Jen Sincero wrote You Are a Baddass and then followed it up wtih You Are a Badass at Making Money. For this review, I’ll tell you my thoughts on both of the books.
First off, they are a bit sassy, but I love that.
It makes Jen come across as very sincere in her belief that no matter how much you screw up, no matter how many mistakes you make, you can still be a successful, happy person.
How Do You Ignite Your Life?
If you want to live the life of your dreams you have to do things you’ve never done.
It seems simple, and yet completely difficult. So Jen explains that first, it’s a decision, and then it becomes a process where every day you’re doing things that build up your life to where you want to be.
You have to believe in your mind first that it’s yours. Then you continue to build up your mindset that you deserve it. And you have to get rid of the idea that you have to know HOW you’re going to get there.
Beware Your Brain
Your ego is the part of your brain that holds you back. It thinks it’s helping protect you by only letting you do things that you’ve done before. Jen decided to rename it the Big Snooze or BS for short.
I had to laugh when she mentioned that the BS will do everything in its power to keep you from going to the next level of success because I have definitely experienced this. And I suspect you have as well.
Have you ever noticed that when you make a decision to do something that will massively improve your life, crazy things start to happen around you? It’s like the Universe has decided to really test your resolve.
It Happens to Everyone
I have a friend who started a contract at a company she’d been wanting to work at for years. Just before she started, her father-in-law took a turn for the worst and her husband had to leave for a few weeks to help him pass.
Her father and step-mom were out of town.
And she had no one to watch her daughter when she’d be at work.
Thankfully, her cousin flew down from Seattle and was able to babysit, but there were two days where my friend was stressed out beyond belief and crying wondering why in the world these things keep happening!
A Detox Of Your Soul
It’s similar to when you decide to start eating better or to start exercising. Your body hurts. You may have headaches. Those are symptoms of your body detoxing.
When these crazy things happen around you after you’ve made a firm decision, it’s like a detox of your soul.
The BS is creating chaos in order to ensure that things stay the same. Everyone who has become a success has gone through this, so you’re in good company.
Remember, you created your current reality which has taken your whole life up to this point in making Life the way it is right now. So it’s going to take focused energy and effort to change your mindset. And that will allow your future self to live the life of your current dreams.
Don’t Use It As An Excuse
You could use any of these problems as an excuse. But if you stay focused and keep moving forward, you will suddenly see the progress you’ve been wanting.
As Jen says, growth isn’t for wienies but it’s not nearly as painful as living the life you’re living right now if you’re not REALLY going for it. Take control of your life. Stop at nothing. Have faith. Trust that your new life is already here. Because nothing is cooler then watching your reality shift into one that is the perfect expression of you.
Embrace Your Inner Badass
Part 2 is my favorite section where Jen shows you how to embrace your inner badass. Step one is to learn to love yourself for exactly who you are.
Be prepared to read this section a few times and
write your thoughts in your journal. You also may wish to
meditate on some of the questions to see if you can get some guidance from the Universe or your Higher Self.
I really appreciated the way Jen spends a lot of time on trusting your intuition in You Are A Badass. How often do we mentally berate ourselves for not going with our first inclination?
Well, it’s time to start owning our abilities and trusting our inner selves more.
Be A BadAss At Making Money
Some people felt that this book was a rehash of the first book. I disagree.
I think Jen went into more detail with some of the mindset concepts and then went more specifically into money beliefs.
We are never going to live our ideal life if we can’t get our subconscious on the same page. The problem is a lot of our mindset is set in stone by the time we’re about 7-8. We’ve seen our relatives react to money in positive and negative ways.
Then we come up with conclusions. This is even true of our relationships with other people and our beliefs in ourselves.
What Comes Out of Your Mouth Comes In to Your Life
What I loved about this book was how she hammered home the point that we need to be very careful about what we say.
If you keep saying “I’m bad with money,” or “I’m always the friend but never the girlfriend,” or “I’m really stupid about that” then your subconscious or the Universe will go “Ok, your wish is my command.”
Write down a lot of positive affirmations on yellow sticky notes. Post a few of the same ones around the house so you can see and repeat them with feeling.
You need to master your mindset. And you will see it once you believe it. (Thank you Wayne Dyer!)
As Jen said, you need to want your dreams more than you want your drama.
Jen’s Recommended Resources
Some others that I love are Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker, Practical Intuition by Laura Day, and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra.
Jen also recommends some websites that I can’t wait to check out. Leave a comment if you did and what you thought!
My Final Thoughts
My greatest takeaway was in Chapter 8 of the first book where Jen talks about the sheer joy of giving the perfect gift. You’re more excited than the recipient!
It’s like if you have kids or a partner and you can’t wait for them to open their birthday presents because you spent so much time thinking, planning, and picking out something you know they want.
Jen then connects this to living your Real Life. When you know who you are and you’re living authentically, you’re giving the gift of yourself to the world. And that’s a beautiful thing that adds love and richness to everyone who comes into contact with you.
I do recommend both books. They are a bit cheeky, as I’ve mentioned. However, they’re fun and accessible. I like how she puts things. I laugh, I cry. And I think about my own life in depth.
If you like audio books, I’d recommend getting them as Jen reads her own material. You can really pick up some subtle sarcasm or self-deprecating humor.
You can also find the book at your local bookstore.
