You Are a Badass
Jen Sincero
Contributed by Micheal Celestin
Context

Overview

The idea that Sincero is an inspirational guru is not in doubt, not by any stretch of the imagination. Sincero has emerged as one of the most sought-after and bestselling writers in the United States of America. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life cuts through the self-help genre with a trailblazing experience and exercise laden approach that sets out to help individuals put their lives back on track. At a time when people all across the world are faced with a myriad of challenges that make them feel hopeless and beaten beyond recovery, Sincero offers an interesting, yet realistic path that may lead individuals back to the path of personal discovery and progress. The stories that Sincero presents are as inspiring as they are also life changing. One of the factors that makes this work compelling is that Sincero was once a skeptic, but she found a way of changing her mentality and started believing in her potential. While many people may see opportunities as being limited, Sincero says that there are boundless opportunities for everyone. Sincero has given "even the snarkiest of poo-pooers exactly what they need to get out of their ruts and start kicking some ass." Self-doubt is the enemy of progress although many people do not recognize it. It is practically impossible for people to develop in whatever they are doing, whilst they do not appreciate their potential and take active steps that would improve their lives. Most importantly, Sincero devotes a significant portion of the book to discussing the power of the mind. The beginning of success in life begins with the transformation of the mind. Any person who can overcome self-doubt or a product of self-doubt is capable of going places. Sincero says, "If you want to live a life you’ve never lived, you have to do things you’ve never done.”

Context

It is often the case that when people fail to succeed with their goals in life they are tempted to blame other parties or forces. In many cases, individuals fail to appreciate that their failures may be of their own making. However, many self-help motivational speakers and writers usually indicate that an individual's success or failure depends primarily on themselves. In a world that is faced with a myriad of social, economic and cultural challenges, it is not surprising that a lot of individuals find other parties to blame for their predicament. However, these people fail to realize that they themselves hold the key to the successes or failures in their lives.

Throughout the years, researchers and psychologists have sought to demonstrate that attitude plays an important role in determining the extent to which people fail or succeed in their endeavors. The mind is a powerful tool in life. A positive mind will lead to positive steps while a negative mind equally leads to negative steps. It is impossible for a negative mind to yield positive results. The greatest enemies that people have are themselves. The problems that most people face are self-inflicted and are reflections of the approach that they take to life. The people who want to achieve are those that go out of their way and do things that are out of the ordinary. The changing of the mind is an essential ingredient in the process. Sincero records that, "Deciding means jumping in all the way, doing whatever it takes, and going after your dreams with the tenacity of a dateless cheerleader a week before prom night." However, the problem is that most people fail to make decisions that are in their best interest, since out of fear, they drop their standards, and that prevents an opportunity to achieve their goals.

There are many beliefs that deny people an opportunity to attain their dreams. For a long time, society has divided roles between men and women. To this extent, there is a perception that there are things that only men can do. For example, in schools, there is a perception that scientific subjects are too hard to be done by women, and as a result are left to men. Factually, there is no scientific investigation that has reliably established that girls are not capable of performing as well as boys in scientific fields. The argument that women are less capable than men in these subjects is a complete creation and that perception has significantly influenced the thought of many women in society. These retrogressive beliefs and thoughts have held many people back and prevented them from achieving their desires. Success requires that some of these outdated beliefs must be abandoned. As Sincero puts it, success requires that "You’ll have to believe in things you can’t see as well as some things that you have full-on proof are impossible. You’re gonna have to push past your fears, fail over and over again and make a habit of doing things you're not so comfy doing. You're going to have to let go of old, limiting beliefs and cling to your decision to create the life you desire as your life depends on it." The belief and standards of other people may be a hindrance in the event they get attention. It is incredibly important for people seeking success to make sure that they abandon some of the old and restrictive ideas. Holding onto them is capable of leading to negative effects.

Many people do not understand where to place their focus on the world. Sincero presents the idea that both success and feeling positive begin when people start to focus their lives and energy on the things that make them happy. There are many cases where individuals seek to act in ways that please other people, whilst they remain feeling empty. The primary concern of any person should be to act in a way that promotes personal happiness. It is not wise for an individual to seek to make other people happy but first enjoy a sense of personal fulfillment. It may look selfish, or even immoral, but the greatest source of joy for any person is the fact that they are able to obtain maximum satisfaction from whatever they are doing. It is these things that make individuals happy and having that feeling of self-accomplishment needs to be pursued.

During the trials and tribulations of everyday life, many people go through psychological problems such as anxiety and stress which have tremendous effects on their focus on life. Sincero says that stress makes people focus on the past, while anxiety makes people focus on the things to come. In the end, people who are stressed and anxious fail to take note of the opportunities that are available to them. As Sincero puts it, the present time provides a wide range of opportunities that people can exploit to achieve what they want.

People encounter many problems every day in their lives. They are carrying a lot of baggage that hinders personal happiness. Anger, jealousy, hatred and the desire to continually receive but not to give, are some of the types of baggage that people are carrying. Giving this baggage away is central to the achievement of personal happiness. For example, it is impossible for a person who always hates, to live positively and be happy. Thus, there are certain thoughts and behaviors that humans must let go in order to be happy. Finally, showing gratitude, especially to God is essential in the life of any person. Gratitude makes sure that there is a continuous supply of favors.

The mind is deceitful and has been the source of failure among many people. Sincero says that there is a need to change the condition of the mind since it is a significant contributor to many people’s predicaments. Once the mind has perceived any situation as difficult, the problem of procrastination will arrive. Procrastination is the thief of time and an enemy of progress. While opportunities are always defined with the time they arrive, procrastination makes sure that people fail to utilize opportunities when they are still available. However difficult a situation may look, it is incredibly important for people to try and find the extent to which their efforts may succeed. It is only through trying that people can figure out whether a task is difficult, impossible or achievable!

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