The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson is an engaging must-read for anyone looking to find deep and lasting contentment. The book explores how to let go of life’s unimportant problems and stresses, and focus on making decisions that will bring real joy and fulfillment.
Key Learnings:
- Understand what really matters most to you and how to prioritize it
- Let go of trying to please everyone and instead focus on what brings your life value
- Develop better ways of facing and accepting failure and disappointment
As a UX Designer, this book can teach invaluable lessons related to decision-making and goal-setting. Other relevant reads may include Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans, and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
🎀 Highlights
we’re spreading ourselves too thin and burning ourselves out. So what can we do instead?
drug addicts, adulterers and gluttons. Research has shown that those who regard pleasure as the greatest good are likely to be anxious and depressed.
it’s the central value of drug addicts, adulterers and gluttons. Research has shown that those who regard pleasure as the greatest good are likely to be anxious and depressed.
Consider pleasure, for instance. Many people choose to make pleasure their priority in life. And yet chasing pleasure above everything else isn’t healthy; in fact, it’s the central value of drug addicts, adulterers and gluttons. Research has shown that those who regard pleasure as the greatest good are likely to be anxious and depressed.
Studies have shown that once our basic needs in life are cared for, extra wealth doesn’t increase happiness. And chasing wealth can even have a detrimental effect if we chose to pursue it over values like family, honesty
Studies have shown that once our basic needs in life are cared for, extra wealth doesn’t increase happiness. And chasing wealth can even have a detrimental effect if we chose to pursue it over values like family, honesty or integrity.
These good values should: Be based in reality Be helpful to society Have an immediate and controllable effect
Feeling compelled to do something robs it of its joy.
Best fell into a deep depression. But then he switched his values. He realized that what he really wanted in life was a loving family and a happy home life.
if you want to be neither blindly hedonistic nor covetous of your neighbor's new Mercedes, you need to identify values worth living by.
we see ourselves as the unhappy victims of life circumstances.
Feeling compelled to do something robs it of its joy. Sadly, many of us go through life as if our experiences were imposed upon us. Whether it be a failed job interview, a rejection from a loved one or even a missed bus, we see ourselves as the unhappy victims of life circumstances.
everyone should take 100 percent responsibility for their own life,
influences. Whether it was his sickness or his father’s criticisms, he blamed his situation on things he couldn’t control, and this made him feel powerless.
he blamed his situation on things he couldn’t control, and this made him feel powerless.
Manson’s Law of Avoidance – the tendency to flee anything that threatens our identity.
temper the negatives of Manson’s Law of Avoidance: practicing Buddhism. Buddhism teaches that identity is an illusion. Whatever labels you give yourself – rich, poor, happy, sad, successful, a failure – are merely mental constructs. They simply aren’t real and so we shouldn’t let them dictate our lives. You must, therefore, learn to let go of your identity. Liberating yourself from an identity can be a wonderful experience. For example, you may have always considered yourself to be a career-minded person, and this has meant that you’ve always put your job first, and your family and hobbies second. Free yourself of this constraining self-image, and you’ll be able to do whatever makes you happy, whether that be spending time with your kids or making model
temper the negatives of Manson’s Law of Avoidance: practicing Buddhism. Buddhism teaches that identity is an illusion. Whatever labels you give yourself – rich, poor, happy, sad, successful, a failure – are merely mental constructs. They simply aren’t real and so we shouldn’t let them dictate our lives. You must, therefore, learn to let go of your identity. Liberating yourself from an identity can be a wonderful experience. For example, you may have always considered yourself to be a career-minded person, and this has meant that you’ve always put your job first, and your family and hobbies second. Free yourself of this constraining self-image, and you’ll be able to do whatever makes you happy,
Right up to the nineteenth century, most relationships and marriages were based on the respective skill sets of both partners rather than their passionate love for each other.
destructive power of romantic love. Studies have shown that passionate, romantic relationships have a stimulating effect on the brain similar to that of cocaine.
Studies have shown that passionate, romantic relationships have a stimulating effect on the brain similar to that of cocaine.
We try to do too much in life and this leads to stress and unhappiness. Each of us needs to learn to stop “giving a fuck” about the things that are causing us pain.
