Dear you–
My good friend Jenny Shih wrote this amazing letter the other day about her own journey toward becoming a badass. I am up to my hairline in a writing project, and Jenny very generously is letting me share it with you this week. She says some very nice things about me in this post, but don’t let that stop you– you should definitely read it anyway.
much love,
Anna
A Guest Post from Jenny Shih
I have a confession to make.
For most of my life, I was a complete emotional weenie. It seemed like everyone had the power to deeply hurt my feelings and send me straight into hiding.
From the mean girls in sixth grade who teased me about my blond hair and sock choice to the junior high geography teacher whose sarcasm was too cutting…
To the jerk bosses and tear-you-down coworkers during my corporate days…
To the meanies who sent in scathing emails about whatever I was sharing or selling…
Even the harried shoppers and ragged cashiers in at our local Safeway at after-work-o’clock.
Each time I’d encounter one of the less-than-stable people (which, let’s be honest, is most people!), I’d melt into a puddle, wondering if I was strong enough to live in the world of humans.
Since mean, jerky people seem to be everywhere, simply living life was incredibly challenging!
Sure, therapy, coaching, meditation, and other personal work has helped a lot. But better than all of that?
A real, live human friend who knows how to not let those people get to her.
You see, my friend Anna is a total badass. (Though you wouldn’t know it. She still tears up at diaper commercials. Her daughter is 9.)
Over the past seven years that we’ve known each other, Anna would pepper our conversations with stories of slaying energetic vampires, setting boundaries like a magician, handling challenging family members, and simply kicking the crazies out of her life… all while not letting these people even know what hit them.
Simply put, she knows how to effectively deal with jerks without being a jerk.
Seeing Anna life live in this way, I watched, learned, and practiced badassery in my own life.
Slowly, gradually, I became less of a weakling. People didn’t scare me (as much), emails meant to hurt me didn’t send me into a panic (quite so badly), and the crazy people out-and-about in the world didn’t phase me (most days).
Even better, I felt a little stronger… and tad more badass.
Until my last launch, I hadn’t realized how impactful it has been to have Anna as a friend and badass role model.
You may remember that I got some flack for my emails; and you may also remember that it didn’t phase me one bit. To that, I have to credit Anna.
This is why when Anna told me she created a brand new free training to help women become a little less scared and a lot more badass, I knew I had to tell you about it.
To be clear: I’m not an affiliate, will not earn any commissions, and have no hidden agenda in sharing this with you.
I simply know that if you want to stop feeling torn down by insensitive jerks and start standing up for yourself (without being an ass in return), Anna can help you in ways I simply can’t.
When someone this amazing changes my life in ways this big, you deserve to know about them.
So if you want to feel stronger when faced with bullies and cry less when jerky people try to shit on you, you have to check out Anna’s class. Your inner scared girl will thank you, and your future badass self with applaud you.
You’ve got this,
Jenny
Jenny
Jenny Shih is an uncompromising business coach who works with smart entrepreneurs who are fiercely committed to their own success.You simply must check out her amazing work here.
(That was me. Anna. I said that. Jenny would never say her own work is amazing. She’s modest like that. But don’t forget to sign up for the free call first– because you and me, we’re distractible like that.)
xoxo,
Anna
