Mark Manson's The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A #@%!
Finished reading this book this morning, so I thought I'll share my thoughts on it.
Why did I pick up this book?
I was browsing for books at Target and saw this one with a big 30% off sticker on it. I was mainly looking for books about contentment. A book that can teach me how to be content and appreciate what I already have. When I saw this one I thought it might be an interesting read. I honestly did not think much of the book, but was pleasantly surprised once I started reading.
What did I like about this book?
The lessons and principles that the author shares in this book are awesome. They all sound like common sense advice once you read it, however if it was that easy, everyone would be living their best life. It is not that easy and this book reminds you why and what you can do about it.
His approach of giving counter-intuitive advice to life's problems seem backward. But, the more you read the more it actually makes sense.
The chapters on toxic relationships, on entitlement, on taking responsibility for your actions, they are all really good reads.
The last chapter on death, is eye opening. You can never really appreciate the beauty of life unless you come to terms with death. I've never even heard of the concept of “immortality projects” until I read this chapter. One question I had for myself was, why am I so intent on having a website and sharing journal entries online? I believe this chapter answers that question for everyone.
For a book written by a blogger, as far as I know the author is not a medically trained psychiatrist or a university professor, it seems very well researched. The author draws lessons from Buddhism, Psychology, Philosophy and his own life experiences. This is a guy who spent a good number of years living the good life, traveling from one city to another, only to come to the conclusion that, committing to one city, one career, one person is what true freedom is all about.
What I didn't like about this book?
The occasional use of curse words can sometimes distract from the reading experience. However it also gives this book a more personal touch.
The early chapters were hard to grasp. But if you can push through then the rest of the book has some really good things to teach you.
Not exactly a problem with the book, but I feel like there's no way to internalize everything you read about this book in one read. I feel like this is a book that you have to read over and over again to reap the benefits.
Rating
I give this book a 4.5/5 rating. I thought it was a really good read. One that I plan on reading again next year just so I don't forget the lessons from this book.
Tags: #MarkManson #BookReview