The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck

The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A Fuck - Mark Manson

Life Value 5/5

Entertainment Value 5/5

The Subtle Art really is written as the first and last self-help book you’ll ever need to read. Even if you’re a self-help addict always digging into the latest trend or opinion on whatever secret will change your life, you should give this book a read. I hated the title when I first saw this book and refused to read it for that reason. It was when Ryan Holiday had it at the top of his list of books to read if you could only read a limited number of books this year that I figured I would give it a shot and dive in. 

Mark Manson is a great storyteller and while some of his stories get pretty silly, this book is so entertaining to read that you’ll be burning through the pages. The lessons in this book are so important for so many people to comprehend and take action on towards achieving greater happiness and life satisfaction that you really owe it to yourself to give it a chance. 

I’ve heard mixed thoughts on the writing style and some people think that it’s too much “bro-speak” which I can defnintely see being an issue. 

The main takeaways:

  • Only give a fuck about things that are true and are immediate and important.

  • Happiness requires struggle. We all must suffer from problems. 

  • You are not special - even world-class performers struggle with things. They got to where they are by facing their failures. 

  • Eliminate your shitty values and build your values upon states that are achieved internally.

  • Take extreme ownership of your life. Even if someone else is to blame for your unhappiness, only you are responsible for your state of unhappiness. 

  • AIM - Action - Inspiration - Motivation. We wait around for inspiration to strike us to get motivated to take action towards a goal but if you reframe it and just start moving you can fire up your own inspiration and motivation feedback loop.

  • Choose yourself - say no to things that don’t matter to you and eliminate FOMO. Greater success and happiness comes through committing to things long-term. 

  • Memento mori - in the face of the inevitability of death there is no reason to ever give in to one’s fear, or embarrassment, or shame, since it’s all a bunch of nothing. 

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Stealing Fire

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The Warrior Ethos