The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Admittedly, I'm not a big reader. I used to be, but in a world of Instagram, videos of dogs doing weird things to cats, and reeeally good selfie lighting, I found myself asking myself who has the time to sit and read??
Spoiler Alert: Lots of people make the time to read. I'm just easily distracted by almost anything online and a horrible excuse for a role model to all those kiddies back in the trailercourt where I grew up.
Eons ago when I was a tween, I remember buying an audio book from the clearance bin at one of those chains that no longer exists. At the time, I didn't understand the utility of story time, nor could I realize (because I was a tween in the last 16th century) how having someone ELSE do all the work, really frees up a gal's hands for Gramming, Twittering, and Animaling.
Insert Audible. I shop on Amazon all the time so it's hard to not hear about Audible at some point. I signed up for 1 month free and got to searching. I'm not going to go into Audible here, but click the link below if you want to check out their latest promotions. I wanted to grow, I wanted to learn, buut I also knew I was likely only going to listed to one book (I like music, and Spotify still holds the spot for my fave go-to commuter past time), so I wanted to make it a good one.
That's when I found The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. As someone who gives waaay too many f*cks about pretty much everything, it was an easy pick. Plus I got a book for free so it was like learning... for free. Which I guess is the point of reading... but it's different because it's tEcHnOlOgYyYyYy.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Publisher's Summary
In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be positive all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people.
For decades we've been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F*ck positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let's be honest, shit is f*cked, and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn't sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is - a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is his antidote to the coddling, let's-all-feel-good mind-set that has infected modern society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up.
Manson makes the argument, backed by both academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited - "not everybody can be extraordinary; there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault". Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek.
There are only so many things we can give a f*ck about, so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.
Review/Thots
Honestly, anybody that has the dude or girl parts to write a book with the word "F*ck," in it, is going to catch my attention. After reading the summary, I was instantly sold and popped in my earbuds at work.
What I really liked about the book is that it's unapologetically in your face about the fact that most of us care WAY too much about WAY too many things. From the very begging—in Chapter 1: Don't Try—we are told that "The key to a good life is giving a f*ck about less, not more." Love that...
The book takes you on, almost, an anti-self-help journey emphasizing that the majority of what we think, what we think we think, and what we think we should do is actually the opposite of the thoughts and actions of a person with good values and priorities. It encourages folks to stop trying to avoid struggle, but to choose the struggle that's worth it and to try to understand that there is so much value in coming out the other side when you've fought through something about which you actually give a sh!t.
Manson talks about the importance of choice, responsibility, the differences between good and bad values, and to accept uncertainty and that we are often, and almost always wrong and our problems are not unique nor special. It's not always easy to hear and I had to listen to certain sections multiple times to fully grasp what was being said... but it's a powerful set of in-your-face anecdotes, stories, facts and opinions the definitely helped me—at the very least—take a step back and ask myself, "...What do I really, really care about and what the f*ck should I care about?"
Overall, I enjoyed the book and the nudge it provided me in the right direction of learning to let go of some of the bullsh!t I find myself dealing with and holding onto. I will say, at some points, I felt the point a little bit belabored and wanted to speed past being told "You give a f*ck about too much. Stop doing that," but I think it's a fairly short read, it's a valuable read, and worth the listen or (actual) read. And, if you're not sure you want to dive in, just click below to download my free PDF of all the notes I took while I listened. I mean, I think they're pretty good—bullet points and all!
I'll say... large heart on for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. I think 2017 has been a stressful year for a lot of people (we don't talk politics on this website but, lesbihonest...) so many of us could use a little encouragement to refocus on the things we can control.
Or at least a little bit more printed and/or spoken vulgarity.