This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "You Are A Badass" by Jen Sincero. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Do you invest time and money in self-help seminars, books, or coaches but don’t see the results you expect? Did you know that the key to implementing any self-improvement changes is to be uncomfortable?
What separates the successful from the unsuccessful is the willingness to be uncomfortable. Successful people make it a habit to leave their comfort zone, moving through each new challenge instead of settling.
Keep reading for tips on how to make big changes in your life and to learn how to be uncomfortable and upgrade your life.
Take Action and Be Uncomfortable
Lots of people really want to change. They invest time and money into it, signing up for courses or reading self-help books, but they never do anything with it all. Ultimately, they don’t want to be uncomfortable and leave their comfort zone to actually make anything happen.
What separates the successful from the unsuccessful is the willingness to be uncomfortable. They keep pushing through new challenges, not sliding back into their comfort zone once they’ve conquered one challenge. Successful people make it a habit to be uncomfortable, moving through each new challenge instead of settling.
Succeeding is like a muscle; you have to exercise it to keep it strong. If you overcome a challenge but then sit back and wait for good things to happen, you lose your muscle mass.
Instead, when you keep moving, pushing through obstacles, you’ll continue to grow and learn, breaking through to more and more levels — and new levels bring new challenges.
Facing and moving through obstacles and challenges bring growth. It’s like birth — messy and painful, but ultimately bringing forth the miracle of new life.
Making Big Changes in Your Life
However you want to upgrade your life, it’s available to you right now; you have to decide to make it happen and let The Universe work for you. Here are some concrete tools to utilize.
Lose Your Bad Habits. Habits are all the things we do without thinking that help define who we are. If you’re in the habit of getting up early and working out, you’re in shape. If you’re in the habit of never doing what you say, you’re unreliable.
Take a look at areas of your life where you’re lacking. What bad habits keep you stuck? Trade those habits for the kinds of habits successful people possess, such as good time-management habits, decision-making habits, good thought habits, good health habits, good work habits, and good relationship habits. Allow yourself to be uncomfortable and make changes to your routine.
How do you form a good, new habit? Make it a non-negotiable part of your everyday activities. For accountability, turn to a coach, mentor or friend.
Breathe. It’s not good enough to be connected to Source Energy only when meditating; you want to carry the high-frequency good energy with you all day. You can do this through breathing. In stressful situations — getting yelled at at work, stuck in traffic — take a moment to breathe deeply. This helps you become present in the moment and connect with Source Energy. Making this breathing exercise a habit will help create positive changes, bringing you calm and helping you carry Source Energy with you all day.
Surround yourself with positive, successful people. Who you surround yourself with affects how you see the world and how high you set the bar for yourself. If you hang out with tired, broke, negative whiners, you’ll be pulled down. But if you hang out with people who live with purpose, successfully meeting challenges, you’ll have more incentive to follow suit.
Set honest goals. Discipline is a muscle that you have to build at your own pace or you set yourself up for failure. Set honest goals just outside your comfort zone and build from there. For example, if you rarely get off the couch, don’t vow to run 10 miles a day. Rather, start with half a mile a day.
Read your manifesto — a lot. Write down your vision of an ideal life. Write in the present tense and be as specific as possible. Where do you live? Who do you live with? What are you wearing? How much money do you make? How do you give back to the world? Be specific and make it awesome. Read this manifesto before you go to bed and when you wake up. The more you focus on who you’re becoming, the faster you’ll get there.
Get help. Getting a coach or mentor can help you make faster changes in your life. Think about professional athletes. They continue to get coaching to stay at peak performance level and keep growing. They don’t decide they’re good enough as is and become complacent.
Get physical. Using your body, along with your mind and soul, gives you more power to create your ideal life. When you’re in shape and have tons of energy, you can better overcome challenges and reach your goals. If you’re in a bad mood, stand up tall and straight and your mood will lift. Get the blood flowing; eat nourishing food and breathe deeply. The author suggests even pounding your chest and pumping your fists in the air as you repeat your affirmations. Yell, “I am powerful! I am confident!”
Figure out what makes you feel great. Surround yourself with the things that make you feel awesome, whether it’s a song playlist, clothes you feel great in, or pictures of people who think you’re fantastic. Do what it takes to keep your energy high and stay in the Zone.
Believe It’s Possible
Whatever you desire to do with your life, be it start a business, lose weight, build an orphanage or direct movies — believe it’s possible, available to you, and that you deserve it — no matter what anyone else thinks or believes is possible.
Give yourself the permission and the means (i.e., money) to do it. You’re here to shine and light up the world around you, and doing the things that bring you joy light you up.
Know that you’re powerful, loved and surrounded by miracles. Love yourself — you are a badass!
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Jen Sincero's "You Are A Badass" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full You Are A Badass summary :
- How to go from wanting to change your life to deciding to do it
- How to stop your self-sabotaging thoughts
- How to tap into Source Energy for mental and spiritual strength
