On a flight to Atlanta last year, I sat next to a young lady who read what I thought of as a rather provocative book entitled: "You are a Badass" by Jen Sincero. It peaked my curiosity; I googled the book and to my surprise I found that it contains a wholesome message very much in line with Christian values. So much so that I decided to base today's talk on excerpt from the book along with Scripture readings that support it's message.

Jen starts of with a self-affirming chapter:

1. You are awesome

"And while there are countless ways that we rip ourselves off, there's one way in particular that is, without a doubt, the most rampant and the most devastating of all: we invest everything we've got in believing that we're not good enough."

"You are loved. Massively. Ferociously. Unconditionally. The Universe is totally freaking out about how awesome you are. It's got you wrapped in a warm gorilla hug of adoration. It wants to give you everything you desire. It wants you to be happy. It wants you to see what it sees in you."

"You are perfect. To think anything less is as pointless as a river thinking that it's got too many curves or that it moves too slowly or that its rapids are too rapid. Says who? You're on a journey with no defined beginning, middle or end. There are no wrong twists and turns. There is just being. And your job is to be as you as you can be. This is why you're here. To shy away from who you truly are would leave the world you-less. You are the only you there is and ever will be. I repeat, you are the only you there is and ever will be. Do not deny the world its one and only chance to bask in your brilliance."

"Never apologize for who you are. It lets the whole world down."

"We are all perfect in our own, magnificent, fucked-up ways. Laugh at yourself. Love yourself and others. Rejoice in the cosmic ridiculousness."

"There will never be anyone exactly like you. You were given special gifts and talents to share with the world, and even though everybody has special gifts and talents, nobody will use theirs quite the same way you do."

Scripture Reading:
"So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." 1 John 4:16

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God--you're breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration--what a creation!" Psalm 139:13-14

2. Live in the moment:

"When you came screaming onto this planet you were truly a bundle of joy, a wide-eyed creature incapable of doing anything but being in the moment. You had no idea that you had a body, let alone that you should be ashamed of it. When you looked around, everything just was. There was nothing about your world that was scary or too expensive or so last year as far as you were concerned. If something came near your mouth, you stuck it in, if it came near your hand, you grabbed it. You were simply a human... being."

"If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present."


3. Don't base your self-worth on what others think of you

"What other people think about you has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them."

"You are responsible for what you say and do. You are not responsible for whether or not people freak out about it."

"DO NOT WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS TIME GIVING ONE SINGLE CRAP ABOUT WHAT ANYBODY ELSE THINKS OF YOU."

"Because if you base your self-worth on what everyone else thinks of you, you hand all your power over to other people and become dependent on a source outside of yourself for validation. Then you wind up chasing after something you have no control over, and should that something suddenly place its focus somewhere else, or change its mind and decide you're no longer very interesting, you end up with a full-blown identity crisis."

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matthew 6:1

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

4. Trust yourself, your ability - take risks
"maybe, if you put your disbelief aside, roll up your sleeves, take some risks, and totally go for it, you'll wake up one day and realize you're living the kind of life you used to be jealous of"

"Nobody who ever accomplished anything big or new or worth raising a celebratory fist in the air did it from their comfort zone. They risked ridicule and failure and sometimes even death."

"In order to kick ass you must first lift up your foot."

"you have to be willing to fall down, get up, look stupid, cry, laugh, make a mess, clean it up and not stop until you get there. No matter what."

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26

5. Our Attitude Makes all the difference
"If you wanna stay stuck in the same place and keep getting spanked with the same lessons over and over, be negative, resentful, and victimized. If you want to get over your issues and rock your life, be grateful, look for the good and learn."

"Faith smothers your fear of the unknown. Faith allows you to take risks. Faith is the stuff of "leap and the net will appear." Faith is your best buddy when you're scared shitless."

"Our thoughts become our words, our words become our beliefs, our beliefs become our actions, our actions become our habits, and our habits become our realities."


Gratefulness is important
"When you are consistently in a state of gratitude, and aware of all the awesomeness that already exists, it, among many other things, makes it much easier for you to believe that there's more awesomeness where that came from, and that this yet-to-be-manifested awesomeness is also available to you. You've received awesomeness before, so of course, you can receive awesomeness again. This is how gratitude strengthens your faith. And having strong faith is a major key in transforming your life."

"You cut yourself off from the supply of awesomeness when you are not in a state of gratitude."

"Every night before you go to bed, review your day and either write down or mentally note ten things you can be grateful for in your life. These can be everything from the beautiful flowers in your garden to the fact that your heart is beating to the hour-long visit from your persnickety neighbor that taught you to be happy that you don't have her life. Stopping and noticing throughout the day all the things that you can be grateful for is a great way to keep your frequency high at all times. So try and remember to do it all day long, but at the very least, make it part of your evening routine.

Forgiveness is important
"Forgiveness is all about taking care of you, not the person you need to forgive. It's about putting your desire to feel good before your desire to be right. It's about taking responsibility for your own happiness instead of pretending it's in somebody else's hands. It's about owning your power by giving all your anger, resentment, and hurt the heave-ho."
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*You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
by Jen Sincero