What I'm Reading - "You Are a Badass"

In an effort to force myself to read more consistently, I am going to do a regular "what I'm Reading Wednesday" post. It will be one Wednesday a month and not every week because I am not the avid reader I was as a kid/teen. I am hoping that the commitment to a once a month post about a book that I am reading will force me into reading something new every month.

Yes I am taking a minute to pause and reflect on how sad those last few sentences are. I wish I didn't have to force myself to read. I used to read a LOT. But now, in the few quiet moments I get to myself on a weekly basis, reading often isn't enough to keep my awake and I end up dosing off to sleep. The last few weeks have been better sleep quality so I am hoping that, coupled with this commitment, will get me back into a happy relationship with reading.

On to the good stuff. Currently I am finishing a book I have had for a while. The book is called "You are a Badass; How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living and Awesome Life" by Jen Sincero. You can get a copy here. The book came into my reality via a Facebook post from a college friend who was reading it. It's a self help book that is written like you are getting advice from an older sister or best girlfriend. The fundamental premise of the book is to help you 1) identify behaviors in your life that are sabotaging your own happiness and 2) steer you in the direction of behaviors that can help you get what you want out of your life. The book is an easy read and is packed with great anecdotes from the author's own life as well as tons of humor! I find myself laughing as often as I am shaking my head at all the behaviors she identifies that I know I exhibit in my own life! I am trying to keep an open mind as I read this book. I could very easily find a reason for every positive behavior she suggests as to why it won't work for me. But in really trying to embrace the message, I am asking myself to stop and think about why I am putting up a roadblock. And each time it comes down to being afraid to take a leap or that believing in myself is too difficult. Now...this blog is about running and I am coming a long way in believing in myself where my running is concerned. But the self-doubt for the rest of my life probably comes from the same place the running self doubt used to (and still rears its ugly head sometimes). Without giving away too much about the book, because you really should read it for yourself if this peaks your interest, the bottom line comes down to loving and believing in yourself. The author makes great suggestions for how to get there. And I am trying to implement these things in my daily life as well as my running journey. I have no idea where I am headed next (life or running) but I do know that I am going to try to believe in myself more.