Name: How to Be a Bawse
Rating: 4.1 (33 reviews)
Author: Lilly Singh

What’s in it for me? Learn how to be a bawse.

Ever wondered how YouTubers get millions of subscribers, and then go on not only to meet celebrities but to become celebrities themselves? Well, now you can learn all the tricks of the trade from the YouTube sensation Lilly Singh, who’s here to teach you how to become a bawse.

By following her tips and advice, you’ll learn how to excel in any area of life – not only on YouTube. She lets you in on the ideologies and actions underpinning true success, so you have the tools necessary to stop dreaming and start becoming who you want to be.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

what a vision board is and how it can be useful;
why being the dumbest person in the room is a good thing; and
that, occasionally, you need to break the rules.

Become friends with your mind by improving your self-awareness.

Your mind can be both a delightful asset and a difficult obstacle. Sometimes it generates brilliant ideas, but it may just as often hold you back, refusing to let go of old ways of thinking. Clearly, you want your mind to work for you, and that means you need to befriend it. And the best way to make your brain into your buddy is to develop self-awareness.

The first step toward self-awareness is recognizing the intricate layers of your inner issues. Each issue has at least three layers that need to be peeled back before you can reach the root cause.

To explain this strategy further, let’s take a look at an issue the author is dealing with: she tends to act like she isn’t currently interested in having a romantic partner. At the first layer, she tells people that she’s too busy with work and building her career. At the second, she tells herself that the commitment of a relationship would impede her progress toward her goals. At layer three is yet another reason for her not wanting a relationship: she doesn't know how to balance her career aspirations and a healthy partnership.

But, at the fourth and deepest level, she avoids relationships because of her childhood experience. She was never exposed to healthy relationships, and this resulted in her believing that they only bring out people’s ugly side.

If you want to resolve a personal issue, you must first dig beneath these layers and identify its exact root cause, all while being completely honest with yourself. Only then can you start investing time and effort into resolving it.

The second step toward self-awareness is conquering the thoughts and emotions that negatively impact you. Understanding why you feel certain emotions at particular times is important because it will put you in control of your feelings.

Here are some pointers on managing typical thoughts and emotions: First, when someone brings out a negative reaction in you, try not to take it personally. In all likelihood, there are issues in that person’s life – issues that have nothing to do with you – that are influencing his or her behavior toward you. Second, remember that happiness is a better motivator than fear. And, thus, you should work toward something that makes you happy.

Identifying the root cause of your issue, and managing negative thoughts and emotions, are the two key steps in developing self-awareness.

You can train your mind for success.

If you want to be physically stronger, you head to the gym and hop on the elliptical or do a few reps on the bench press. Likewise, in order to strengthen your mind, you’ve got to train your brain – and the brain, like the body, has different sets of muscles. Here are three methods for exercising one of those muscles, your self-control muscle.

First, you need to set goals for yourself. For example, set the goal of finishing a task in a certain amount of time. Once you’ve reached that goal, try to beat it. Second, remember to reward yourself every time you reach your goal. You can try asking a friend to hold your phone hostage, and tell them not to give it back until you’ve finished the task you’re working on – so getting your phone back is like a reward. The third method is challenging yourself to break a bad habit. If you’re a nail-biter, try to abstain from that habit for 24 hours, resetting the clock every time you gnaw your nails before that time is up.

Dreams can only be attained if you’re fully committed and have a vision.

What do distraction and fear have in common? Here’s what: they’re the two biggest obstacles on your path to success.

To accomplish anything great, you need to fully commit, and that requires learning how to control any fears and distractions that may get in your way.

Development is a long-term game, for which you need a long-term perspective.

Imagine your personal and professional growth as a growing empire. And remember: an empire without a strong foundation will inevitably fall.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it’s foundation probably wasn’t, either – so, when building your own foundation for success, be prepared for it to take a while. There’s no quick way to the top. Doing something outrageous or dangerous may make your YouTube video go viral, but that notoriety will vanish just as quickly as it appeared. In contrast, if you build your YouTube subscriber base over time, through hard, honest work, you’ll create a loyal following.

Surround yourself with the right people and distance yourself from unconstructive validation.

Like inspiration, validation is something we all desire – and that means it can be very good at motivating us.

However, getting too much validation often spells doom for ambition.

Stand out from the crowd by being fully present and breaking the rules.

How can you differentiate yourself from the throngs of other success-hungry people?

Well, to stand out, you need to break the rules for the right reasons.

Become successful by drilling positivity and strong values into your mind.

What happens when you consume unhealthy foods? Well, you compromise your body. Similarly, when you consume negative thoughts, you compromise your mind.

Thankfully, positive thinking is a skill we can develop.

Opportunities for change are created by kindness and the promotion of what you love.

Does being nice and working hard pay off? Or is the saying true, and nice guys really do finish last?

Well, what the author can say about kindness is that it creates opportunities. An example of this is when the author saw Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun, at a YouTube party. Being an admirer of his, she wanted to greet him, but didn’t know what to say. Eventually, she decided to approach him and simply say, “Hey! I think you’re really awesome and here’s why…” Braun, who just so happened to be going through a tough day, was really appreciative of the author’s kindness. The next day, he posted an Instagram picture of their meeting to express his gratitude, and has since supported her career by re-posting her videos.