Finding the key to making self-help books work for you.
I was never a huge fan of self-help books. I found them to be too general and cringe, so I never found myself more than two chapters in. About six months ago, I was extremely unmotivated, stressed, and felt like I did not know where I was going with my life. It felt like I tried everything to get back to feeling like myself, but nothing was working. When all roads lead to nothing, I decided to go to Barnes and Noble’s pick out the first book that caught my eye which happened to be Badass Habits by New York Times besting author, Jen Sincero. The first thing that grabbed my attention was the subtitle, “cultivate the awareness, boundaries, and daily upgrades you need to make them stick.” I realized that was why nothing was working. I tried all these methods to get better, but I never actually stuck with any of them so I got to reading and never looked back. Now, six months later, I am obsessed with Jen Sincero’s work and can’t help but recommend her to everyone I know that might need an extra push.
As a college student, I am always looking for a way to evolve. Not only do Sincero’s books give you tips on what to do when you’re trying to upgrade your mind or body, but specifically, Badass Habits, has a 21- day guide to achieve any specific goal one might have. After reading, you are sure to have a new and improved mindset.
The book starts off by explaining how habits are formed. Sincero explains how we can use that knowledge to change the negative habits we created into positive habits that will maintain a healthy lifestyle. She tells the reader to grab a notebook and write down everything they are learning and apply information to their life. For me specifically, I was looking to get back into the gym regularly. I am a so-called “retired athlete,” and since I started college, I have not able to get myself back out there. The book emphasized the importance of setting healthy boundaries with the things or people you allow access to in your life. This played a big part into my improvement as I instantly wrote down which parts of my environment, I should take space from. In doing this, I set myself up for success.
After learning how I got to this place, I dove into the section about excuses. Personally, this was my favorite part. It gave me the kick I needed. Sincero goes into talking about how you cannot give yourself any excuses, as these are what keeps you stuck in the same mindset you are trying to get out of. For example, I wanted to start going to the gym before class but the morning I wanted to start, my AirPods were not charged so I convinced myself I could not workout without them and I stayed in bed. I knew what I was doing because like Sincero said, I know myself. I know the list of excuses I make every day that will hold me back from achieving my goals. In this section of the book, Sincero gives a great tip on what to do to keep you from setting these excuses. To fix this, you can set everything up that you need the night before so all you have to do is get up, get ready, and go. In doing this, you will wake up without those overwhelming tasks you usually deal with when you are half asleep.
Following the section of excuses, Sincero gives the 21-day guide that varies in tips from setting mantras, doing specific actions, or very simple reminders about letting go of your old ways. While relating all these tips back to my life, I noticed that towards the end of the book, these habits I was enforcing started to become natural to me. It was extremely interesting to me to see what my mind could do when I enforced these simple things into my life.
After I finished Badass Habits, I looked back at my notes and realized how much this book helped me change for the better. Not only was this great for creating a new and improved me but it is also a book I can go back to anytime I want to make a new improvement.
Overall, Badass Habits is a great book that will challenge you to create a better life without giving you corny cliches and open-ended questions. If you are looking for a book that will give you the extra push you need along with a plethora of helpful tips and tricks, give Badass Habits a try and become the new and improved you.