
You Are A Badass
- By Kyle Bringhurst
- on March 10, 2019
Author Profile
Jen Sincero was a self-proclaimed hippie who spent much of her early life focused on living in a way that she wouldn’t need to be tied down or controlled by money. She traveled the world and lived in India and rediscovered herself. She spent that time getting to know herself and figuring out what she needed to do in life to really get to where she wanted to be and live the life she dreamed of. Since then, her mindset on money has changed and she grew to believe that money can be a great thing when pursued for good reasons.
Jen is currently a New York Times best-selling author for this book and has also written two follow-up books titled You Are A Badass At Making Money, and You Are A Badass Every Day. You Are A Badass has sold over 2 million copies alone, and in total all her books have sold more than 5 million copies at the time of this review. She also has jumped into coaching and offers some of her programs online at her website www.jensincero.com.
Highlights
If you like sassy books, this one is for you. Jen is a quirky writer who has the gift of transferring her personality into her writing. Her stories are engaging and memorable, and she definitely can keep a reader interested. If you are struggling to remember what is great about you, I would recommend this book. It’s the type of book that is written specifically for when you are at your lowest point, and I can see the value that it adds there. It talks about things we should implement in our lives, as well as ways to better appreciate our greatness within.
Let me see if I can summarize this book for you: You are a badass. There’s a reason that it’s called this. Everyone has badass inside of them, they just need to let it free. If you are struggling to remember why you are great, pick up this book. Read a page or two a day and do that until you finish. It’s divided up in a way that makes it easy to read just a little bit at a time, while still maintaining its more and effectiveness.
Personal Impact
I personally found this book to be a “hoorah” type of motivational book. That material doesn’t resonate with usually because it doesn’t stick with me. I usually forget what I saw, read, or heard almost immediately because it’s just for a quick high. In my opinion this book was a lot of that, with some bits and pieces of true knowledge thrown in there. It was an enjoyable read because everyone loves motivation, but it didn’t leave the biggest impression on my life compared to other self-help books I’ve read.
That being said, I found value in reading this book. Most of what this book does well is remind us of what really matters in life. We all mainly know this stuff internally, but things usually hit us harder when it comes from someone else. When I read this book, I didn’t feel like I was learning game-changing information, but I felt comfort and familiarity because I knew deep down what I should be doing. It was a good remind of the little things such as being grateful, finding time for yourself, and forgive others, etc. While the material is common, I really did enjoy her stories that illustrated the values and they were memorable.
Actionable Goal
I am going to make sure I dedicate more intentional time for meditating. Not necessarily what we think of when we think of meditation, but at least 15 minutes a day where I can be alone with just my thoughts and really focus on being present in the moment. When I have in the past it has been very helpful to me, but I haven’t ever made it a consistent habit and I want to change that. So I am making that a part of my Power Hour.
Verdict
There are moments in your life when you just need motivation. Sometimes through a book, a video, music, or a speech. This book is a great motivational book. I recommend that everyone has a copy to read for that purpose. The problem is that motivation is very fleeting. Very rarely do people who make significant changes in their lives do so because of motivation. Sure, motivation can get them to the starting point, but all the work is still left to be done. This book is a good read and a good pick-me-up, but I wouldn’t expect it to change your life alone. If you combined this book with other books that are more substantial, however, there is benefit. If you only read one book each year, I wouldn’t put this at the top of the list. But if you read many books and are passionate about learning from many people I would recommend this book to you. It’s a great supplementary book but it shouldn’t be the textbook. I give it a 7/10.
Top 8 Quotes
“If you’re serious about changing your life, you’ll find a way. If you’re not, you’ll find an excuse.”
“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.”
“Never apologize for who you are. It lets the whole world down.”
“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”
“Nobody who ever accomplished anything big or new or worth raising a celebratory fist in the air did it from their comfort zone.”
“The only failure is quitting. The rest is just gathering information.”
“What other people think of you has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.”
“In order to kick ass, you must first lift up your foot.”
Read this book? Have any questions or thoughts? Leave a comment below!
Kyle Bringhurst is a student, entrepreneur, and avid reader who aspires to help as many people as he can. You can read more about him on the About page.
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