You Are A Badass

"In order to kick ass you must first lift up your foot."

Jen Sincero

You Are a Badass

Books from the self help section, are generally not my cup of tea. Not only have I never read one, but I had no desire too. The only experience I had ever had with self help books was the on-again off-again trials from Dr. Phil and Oprah, the plastic smile and perfectly poofed hair of Joel Olsteen. It either felt to hippie dippy for me, denying the realities of the world to justify a more livable fantasy, or too much of evangelism: "sow your seeds so you may reap the harvest."So when I found that a self-help book was a requirement of the Read Harder Challenge I was less than enthused.

I heard Jen Sincero speak at the book store I work at in 2013. It was the first author event that I had worked, and I was unsure of the proceedings (I would later learn that all authors did it differently, and that if I were ever an author giving a presentation I should not read any passages longer than a page from my book). Jen was extremely kind and charismatic. In her talk she told stories of how she learned some of the lessons that she talks about in her book. I had never laughed harder. She was a hoot. And the way she talked was so different from the way I had come to expect self-help books to be. She wasn't condescending or preachy, she wasn't super spiritual or religious. She talked about things in a no-nonsense, get shit done kind of way; it was extremely refreshing.

When I finally picked up her book, You Are a Badass, it read just the same. Funny, quirky, with good advice on how to get your life together. It was a really good, extremely inspiring book. Jen writes just like she talks, her book is full of funny stories and anecdotes, and she breaks it down in to very understandable practical steps showing you, not that you could be a badass but that you are one, and that you should let your freak flag fly.

This book was very funny and charming and I highly recommend it to everyone, whether or not "self-help" is your thing. It is hilarious.