I’m not one to buy into “The Universe” bull crap. I believe there’s a higher power, but I don’t think our bodies are one with the cosmos and we vibrate with our feelings. None of that makes sense to me, which is why self-help books are hard for me. I like ones where a famous person offers insights on how to get out of your funk, but that one-with-the-universe crap is not for me.

Recently, I bought my best friend and my sister a self-help book titled "You Are A Badass," and never really thought about reading it. It seemed like something they could use in their life, and maybe leave on their beside table or coffee table for people to admire. It wasn’t until my sister told me that she couldn’t get into it that I decided to pick it up and flip around to a few pages. It seemed interesting. Long story short, I ended up stealing it from my sister (if you’re reading this, Maddie, you still have no idea it’s missing, and I will return it soon).

By the third chapter, the author, Jen Sincero, was talking about The Universe and I was rolling my eyes. I thought, “How could someone believe this stuff?” The bigger picture of happiness seems so out of reach. She explained that God and The Universe and some other words like, “Spiritual Mamba,” and “Wizard Eye,” are all the same thing, and you can use them interchangeably. This higher power is cheering for you and making you feel as though you can achieve anything. It’s working in action when you have those really awesome days where you feel like you’re high on life, and you do weird things like dance to Latin music in your bedroom and finish all your homework in 20 minutes.

But then, Sincero explained that there is the opposite of The Spiritual Wizard in the Sky: The Big Snooze. I’m actually not making that name up. That’s what she called it. She calls it BS for short, fittingly. BS is this demon that makes you feel like you aren’t good enough or deserving of anything in life. That you probably shouldn’t dance to Latin music because you can’t dance and you’re not even Latin, so what do you think you're really doing? It can be a person or it can be an overall feeling, like when a car sprays you with a puddle when you’re walking, or when you are failing your classes. You may feel like this is The Universe plotting against you, right? Don’t be alarmed -- it’s his evil twin, Big Snooze. Snoozer forces you to make bad decisions. It tells you to crawl back in bed because you’re not good at this whole life thing (I have decided my bed and Snoozer are best friends, but that’s another story).

Let me give you an example. The other day I stepped in a puddle. Then, I spent six dollars on a smoothie because I forgot to use my coupon. Then my hair started getting frizzy and I was not dressed for the weather. On top of all of this, I was running late for class, so I couldn’t go change or grab my coupon. I decided today was not for me. I contemplated getting back in bed and trying again the next day, or maybe the next week. That was myself giving into the Big Snooze. The Big Snooze, in one fail swoop, made me feel like I was not worthy of a good day, that I was irresponsible, and that I was incapable of being an adult. But I recognized the Big Snooze, and I laughed at it with a determined mindset. I ended up having a great day. The best day, actually. The Universe Mamba was on my side because I chose to overcome the negativity that was being thrown at me.

Let Mamba Jamba Juju / Spirit Warrior / God / The Universe be on your side. You are capable of creating happiness. You are capable and worthy of a good day. You just can’t let BS get in your way. Become aware of those negative tendencies you do when BS gets in your way. Do you crawl back into in your bed because it’s your only comfort zone? Do you stuff your face with carbs when you’re stressed? Do the opposite of those things. Stop sabotaging yourself. Once you recognize those problems, you will be conspiring with The Universe, and not the Big Snooze. Be more aware of your inner self and you will have positive energies vibrating around you, synchronizing with the Hippy Dippy Universe.

If you liked my summary of only one tiny chapter in this awesome book, you can get it here.