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on October 30, 2016
As someone who has given far too many f***s about far too many things their entire life, this book was exactly the wake up call I needed. Even as a child in elementary school, I would have a miniature meltdown when I got a bad grade or if a friend was mean to me that day. As an adult, I got better at hiding these emotional upheavals and intense reactions to the world around me, but they never really went away with my maturity like I had hoped. I took to heart every disheartening news article I read and every crappy thing that happened to me at work or in school. I'd let it consume me, because I was never told to live life any other way or that controlling my reactions was even remotely possible; I thought it was just a permanent part of my personality. I always knew that it was more of a vice than a virtue, but I felt like I couldn't fully control it.
Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** employs a witty use of profanity laced with satirical comedy that's bursting with philosophical wisdom. Much of Manson's inspiration originates from nihilists, Buddhists, Albert Camus, and Charles Bukowski, but he brings those philosophies into a more modern and palatable perspective. He reminds us that life is too short to react so passionately about every little thing. We have a limited emotional capacity, and we often squander it on reactions to mean-spirited people or unfortunate events, completely forgetting that, although we can't control the world around us, we can control ourselves. This book has empowered me to exercise control over my reactions.
Shortly after reading this book, my husband commented at how "zen" I've become. I'm no longer angrily venting to him about all of the various ways the world upsets me. I still allow myself to feel and talk about things that bother me (I'm not aiming to achieve nirvana as a Buddhist monk), but petty things no longer have a hold on me. I let the negativity wash over me now without letting it absorb into my soul, and my life has been much more enjoyable as a result.
I was so inspired by this book and its philosophy, that I wanted a permanent reminder for myself to further ensure that I use my f***s wisely from now onward. For my birthday, I got this simple, but meaningful tattoo on my right wrist. The ∞ symbol reminds me of the infinite nature of time and outer space, and the 0 on the bottom represents humanity's relevance to time and space as a whole. It can also be translated as don't make something (∞) out of nothing (0) or a reminder that there are infinite opportunities to give a f***, but that I will remain steadfast in giving 0 f***s about things that don't really matter.
If you're the type of person who's struggled to keep their temper in line or if you're like me and you find yourself on an emotional roller-coaster because you take every event in the world and within your own life to heart, I strongly encourage you to read this book. If profanity is so much of a problem for you, that you can't tolerate reading the first half of this book (the last half is much less profane) you're probably too narrow-minded to have taken away any of the many philosophical benefits this book offers.
Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*** employs a witty use of profanity laced with satirical comedy that's bursting with philosophical wisdom. Much of Manson's inspiration originates from nihilists, Buddhists, Albert Camus, and Charles Bukowski, but he brings those philosophies into a more modern and palatable perspective. He reminds us that life is too short to react so passionately about every little thing. We have a limited emotional capacity, and we often squander it on reactions to mean-spirited people or unfortunate events, completely forgetting that, although we can't control the world around us, we can control ourselves. This book has empowered me to exercise control over my reactions.
Shortly after reading this book, my husband commented at how "zen" I've become. I'm no longer angrily venting to him about all of the various ways the world upsets me. I still allow myself to feel and talk about things that bother me (I'm not aiming to achieve nirvana as a Buddhist monk), but petty things no longer have a hold on me. I let the negativity wash over me now without letting it absorb into my soul, and my life has been much more enjoyable as a result.
I was so inspired by this book and its philosophy, that I wanted a permanent reminder for myself to further ensure that I use my f***s wisely from now onward. For my birthday, I got this simple, but meaningful tattoo on my right wrist. The ∞ symbol reminds me of the infinite nature of time and outer space, and the 0 on the bottom represents humanity's relevance to time and space as a whole. It can also be translated as don't make something (∞) out of nothing (0) or a reminder that there are infinite opportunities to give a f***, but that I will remain steadfast in giving 0 f***s about things that don't really matter.
If you're the type of person who's struggled to keep their temper in line or if you're like me and you find yourself on an emotional roller-coaster because you take every event in the world and within your own life to heart, I strongly encourage you to read this book. If profanity is so much of a problem for you, that you can't tolerate reading the first half of this book (the last half is much less profane) you're probably too narrow-minded to have taken away any of the many philosophical benefits this book offers.
on September 14, 2016
There are a dozen of topics Mark goes through in this book. Some of the main themes are these:
(1) Choosing what to care about; focusing on the things/problems that are actually meaningful/important (= "giving a f*** about the right things")
(2) Learning to be fine with some negative things; always aiming for positivity isn't practical, and is stressful in itself
(3) Taking responsibility of your own life; it's good for your self-esteem not to keep blaming the circumstances for your problems
(4) Understanding the importance of honesty and boundaries, especially in relationships
(5) Identity; it might a good idea not to commit strongly to any special identity such as "an undiscovered genius", because then any challenges will make you fear the potential loss of that identity you've clinged to
(6) Motivation; how to improve it by accepting failure and taking action
(7) Death; how learning to be more comfortable with one's own mortality can make it easier to live
The first 20% of this book were a little bit boring to read, but after that, the experience was very absorbing. Just like Manson's previous book (Models), I will give this one five stars.
