All of the actionable steps are about manifesting positivity in your life. It’s a “you get what you put into it” ideology. If you’re angry, or stressed, or lazy, or wasting your money, or constantly complaining, you’re not going to reach your goals. Ultimately, this book tries to help you formulate ways you can change your negative characteristics and behaviors into positive ones.
Final Thoughts On You Are A Badass
It’s a quick and compelling read. Sincero does a great job of writing anecdotes that perfectly match her points. That said, as all of the actionable steps require a complete mindset change, I found the book at times to be somewhat overwhelming. If you have the time to grapple with these concepts and truly make a change in your life, you will love this book. Even if you don’t have the time right now, it’s a good book to have around the house to read at your own pace. After all, you don’t have to inhale words to get something out of them.
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