I have now read every Jen Sincero book that exists. I started with the OG, You Are A Badass, and have thoroughly enjoyed all of the others. When I saw she was coming out with one all around habits, I knew I just had to have it. The full title of her latest is Badass Habits: Cultivate the Awareness, Boundaries, and Daily Upgrades You Need to Make Them Stick. Seemed right up my alley!

Badass Books

• You Are A Badass – Great starter book to give you a bit of a booty kick in order to make you believe that you can do anything.
• You Are A Badass at Making Money – This one was only okay. I wish there was some more practical advice, rather than “Just manifest yourself making money and it will happen.”
• You Are A Badass Every Day – This was more of a series of quotes and pick-me-ups. Still great, but not the same as her others.
• Badass Habits – Read on, friend.

The Book

New York Times bestselling author Jen Sincero gets to the core of transformation: habits–breaking, making, understanding, and sticking with them like you’ve never stuck before.

Badass Habits is a eureka-sparking, easy-to-digest look at how our habits make us who we are, from the measly moments that happen in private to the resolutions we loudly broadcast (and, erm, often don’t keep) on social media. Habit busting and building goes way beyond becoming a dedicated flosser or never showing up late again–our habits reveal our unmet desires, the gaps in our boundaries, our level of self-awareness, and our unconscious beliefs and fears. Badass Habits features Jen’s trademark hilarious voice and offers a much-needed fresh take on the conventional wisdom and science that shape the optimism (or pessimism?) around the age-old topic of habits. The book includes enlightening interviews with people who’ve successfully strengthened their discipline backbones, new perspective on how to train our brains to become our best selves, and offers a simple, 21 day, step-by-step guide for ditching habits that don’t serve us and developing the habits we deem most important. Habits shouldn’t be impossible to reset–and with healthy boundaries, knowledge of–and permission to go after–our desires, and an easy to implement plan of action, we can make any new goal a joyful habit.

My Thoughts

Don’t get me wrong: I used a ton of Post-It flags to mark various quotes and passages in Badass Habits. However, it wasn’t quite the same pick-me-up/booty kicking that made me fall in love with her after You Are a Badass.

The second half of the book (give or take) was a 21-day guide for implementing habits. I will not lie: I did not do the exercise or spend 21 days reading this book. Workshops or hands-on activities tend to fall flat to me, which is likely why I did not appreciate this book as much as some of her others (and other non-fiction in general). I read non-fiction to learn, not to do more work and have homework and things.

However, in the end, there was a lot of helpful information. I think I found the best passages to be those around forgiveness if you fall “off the wagon” of this new goal you’re trying to implement. I have also found myself implementing some of the self-talk, working my way out of certain patterns of thinking. It’s good to give yourself some grace, but not too much.

Favorite Quotes

In every moment, you have the profound ability to make choices that will completely change your habits and your reality, either right away or over time.

Badass Habits, Page 7

You are responsible to other people. You are not responsible for other people.

Badass Habits, Page 46

Here’s where we get confused when it comes to boundaries: we want to be nice, to bring joy to others, to be good, helpful, agreeable, compassionate, popular people – and we think that compromising our boundaries is the best way to meet the most needs. We perceive boundaries to be bad, mean, unbending barriers that keep others out. We fear that setting a boundary means we’re cutting ourselves off from others, delivering an ultimatum, putting up a wall, being demanding, controlling, rigid, and, worst of all, selfish. Meanwhile, clearly defining who you are and what you’re available for isn’t selfish but rather it’s self-ish.

Badass Habits, Page 59

Remember that your desires were given to you because they’re meant for you. Remember that you were given the means to make manifest these desires by believing in the not yet seen, by focusing your thoughts and words on the hollerings of your heart instead of on your fears, by surrounding yourself with extraordinary people, by consciously shifting your habits to align with who you’re becoming, and by repeatedly taking action that makes you groan a bit.

Badass Habits, Page 180

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