Notes

a counterintuitive approach to living a good life
Mark Manson.
Subtle art of not giving a fuck
vii, 212 pages.
Title: the letter 'u' has been replaced by a paint splodge illustration. Contents: Chapter 1. Don't try. The feedback loop from hell ; The subtle art of not giving a fuck ; So Mark, what the fuck is the point of this book anyway? -- Chapter 2. Happiness is a problem. The misadventures of Disappointment Panda ; Happiness comes from solving problems ; Emotions are overrated ; Choose your struggle -- Chapter 3. You are not special. Things fall apart ; The tyranny of exceptionalism ; B-b-b-but, if I'm not going to be special or extraordinary, what's the point? -- Chapter 4. The value of suffering. The self-awareness onion ; Rock star problems ; Shitty values ; Defining good and bad values -- Chapter 5. You are always choosing. The choice ; The responsibility/fault fallacy ; Responding to tragedy ; Genetics and the hand we're dealt ; Victimhood chic ; There is no "how" -- Chapter 6. You're wrong about everything. (But so am I). Architects of our own beliefs ; Be careful what you believe ; The dangers of pure certainty ; Manson's Law of Avoidance ; Kill yourself ; How to be a little less certain of yourself -- Chapter 7. Failure is the way forward. The failure/success paradox ; Pain is part of the process ; The "do something" principle -- Chapter 8. The importance of saying no. Rejection makes your life better ; Boundaries ; How to build trust ; Freedom through commitment -- Chapter 9. ... And then you die. Something beyond our selves ; The sunny side of death.
Summary: For decades, we've been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. Drawing on academic research and the life experience that comes from breaking the rules, Mark Manson is ready to explode that myth. The key to a good life, according to Manson, is the understanding that 'sometimes shit is f*cked up and we have to live with it.' Manson says that instead of trying to turn lemons into lemonade, we should learn to stomach lemons better, and stop distracting ourselves from life's inevitable disappointments chasing 'shit' like money, success and possessions. It's time to re-calibrate our values and what it means to be happy: there are only so many things we can give a f*ck about, he says, so we need to figure out which ones really matter. (Books in Print)