For the past couple of years, I have been reading Mark Manson's blog and his newsletter regularly. His content resonates with me at a deeper level - harsh, hard-hitting truths with no beating around the bush. His article "The attention diet" was so thought-provoking.
His books have been on my reading list for quite some time. As I keep reiterating, a book comes to you at the right time when you are ready to receive its contents. There couldn't have been a better time than now to read his book "The subtle art of not giving a f*ck".
I found answers to many questions that I had been grappling with, in this book.
I have heard of this statement "You are responsible for everything that happens in your life" in multiple forums. I could never come to terms with the explanations I heard in the past. Thanks to Mark Manson, I understood the true essence of this statement, and boy, it gave me goosebumps. I shall write an elaborate post on this soon.
The writing style is casual, easy to read, yet speaks about deeper issues in such powerful language, leaving the reader a lot to munch on.
My highlighter was used to the fullest, as I was underlining pretty much the entire book🙂 It is hard to pick 5-6 favorite passages, but let me give it a try:
"Finding something important and meaningful in your life is perhaps the most productive use of your time and energy. Because if you don't find that meaningful something, your f*cks will be given to meaningless and frivolous causes."
"Like physical pain, our psychological pain is an indication of something out of equilibrium, some limitation that has been exceeded."
"Negative emotions are a call to action. When you feel them, it's because you are supposed to do something. Positive emotions, on the other hand, are rewards for taking the proper action."
"Technology has solved old economic problems by giving us new psychological problems. The Internet has not just open-sourced information; it has also open-sourced insecurity, self-doubt, and shame."
"The more something threatens your identity, the more you will avoid it"
"Our most radical changes in perspective often happen at the tail end of our worst moments. It's only when we feel intense pain that we're willing to look at our values and question why they seem to be failing us."
"Death is the light by which the shadow of all of life's meaning is measured."
It isn't the usual run-of-the-mill self-development book with the standard template, that makes you feel good. This book will make you uncomfortable, question you at a deeper level, and leave you with a lasting impact. I don't want to spoil the read any further. Pick it up no matter what stage of life you are in.