A book summary of life lessons on how to be a badass accountant
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Imagine an accountant who comes to work every morning wearing a mood of meh. You must have also gone through those moments when you feel dull and unaccomplished, that all the things you are doing are routine, and life is definitely, not great. Add or minus. Tick and tie. Debit, credit. You robotically perform your tasks.
If you’re the type of accountant who passively accepts whatever dump life throws at you, it’s about time that you learn how to throw your punches, kickstart a meaningful career, and become one badass accountant. Let this book help you.
I came across Jen Sincero’s You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life while browsing through a local library during a period of unemployment. The yellow cover, devoid of any image, was not that attractive but it was the title that caught me. I gave it a chance. After reading the 254-page ‘self-helpery’, I felt like I can take on any dump life throws at me—and sling it back.
“If you’re new to the self-help world, I’m hoping this book will ease you into some of the basic concepts that totally changed my life so that you can have a breakthrough, too, without making you want to run off screaming in the process,” said Sincero in the book’s Introduction.
You’ll have to believe in things you can’t see as well as some things that you have full-on proof are impossible. You’re gonna have to push past your fears, fail over and over again and make a habit of doing things that you’re not so comfy doing. You’re going to have to let go of old, limiting beliefs and cling to your decision to create the life you desire like your life depends on it. – Jen Sincero, You are a Badass
Following one of Sincero’s advice, I tossed away fear, leaped into the unknown, and started a blog. I wanted a great opener and Sincero’s lessons did not disappoint.
For you who want to kick ass but lack the time to read more than 200 pages, I’ve summarized below life lessons on how to be a badass (accountant or not) based on Sincero’s book.
How did you get this way
1. Understand the power of the subconscious. Your limiting beliefs are rooted in your subconscious, back when your conscious mind was not yet fully developed to sift between true or false. Hence, for the most part, you allow your subconscious to run your life.
For example, some of you might consciously know that you want to find and marry your soulmate. But your subconscious says that getting attached might cause you to suffer and get hurt. Understanding the subconscious will help you to identify the falseness of your beliefs and get over your limitations.
2. Connect with the energy source. There is a power greater than you and you possess just a tiny bit of that power. To harness your powers completely, you must connect with your energy source and match your inner frequencies with that of the universe. Positive energy attracts positivity and so will negative energy attract negativism. The force is with you.
3. Live in the moment. Everything that you’ll ever need is already available and within your reach. It’s just a matter of pausing and noticing what’s around you. Don’t be like the lady in a Hindu story. The lady wanted to meet the god Krishna and so she closed her eyes and prayed hard. But when Krishna arrived and tapped her, the lady told the god to get lost because she’s busy meditating.
4. Turn off the big snooze. The ‘Big Snooze’ or your Ego represents your false self. It’s the compilation of your fearful beliefs. It will do everything to stop you from realizing your true worth unless you hit it down first.
5. Perceive yourself and others as a badass. Because you are and you just don’t know it yet.
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How do you embrace your inner badass
6. Love yourself and do things that you love. It’s easy to drown in self-deprecation and self-loathing. What’s hard is to recognize your special place in the universe. That’s where affirmations would come in. Saying positive, lovely words about yourself every single day is a sign of self-love. No, you’re not being a narcissist. You just want to love yourself first so that you can share that love through the things that you do.
7. Don’t care about what other people think. As long as you’re not “screwing someone over”, you should just go and do what you have to do. Don’t listen to other people’s mockery and ridicule. You’re not responsible for what they think and frankly, you shouldn’t care. Rather, accept compliments and constructive criticisms especially if it would make you a better version of yourself.
8. Discover your why. Why are you here? What’s your purpose? Discover what you can give to the universe. Even if you’ve not yet reached where you want to go, what’s important is the journey and the experiences that come alongside it. Eventually, you’ll make it.
How to tap into the motherlode
9. Enter the zone through meditation. Chanting, deep breathing, guided meditation, mantras—however you choose, you’re about to experience inner peace and relaxation. In your moments of stillness, that’s when your connection to the energy source gets deeper.
10. Harness the power of thoughts. Your thoughts shape you—it’s that powerful. If you think and act as if you’re already great and successful, your mind will lead you to believe that it’s true. Then, greatness and success become self-fulfilling.
11. Lead life like it’s one big adventure. You don’t need the pressure, you can simply lose track of time and revel at the moment or you can act as if you’re a first-timer and beginner who have no idea what’s in it for you.
12. Practice generosity, gratitude, and forgiveness.
13. Loosen up. You don’t need to go on a trip to India (just like the author did), to talk to strangers, and to expect the unexpected. Life is but a party and it wants you to join in. Enjoy, have fun and live in the moment.
Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash
How to get over your BS already
14. Give your life stories a happy twist. You’ve got your share of tear-jerking or depressing or tragic accounts. Maybe, it’s time to get rid of them or retell your stories with a happy twist. For example, the story of being victimized and staying single can turn out into a story of “I am powerful and in control of my life. I choose to love and be loved.”
15. Just do it already. Never mind that it’s not perfect yet. Procrastination will get you nowhere. Don’t wait until you’re ready or everything’s perfect because every precious minute counts. Every minute spent in wait for the perfect timing will also cost you every minute of lost opportunity. So just begin and work out the details as you go along.
16. Don’t get overwhelmed. Whenever you find yourself saying that there’s not enough time, you’re believing an illusion you created for yourself. It’s not that time is unlimited. If you want to do something that badly, you’ll be able to find available time no matter what. If you become exhausted, that exhaustion would come from doing the things that inspire you because you’ve made it a priority.
17. Don’t be afraid of fear. “Fear is for suckers.” Have faith in the unknown and yourself. Then, break down your fear and identify what’s causing it. And flip. Turn fear into an incredible possibility by imagining what would or would not happen if you let fear get in the way.
18. Mirror yourself against other people—positively. You tend to gravitate toward people who share the same interests, beliefs, or ideas because you see yourself in the other person. That’s mirroring. It can be fatal if the words and actions of weak, incapable people ring with you because that’s exactly how you’ll see yourself. It’s okay to see your ugliness in other people but there’s no point in wallowing or letting them drag you down. Be the best version and let other people mirror your positive outlook.
How to kick some ass
19. Decide to fail but don’t fail to decide. Don’t hold back. Decide even if you’re bound to fail because reaching the top is no easy trek. You’ll fall many times over. But that possibility shouldn’t stop you from making the choice of your life.
20. Treat money as a best friend, not an enemy. You need money to get by and if you treat money only as a small necessity, you’ll get it small. But if you think big, the money will come in larger proportions. How much do you want to make? The moment you become clear on your financial goals, you can do everything in your capacity to meet them.
21. Surrender yourself to the universe. Trust the universe to give you what you truly desire. Resisting will only get you farther away from your dreams.
22. Take action. Kick out the bad habits and form new good ones. Breathe and connect with the energy source regularly. Hang out with people who kick ass just like yourself. Set goals outside the comfort zone. Write your goals, create your vision, then read it every day. Get a mentor or coach. Mind your body. Find and use your secret weapons, whatever that may be.
23. Make things possible. Because, why not?
Have you been reading a book that has made an impact on you lately? Drop the title in the comments. Want us to summarize that book for you? Get in touch with tin@accountinsolutions.com.
Do not deny yourself the life you want to live because you’re worried you’re not good enough or that you’ll be judged or that it’s too risky because who does that benefit? No one, that’s who. – Jen Sincero, You Are a Badass