(BTW this book wasn't as humorous as I expected. It was much more a serious than a funny book to read. The final chapters, discussing the acceptance of death, made me actually a little bit tense and distressed.)
(1) Choosing what to care about; focusing on the things/problems that are actually meaningful/important (= "giving a f*** about the right things")
(2) Learning to be fine with some negative things; always aiming for positivity isn't practical, and is stressful in itself
(3) Taking responsibility of your own life; it's good for your self-esteem not to keep blaming the circumstances for your problems
(4) Understanding the importance of honesty and boundaries, especially in relationships
(5) Identity; it might a good idea not to commit strongly to any special identity such as "an undiscovered genius", because then any challenges will make you fear the potential loss of that identity you've clinged to
(6) Motivation; how to improve it by accepting failure and taking action
(7) Death; how learning to be more comfortable with one's own mortality can make it easier to live
The first 20% of this book were a little bit boring to read, but after that, the experience was very absorbing. Just like Manson's previous book (Models), I will give this one five stars.
(BTW this book wasn't as humorous as I expected. It was much more a serious than a funny book to read. The final chapters, discussing the acceptance of death, made me actually a little bit tense and distressed.)
on April 15, 2017
While I didn't agree with everything in the book, he has some amazing points and I found myself making a lot of highlights and notes while I read.
on April 17, 2017
Personally, I enjoy this book and it helps me when I am having a rough day. It basically gives you permission to stop being a doormat. As a former doormat, I need reaffirmation alot right now and this book does it.
on May 19, 2017
I've read a lot of self help books. This is the first one I've read that hasn't disappointed. I felt like I was beginning to understand something profound, life-changing, while reading this book. And it was fun! A great read for anyone who wants to go one layer deeper.
on May 19, 2017
We have this bright orange book with an F-bomb in the title that kind of grabs your attention doesn't it? It seemed a bit "gimmicky" to me and perhaps that preconceived notion prevented me from truly enjoying this book. They say, "don't judge a book by its cover" and perhaps I'm guilty of pre-judging with this book.
I'm not sure what it was, but I felt like I was reading "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" on steroids with a lot more cursing and from a less mature and less polished author.
I felt that much of the material was common-sense thinking that we've heard plenty of times before like not sweating the small stuff, pick your battles, etc. These are the things we learn as we mature, grow, and find as we battle through the adversity that life throws at us.
Now, I don't want to just bash here because I always find value in every book I read so I'll point to the interesting story of Dave Mustaine, the founder of Megadeth, who was kicked out of Metallica before they became a powerhouse rock band. This was a great anecdotal story about not comparing yourself to others.
The single best piece of value is something that continues to come up in my reading and that's about taking action. Just DO SOMETHING! Take Action! Mark points out that taking action creates an endless loop that looks like this;
Inspiration -> Motivation -> Action -> Inspiration -> Motivation -> Action -> and on and on.
I couldn't agree more here with our author. So many people are paralyzed with trying to perfect something and we just need to take "Imperfect Action" to get that forward momentum or inertia working in our favor.
This book was published in September of 2016 and it has some raving fans who felt a lot different about the book's content and value. It has a 4.6 rating on Amazon with 1,214 reviews and Goodreads gives it 4.03 stars with 30,489 ratings and 2,248 reviews. So, maybe it's just me? Maybe I was having a bad day? I'm going with 3 stars, and that's generous. Pick it up and give it a read and tell me if I'm full of crap!
I'm not sure what it was, but I felt like I was reading "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" on steroids with a lot more cursing and from a less mature and less polished author.
I felt that much of the material was common-sense thinking that we've heard plenty of times before like not sweating the small stuff, pick your battles, etc. These are the things we learn as we mature, grow, and find as we battle through the adversity that life throws at us.
Now, I don't want to just bash here because I always find value in every book I read so I'll point to the interesting story of Dave Mustaine, the founder of Megadeth, who was kicked out of Metallica before they became a powerhouse rock band. This was a great anecdotal story about not comparing yourself to others.
The single best piece of value is something that continues to come up in my reading and that's about taking action. Just DO SOMETHING! Take Action! Mark points out that taking action creates an endless loop that looks like this;
Inspiration -> Motivation -> Action -> Inspiration -> Motivation -> Action -> and on and on.
I couldn't agree more here with our author. So many people are paralyzed with trying to perfect something and we just need to take "Imperfect Action" to get that forward momentum or inertia working in our favor.