FOMO – the fear of missing out – keeps us stressed, but the truth is, we’ll miss out on things no matter what. You can’t have the perfect career, lots of family time and countless hours to spend surfing waves on a sunny beach. It’s more important to miss out on the right things.
follow the path set by CEO multimillionaire Mohamed El-Erian, who resigned from his lucrative job so that he could spend more time with his young daughter.
Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
What to read next: Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
we’re spreading ourselves too thin and burning ourselves out. So what can we do instead?
drug addicts, adulterers and gluttons. Research has shown that those who regard pleasure as the greatest good are likely to be anxious and depressed.
it’s the central value of drug addicts, adulterers and gluttons. Research has shown that those who regard pleasure as the greatest good are likely to be anxious and depressed.
Consider pleasure, for instance. Many people choose to make pleasure their priority in life. And yet chasing pleasure above everything else isn’t healthy; in fact, it’s the central value of drug addicts, adulterers and gluttons. Research has shown that those who regard pleasure as the greatest good are likely to be anxious and depressed.
Studies have shown that once our basic needs in life are cared for, extra wealth doesn’t increase happiness. And chasing wealth can even have a detrimental effect if we chose to pursue it over values like family, honesty
Studies have shown that once our basic needs in life are cared for, extra wealth doesn’t increase happiness. And chasing wealth can even have a detrimental effect if we chose to pursue it over values like family, honesty or integrity.
These good values should: Be based in reality Be helpful to society Have an immediate and controllable effect
Feeling compelled to do something robs it of its joy.
Best fell into a deep depression. But then he switched his values. He realized that what he really wanted in life was a loving family and a happy home life.
if you want to be neither blindly hedonistic nor covetous of your neighbor's new Mercedes, you need to identify values worth living by.
we see ourselves as the unhappy victims of life circumstances.
Feeling compelled to do something robs it of its joy. Sadly, many of us go through life as if our experiences were imposed upon us. Whether it be a failed job interview, a rejection from a loved one or even a missed bus, we see ourselves as the unhappy victims of life circumstances.
everyone should take 100 percent responsibility for their own life,
influences. Whether it was his sickness or his father’s criticisms, he blamed his situation on things he couldn’t control, and this made him feel powerless.
he blamed his situation on things he couldn’t control, and this made him feel powerless.
Manson’s Law of Avoidance – the tendency to flee anything that threatens our identity.
temper the negatives of Manson’s Law of Avoidance: practicing Buddhism. Buddhism teaches that identity is an illusion. Whatever labels you give yourself – rich, poor, happy, sad, successful, a failure – are merely mental constructs. They simply aren’t real and so we shouldn’t let them dictate our lives. You must, therefore, learn to let go of your identity. Liberating yourself from an identity can be a wonderful experience. For example, you may have always considered yourself to be a career-minded person, and this has meant that you’ve always put your job first, and your family and hobbies second. Free yourself of this constraining self-image, and you’ll be able to do whatever makes you happy, whether that be spending time with your kids or making model
temper the negatives of Manson’s Law of Avoidance: practicing Buddhism. Buddhism teaches that identity is an illusion. Whatever labels you give yourself – rich, poor, happy, sad, successful, a failure – are merely mental constructs. They simply aren’t real and so we shouldn’t let them dictate our lives. You must, therefore, learn to let go of your identity. Liberating yourself from an identity can be a wonderful experience. For example, you may have always considered yourself to be a career-minded person, and this has meant that you’ve always put your job first, and your family and hobbies second. Free yourself of this constraining self-image, and you’ll be able to do whatever makes you happy,
Right up to the nineteenth century, most relationships and marriages were based on the respective skill sets of both partners rather than their passionate love for each other.
destructive power of romantic love. Studies have shown that passionate, romantic relationships have a stimulating effect on the brain similar to that of cocaine.
Studies have shown that passionate, romantic relationships have a stimulating effect on the brain similar to that of cocaine.
We try to do too much in life and this leads to stress and unhappiness. Each of us needs to learn to stop “giving a fuck” about the things that are causing us pain.
FOMO – the fear of missing out – keeps us stressed, but the truth is, we’ll miss out on things no matter what. You can’t have the perfect career, lots of family time and countless hours to spend surfing waves on a sunny beach. It’s more important to miss out on the right things.
follow the path set by CEO multimillionaire Mohamed El-Erian, who resigned from his lucrative job so that he could spend more time with his young daughter.
Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
What to read next: Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday
