9 min read ⌚ 

How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life

Let us tell you few things you’ve probably forgotten altogether while fighting with anxieties and doubts on a daily basis: you are great!

You are the pinnacle of evolution! You are what makes the world for at least few people – yourself, not the least – a better place!

Or, as Jen Sincero would say, “You Are a Badass”!

Who Should Read “You Are a Badass”? And Why?

When your day is long, and the night is yours alone, when you’re sure you’ve had enough of this life – read “You Are a Badass.” Sure, you can blame us for misusing the most touching REM song, but – hang on. (There, we did it again!)

“You Are a Badass” is a book for people who listen to such songs and cry over them. It is a book for those who need some motivation and want to deal with self-doubt and lack of confidence. Finally, it is a book for everyone who has forgotten that the most important person in their lives is the one they see in their mirrors.

About Jen Sincero

Jen Sincero is a motivational trainer and a “New York Times” bestselling author. Published in 2013, “You Are a Badass” was her debut book. Its “sass and down-to-earth humor” quickly made her a superstar in the world of self-help authors.

She followed it with a companion volume, “You Are a Badass at Making Money.”

“You Are a Badass PDF Summary”

When we included Jen Sincero’s “You Are a Badass” among our top 15 motivational books in history, we wrote the following:

“Hilarious and inspiring, ‘You Are a Badass’ is a 250-page tour-de-force of inspiration, shared out in 5 parts and 27 chapters. Through quite a few inspiring stories, wise pieces of advice, and simple exercises, Sincero goes on a mission to teach you ‘how you got this way,’ ‘how to embrace your inner badass,’ ‘how to tap into the motherlode,’ and ‘how to get over your b.s. already.’”

Now that we’re summarizing the book, it’s our duty to show you why we were so unsparing in our compliments and praises.

Much of “You Are a Badass” is based on a fairly simple premise: you are not selfish enough. It’s time you stopped living for others (parents, children, loved ones) and start living for yourself.

And the best place to start: your mind.

You see, what you think about yourself is probably a lie, a product of your culturescape, a set of rules. For example, if your parents were fighting a lot, it’s fairly likely that you’ll be afraid of intimacy. If someone told you once that you aren’t good at something, you’ll probably take this to your heart and start believing it’s true.

Well, it’s not!

And if these negative thoughts keep you in a permanent state of sleep and dreaming, it’s time to wake up and start doing something! Enough with the Big Snooze button.

Yes – Big Snooze is Jen’s way of saying that you’re a slave of your ego and that you need to awaken as fast as possible! And by you – she means the “superhero self” of you – namely, the positive, joyful, shadow-chilling, life-affirming, love-loving you!

You don’t know that guy, you say?

Of course, you don’t: you’ve spent a whole life trying to suppress and hide it! So that you don’t upset the nagging business partners of your parents, your neighbor’s sleep regimen, or even the delicate daily habits of the ants doing their things three blocks away from you!

And how did you manage to do that?

Why, of course – by piling up layers and layers of restraining blankets over your superhero self, by pressing the Big Snooze button over and over again each time it tried to wake up!

It’s time you do yourself a favor and stop this!

So, wake that superhero self of yours already and hop on the joyride!

First step: embrace yourself. There’s nothing shameful in saying to yourself that you are beautiful and clever and that you are awesome. Because it’s true – and you need to constantly remind your subconsciousness that it is!

Just look at it this way: you are here. That means that all of your ancestors – thousands and thousands of them – were strong enough to survive and beautiful enough to find a partner and be loved. Your very existence is a testament to the fact that you are the exception: most people didn’t make this far through evolution.

You did.

However, with that being said, may this be the last comparison you’ll ever make. Because step number two is: stop comparing yourself to anyone.

The Dalai Lama says that when we are comparing ourselves, we tend to always compare ourselves to the more fortunate ones.

But, what if Michael Jordan had tried comparing himself to Wilt Chamberlain? Even he would have been sad for not averaging 50 points and 20 rebounds a game, maybe even falling in a state of depression over his height. And we – well, we wouldn’t have been privileged to watch the athleticism and acrobatics of one of the greatest basketball players in history.

Let’s try an even better one: what if the Beatles compared themselves to Brahms? Or Bach? Beethoven? Or any other great classical musician? (Hell, his name doesn’t even have to start with a B.) You’ve guessed it right: if they ever did such a thing, they would have given up music altogether. And you wouldn’t have been able to cry over “Let It Be” and “Yesterday” today.

Moving on to step number three – use the law of attraction to your benefit. We can quote Sincero and say “tap into the boundless Source Energy,” but maybe a simpler way to say the same would be: meditate.

If you don’t know how – here’s a manual for absolute beginners. And many more books we’ve written about over the years.

Hey, while we’re here: why do you fear so much of being a novice?

That’s one of the greatest things in life! Approaching everything as a life-long learner is much better than passionless professionalism. So, do it!

And be grateful that you can do it! Expressing gratitude is one of those things we forget to do – even though there are so many things we should be grateful for.

Forgiveness is even more neglected than gratitude. And you should practice it on a daily basis. First by forgiving yourself; and then, by forgiving others.

However, be spare with forgiveness when that includes things such as procrastination and delay. Because, as Sincero says, when you’re serious about something, you’ll find a way; you’ll think of an excuse when you’re not!

Key Lessons from “You Are a Badass”

1.      This Is How You Got This Way
2.      Embrace Your Inner Badass – and Tap into the Motherload
3.      Get Over Your B.S. Already and Start Kicking Some Ass

This Is How You Got This Way

Wondering why you are the way you are?

Well, the simple story is: you are sleeping and your subconscious is forcing you into doing some things you don’t want to. Because the Real You is, in fact, your Superhero Self; and the You Everybody Knows is a Big Snooze button which stops your superhero self from waking up.

If the superhero self was a child, the Big Snooze button (your ego) would have been his helicopter parent. They think they care, but, basically, they protected their children from life – instead of preparing them for it. Children always find a way to escape.

So, you – the Real You – can do it too. Just borrow a trick or two from any teenager’s book. First of all, believe that you are awesome; secondly, have faith in yourself; thirdly, set your mind on something you love and start moving – nay running! – towards it; and finally, don’t you dare to stop at no point during the race – no matter what anybody does or says.

Or, to quote Sincero: “You are responsible for what you say and do. You are not responsible for whether or not people freak out about it.”

Embrace Your Inner Badass – and Tap into the Motherload

Embracing your inner badass starts with giving yourself a warm and loving embrace.

First of all, you need to be more appreciative of your qualities – because others will not if you don’t show them how. You need to drown yourself in affirmations and do mostly (if not only) those things you love. Stop comparing yourself to others – because you’ll probably end up comparing to the very few more fortunate ones.

Forgive yourself just as you would forgive others. And self-deprecating humor which makes you feel bad – is not humorous at all. So stop practicing it.

And also, don’t forget to tap into the motherload!

That’s the source of all good energy out there. And you can vibrate at the same frequency quite easily. Start by meditating on a daily basis. Then, start thinking positively, and experience the power of the law of attraction. The Universe works to make you happy – you just need to tell it, in no uncertain terms, your most profound wishes.

And afterward, express your gratitude. Because feeling grateful is one of the most beautiful feelings you’ll ever feel. And there are many things you should be grateful for!

Get Over Your B.S. Already and Start Kicking Some Ass

”Most of the time,” writes Sincero, “it’s not lack of experience that’s holding us back, but rather the lack of determination to do what we need to do to be successful. We put so much energy into coming up with excuses why we can’t be, do, or have the things we want, and designing the perfect distractions to keep us from our dreams—imagine how far we’d get if we just shut up and used all that energy to go for it instead?”

In other words, procrastination isn’t something real – it’s just an excuse to face reality. You can beat it – and you can do that quite easily! You just need to have a goal and a purpose. So stop all that self-sabotage and do away selfishly with everything which doesn’t work for you on your road to greatness.

Yes – even friends! (Because friends who stop you from becoming great are not your friends at all!)

And one more thing: fear is for suckers! Motivation is for the rest of us. Motivation to do some ass-kicking!

”All it takes to turn the fear factor around is learning to be comfortable in, instead of terrified of, the unknown,” says Sincero. “And this is done through faith. On the other side of your fear is your freedom.”

Like this summary? We’d like to invite you to download our free 12 min app, for more amazing summaries and audiobooks.

“You Are a Badass” Quotes

Our Critical Review

In terms of originality,”You Are a Badass” is not really something we can speak highly of. Most of the advice you’ll read here is either common sense or things you’ve already read in other books.

However, in terms of style, “You Are a Badass” is a badass book. Funny and entertaining, jaunty and disrespectful, the book is such a joy that, by the end of it, you’ll be so full of positive energy that you’ll embrace not only yourself, but those around you as well.

However, don’t forget that this is merely the first step. You have a long way to go. Though – and this may be its best feature – “You Are a Badass” certainly makes it look shorter!

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.