This book was published in September of 2016 and it has some raving fans who felt a lot different about the book's content and value. It has a 4.6 rating on Amazon with 1,214 reviews and Goodreads gives it 4.03 stars with 30,489 ratings and 2,248 reviews. So, maybe it's just me? Maybe I was having a bad day? I'm going with 3 stars, and that's generous. Pick it up and give it a read and tell me if I'm full of crap!
on May 16, 2017
This is a fun read, but the author carries the title a bit too far, metaphorically, and beyond a point, there's only so much mileage to get out of the "f" word. Still, it's worth a read because of its confidence-boosting, what-the-hell attitude. Well enough done.
on September 19, 2016
This is one of the best books I have ever read. The information that is in the book is to scary and at the same way helpful. In the middle of reading this book I felt like, then what is the point on living? Why just don't die if we are going to do it anyways. I started to feel strange inside of me. I was scared because everything he writes about Is true. We all try to hard on impressing people. Try hard to make big goals and try to achieve them. But in the end we do it not for ourselfs we do it for the attention we will get in the result for that. We are not special, but in the same time we are. We are all unique bit not more special than the others. We live our life trying to be "successful" and convince ourself that it is because we want it for us. But in some cases we are not. We (and when I mean "we" I mean myself) try so much to achieve goals working hard everyday trying to come closer to that goal. But when I readed this book my eyes opened. I was wrong. I was not doing it for myself. I was doing it to prove others I am worth of their attention. Because I wanted to feel special because yeah. I always said to myself "nobody work hard enough for success so I am special I work harder than the others and that is why i deserve it more". I was every day working hard, I did not want to accept it but when I readed this book it really hurted me. I felt like he was 100% seeing through me. I felt like my life was pointless. All I did, the goals I was pursuing was only to make other think in the future. "Wow he is special. He worked hard to obtaining he's goals. He is inspiring". I wanted to show the people that made me feel bad about myself see me in the future and look up on me and say to themselves. "Well I think I am the real loser". But in this book I began to think. I was always looking at other people judging them about being at their 30-40 having a s***ty job, family, complaining about everyone and everything etc. Or the ones on my ages always working hard, making fools of themselves trying to get the attention of others. Or people screaming at others just to feel like they are better than the other person. I always felt sorry about them. When reading this book I realised I am exactly at them. We live our whole life trying to be somebody. When the real thing we should do is try to be the person we want to be. But it is not easy. The society always look up to successes and winners but never at the ones that are not that "successful" but are happy. And that make us all feel like we are not enough. Which we think is true. We give fu*ks about so many things that are not really important and that does not mean anything at all. The fact that we are going to die is terrifying. Not because we don't know what comes next, it's because, we thing yeah if we all will die then what is the point of trying? That's the reason this book is good it does not just make you unsure about all your beliefs. It also makes you realise that it does not mather at all if you are going to die. The real problem is what you should care about while you are alive. The old lady crossing the road in the pace of a turtle. Or the really fact that we are alive and are able to choose what we want to care about.
Why did i writte a so long post? Well because if this can help somebody in my situation it will be nice. And the other reason was for myself. Because even if I say I don't care I actually care about what others think about me, and even if you don't know me in person. Knowing someone readed this and got the inspiration to read the book then it's enough for me. To feel like I did something good.
And the third reason is because I liked the super hero "Disappointed Panda". He is cool and I would like a hero like that. Instead of the false super heroes that lies to others just to get liked by them.
So this is an executive book. It gives a new way to look at things. I really recomend it for the people that are tired of this world and the humans on it, and even worst that tries way to hard to imprese those humans you hate, because you were told that is the right way to fulfill yourself. "You should do like the rest",they said. It does not help in the long run. It have never and will never!
Why did i writte a so long post? Well because if this can help somebody in my situation it will be nice. And the other reason was for myself. Because even if I say I don't care I actually care about what others think about me, and even if you don't know me in person. Knowing someone readed this and got the inspiration to read the book then it's enough for me. To feel like I did something good.
And the third reason is because I liked the super hero "Disappointed Panda". He is cool and I would like a hero like that. Instead of the false super heroes that lies to others just to get liked by them.
So this is an executive book. It gives a new way to look at things. I really recomend it for the people that are tired of this world and the humans on it, and even worst that tries way to hard to imprese those humans you hate, because you were told that is the right way to fulfill yourself. "You should do like the rest",they said. It does not help in the long run. It have never and will never!
on March 6, 2017
Yes! This guy gets it. This book is super entertaining and enlightening at the same time. What more could you ask for? If you feel stuck (who doesn't from time to time) - and even if you don't - get this book. It's the perfect, motivational kick we all need and reading it is super enjoyable. Hope he continues to publish more and more gems like this one.
on November 6, 2016
In an era of "it's not you, it's them" feel good books, this author turns tables and makes the reader confront their own responsibility for their life...terrific read!
