“If you’re serious about changing your life, you’ll find a way. If you’re not, you’ll find an excuse.”
Written in “pedestrian-speak,” as the author Jen Sincero puts it.
This is a very approachable self-development book, with a witty sense of humor and a very fun way of communicating ideas.
Nothing new outside of the self-development niche is necessarily revealed here. After all, this is not a scientific revelation on new ways to have a better life.
Instead, it simply covers the fundamentals from almost all other self-help books, with an added “law of attraction”-style emphasis on “energy” in the universe.
Not Quite Woo-Woo
But the book itself is not as “woo-woo” mystical energy as The Law of Attraction.
Instead, it simply references the energy in the universe in a tongue-in-cheek kind of way, to emphasize changing your state of mind.
Also, the prefacing stories for each chapter are quite fun to read.
Very entertaining, as if a self-help guru was also doing stand-up comedy.
Your Subconscious Is Running the Show
One of the biggest takeaways from the book is Sincero’s emphasis on the subconscious mind. She argues that most of us are walking around on autopilot — running programs that were installed in our brains when we were kids — and we don’t even realize it.
Your parents told you money was hard to come by. Your teachers told you to play it safe. Society told you to get a stable job and be grateful. And now you’re wondering why you can’t break through to the next level? Go figure.
Sincero’s point is simple: you FIRST have to become aware of these deep-rooted beliefs before you can change them. And that means paying attention to the stories you tell yourself on a daily basis. The ones that say “I’m not good enough” or “people like me don’t get to have that.”
I’ve experienced this firsthand. When I started building my first online business, I had this nagging voice in the back of my head saying it wouldn’t work — that real businesses don’t operate from a laptop in a coffee shop. It took a deliberate effort to override that programming. And Sincero nails this concept in a way that feels personal, not preachy.
Fear Is Just a Story
There’s a great section in the book about fear. Specifically, how fear is essentially just a story your brain tells you to keep you safe — safe from rejection, safe from failure, safe from looking like an idiot.
But here’s the thing — the stuff that ACTUALLY matters in life is on the other side of that fear. Starting a business. Moving to a new country. Having a difficult conversation. Putting your work out there for the world to judge.
Sincero frames it as a choice. You can either let fear run your life, or you can acknowledge it, say “thanks for the input,” and do the thing anyway. She doesn’t pretend fear goes away — she just argues that action is the antidote.
This is not revolutionary advice, but the WAY she delivers it makes you actually want to get off the couch and do something. That’s the power of good writing — it’s not always about new information, it’s about making old information hit differently.
Gratitude and the Energy Thing
Now, this is where the book gets a little divisive. Sincero leans into the idea that the universe responds to your “energy” — that if you put out positive vibrations, positive things come back to you. She talks about gratitude, meditation, and raising your frequency.
If you’re a purely rational, evidence-based thinker, this part might make you cringe a bit. I get it. I’m not exactly out here burning sage and chanting affirmations at sunrise.
BUT — and this is important — if you strip away the metaphysical language and look at what she’s actually saying, it’s solid psychology. Gratitude practices genuinely rewire your brain to notice opportunities instead of problems. Meditation trains your focus. Positive self-talk reduces anxiety and increases performance. The science backs this up, even if the “universe’s energy” framing doesn’t.
So I give Sincero credit here. She packages real psychological principles in language that resonates with people who would never pick up a neuroscience textbook. And honestly? That’s a skill.
Taking Action Over Overthinking
The second half of the book shifts hard into action mode. Sincero hammers the point that no amount of positive thinking will save you if you don’t actually DO something.
She talks about making decisions quickly, committing fully, and not waiting for the “perfect moment” — because it doesn’t exist. I’ve seen this pattern in almost every successful entrepreneur I’ve studied. The ones who win are the ones who move FAST, fail fast, adjust fast, and keep going while everyone else is still making vision boards.
Sincero also touches on money mindset — specifically the guilt and shame many people carry around earning money. She calls it out directly: if you think rich people are evil or that wanting money makes you shallow, you’re going to subconsciously sabotage every opportunity to make more of it. You have to get comfortable with wanting abundance before abundance will show up.
Final Verdict
Overall, You Are a Badass is a fun book to read, with some great coverage of self-help and development concepts.
Is it going to blow the mind of someone who’s already read 50 self-development books? Probably not. But that’s not what it’s designed to do. It’s designed to be the FIRST book someone reads when they’re ready to stop making excuses and start making changes. And for that purpose, it’s excellent.
Sincero’s humor keeps you engaged, her personal stories make the concepts relatable, and her directness cuts through the fluff that plagues most books in this genre. She doesn’t talk down to you — she talks to you like a friend who’s been through it and genuinely wants you to win.
If you’re new to self-development, start here. If you’re a veteran, it’s still a quick, entertaining read that might remind you of a few fundamentals you’ve been neglecting.
3.5/5 — solid, entertaining, and genuinely useful for anyone at the start of their personal growth journey.
Thanks for reading.
— Leonidas
