You Are a Badass

I’ve been thinking a bit lately about my opinion regarding self-help books. How do they factor into The IWOM Book Club? Or do they at all?

Certainly, one is never the worse for doing some self-analysis and broadening their own horizons. But does International Woman of Mystery. do self-help? Or does she help herself? I debated these ideas heavily the other day, while doing some soul-searching in a downtown book shop. I had come prepared to choose something off of my required reading list, but when I got to the book store, they were out of most of my picks. I then proceeded to wander a bit aimlessly. For hours.

Call it a fugue state, but when I got to the self-help section, I began to peruse some of the titles. It was then that a book called to me. Front and center with some other bestsellers was Jen Sincero’s “You Are A Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living Your Awesome Life.” Surely this wasn’t really self-help. So maybe it was okay to buy? (I rationalized.)

I grabbed it immediately. Paid for it discreetly before going home and tearing it open. I wanted so badly to know, what it had to say. And I’m sure it’s no secret, I very much wish to be told I am a Badass.

Luckily, Sincero’s book, is pretty good about delivering that. Although it verges on self-help often, “You Are a Badass” reads more like sensible friend-to-friend advice. The authoress divulges her own struggles and triumphs, and how she overcame various challenges. She offers up mostly relatable anecdotes to demonstrate her point and frequently reminds us: “Love yourself.” Admittedly, the International Woman of Mystery is a bit of a cynic. There were still a few moments that had my eyes rolling.

Even still, I found it an enlightening and entertaining read. The book is as full of humor as it is deep advice. The book also reads quick. (Perfect for a woman on the run.) And the more I read, the more Sincero’s ideas started to make sense. She advocates heavily for changing your own life, by making better decisions and letting go of self-limiting beliefs. Playing bigger, dreaming bigger and going after what you really want. With chapter titles such as, “Your Brain is Your Bitch” and “Fear Is For Suckers”, one can’t help but be inspired by the moxie in this book.

If anything, this book was so jam-packed with compelling material, that I believe I will have to revisit it later. In the meantime, I intend to bring some of that moxie out of the book and into my own life.

Ciao,
Jenny G.