You Are a Badass
How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
A funny pep talk for rewiring doubt and backing yourself fully
- 28 min read
- ~31 min listen
- 11 chapters
- 11 chaptersBite-sized, one key idea at a time
- Read or listenSwitch any time and Fenzo keeps your place
- Your depthQuick, standard or in-depth versions of one book
- Take notes as you readNote any paragraph, find it later in Notes
Chapters
11 sections on the book’s key ideas.
About this book
Your doubts are not the whole truth, and the voice that keeps shrinking you is louder than it is wise. The book pushes you to spot the beliefs running your life and start changing them on purpose.
What you'll learn
- Spot the limiting beliefs you absorbed from others and replace them instead of accepting them as facts.
- Use meditation, gratitude, forgiveness, and visualization to shift your focus from fear to what you want.
- Beat procrastination and perfectionism by committing fully, starting small, and following through on your goals.
A taste of chapter 1
Chapter 1
Most advice assumes your problem is willpower. Try harder, use better tactics, stay disciplined, and your life changes. Sincero opens somewhere else. She argues that you can work hard and still keep getting the same results because something older and quieter is steering you. Your autopilot is the set of subconscious beliefs you carry about who you are, what is possible, and what you deserve. They shape what you attempt, what you avoid, and what you call realistic before you even feel like you are making a choice.
Here is the basic picture she is pointing at.
A belief starts as a subjective idea you absorb from your environment. Family, culture, school, religion, friends, and authority figures hand you explanations about money, love, work, safety, and worth.
Ideas worth remembering
The book’s biggest ideas, one line each, in Fenzo’s words.
- Fenzo takeaway
Many limits come from borrowed beliefs, not fixed reality.
- Fenzo takeaway
Confidence grows when you stop treating fear like a reliable guide.
- Fenzo takeaway
Small actions matter more than waiting to feel ready.
- Fenzo takeaway
Gratitude and forgiveness can loosen the grip of old resentment.
- Fenzo takeaway
Your life changes faster when you commit before you feel perfect.
Themes
- Self-sabotage
- Belief change
- Mindset
- Law of attraction
- Personal agency
About the author
Jen Sincero
Writer · speaker · success coach
Jen Sincero is an American writer, speaker, and success coach known for self-help books built from humor, blunt advice, and personal experience. Her earlier books include Don’t Sleep With Your Drummer and The Straight Girl’s Guide to Sleeping With Chicks. You Are a Badass was published in 2013 and helped establish her as a prominent self-help author.
More by Jen Sincero
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Summaries readers of this book open next
Frequently asked questions
How long does the summary of You Are a Badass take?
About 28 minutes to read, across 11 short chapters. You can also listen to the whole summary of You Are a Badass, or switch to a quicker or deeper version.
Who wrote You Are a Badass?
You Are a Badass was written by Jen Sincero and first published in 2013.
What is You Are a Badass about?
Your doubts are not the whole truth, and the voice that keeps shrinking you is louder than it is wise. The book pushes you to spot the beliefs running your life and start changing them on purpose.
What will I learn from You Are a Badass?
Spot the limiting beliefs you absorbed from others and replace them instead of accepting them as facts. Use meditation, gratitude, forgiveness, and visualization to shift your focus from fear to what you want. Beat procrastination and perfectionism by committing fully, starting small, and following through on your goals.
Can I listen to the summary of You Are a Badass?
Yes. Every chapter of the summary of You Are a Badass is narrated, about 31 minutes of listening, and Fenzo keeps your place when you switch between reading and listening.
Is there a shorter version of You Are a Badass?
Yes. Every Fenzo book summary comes as a quick read, a standard summary and an in-depth version. Switch between them from the depth control at the top of this page.
What should I read after You Are a Badass?
Readers of this book often go on to How to Win Friends and Influence People, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are, The 48 Laws of Power.
Ready when you are
Chapter 1 takes about 3 minutes. Read it, or listen on the go.