How to be a Badass
Stop living in the past, stop worrying about the future, focus on the present instead.
I get asked a lot how I manage to be so hardworking yet so carefree, how do I balance between study, marriage and life. And the answer is pretty simple: I don't care about what anyone thinks of me, in the most literal sense. I'm not here to please anyone, I'm here to please me.
I'm inviting you to do the same, it is time you stopped living for others and started living for yourself.
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.”
You are a badass, you have so much potential, you just don't know it yet because you are limiting yourself to what others tell you. Well, I'm here to tell you:
Tip 1: Listen to yourself, give yourself some credit, you are worth so much more than you think. You'll see.
Push yourself to the limit, it is where the magic happens.
For some reason, you believe that someone or something will give you that inspirational push to do better and to be better. But here's the thing, that push you so desperately need is already inside you, so stop wandering around waiting for that special person who will motivate you or that unusual event which will turn you life upside down, be those things instead.
The truth hurts, but here it is: no one cares about being your muse, much less your savior. Because guess what? They are too busy working on themselves, building their own lives. So, stop whining and roll up your sleeves.
Tip 2: Don't rely on anyone, you are more than enough.
Life is full of challenges and moving is one of them, it's hard whether you want to go or you are forced to— been there, done that.
As a kid, I was brilliant at school. All of a sudden I moved to another country and found myself surrounded by people whose language I cannot understand. Can you imagine what it felt like for a straight A-student to learn the alphabet in the same classroom where her classmates were learning about the freaking DNA and its replication? I felt so stupid.
Luckily, even when life hits you hard like a meteorite, you always get to choose; I chose to see this mess as an opportunity for me to grow and learn. Sometimes you need to look at things from another perspective, every negative occurrence has at least one positive aspect, you just need to find it.
Tip 3: Life is full of waves, learn how to ride.
As I previously said, you always get to choose.
In my case, I had two options: stay stupid and blame it on fate or bad luck or whatever, or turn the page and accept the fact that I had to start over.
Don’t ever choose what’s in between, you’re a badass, and badasses take it to the extreme. In fact, as if starting a new life in a country where I don’t speak the language wasn’t hard enough, my personal choice was to learn French and Spanish too.
No matter how uncomfortable or awkward it feels, get out there and take risks; remember, there is always a first time, so make your first time now. Whatever it is you want to do, do it already. Get rid of the 'I’ll do it later' mindset.
Tip 4: It is all about the decisions you make. Either go big or go home.
Accept reality as it is and come to terms with yourself. “Don’t fuss about trifles”; sometimes you just have to suck it up.
"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”-Mark Twain
Although asking kindergarten kind of questions in a class filled with mean freshmen was very embarrassing, especially since the kids kind of had an offensive sense of humor, I decided to adopt a carefree attitude and this helped me a lot in learning the language. Day by day I started to understand the jokes of my classmates, and eventually I started making fun of my own mistakes.
In order to move on, you have to develop the ability to accept the ups and downs of life — one day you're a straight-A student, the next you are a flunking student. Which is why I learned to accept that embarrassment isn’t always necessarily humiliating, sometimes it can be constructive.
Tip 5: Don’t be dramatic, life already is. You aren’t the first nor the last person to go through tough times in life.
Finally, don't care about what others think of you.
Here's a secret: people actually respect you more when you learn how to say 'no', when you proudly show them that you're different.
So, don't overthink your interactions with others, be as spontaneous as possible. Do things for yourself, not for others; dress fancy or casual for you, eat a lot or a little for you, even tidy your room or leave it messy for you. Only you.
People are giving you the funny looks? So what? Take it lightly, maybe they’re doing so because they find it cute when you slip up, or maybe, they're just mean and you're right. But, who cares? Do you even know these people? Do they know you? And if they do, then you should really consider expanding your social circle.
Badasses surround themselves with positive people and positive influences, not douchebags that intimidate them.
Tip 6: Be you, only you and nothing but you.
