Title: The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck
Author: Mark Manson
Published By: HarperCollins
Release Date: September 2016
Genre: Self-help
Format: Hardcover
Length: 204 pages
Synopsis
In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger shows us that the key to being happier is to stop trying to be “positive” all the time and instead to become better at handling adversity. Manson brings a much-needed grab-you-by-the shoulders moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humour. This manifesto is a refreshing slap in the face for all of us so that we can start to lead more contented grounded lives.
Review
Wow.
Talk about not judging a book by its cover!
I know the title makes some people cringe (which is why I love it secretly) but this book is waayyy more than its title.
Mark Manson presents some brilliant wisdom as well as cold-hard facts and truths to the table about getting to know our limitations and accepting them. He advises readers that in accepting our limitations and faults, instead of always looking on the positive side of things and ignoring them, we can embrace our fears and uncertainties. Furthermore, he says that by running from and avoiding painful truths, we can begin to find the courage and confidence we desperately seek.
“We must give a fuck about something. To not give a fuck about anything is still to give a fuck about something. The real question is, What are we choosing to give a fuck about? What values are we choosing to base our actions on? What metrics are we choosing to use to measure our life? And are those good choices- good values and good metrics?”
Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck
Admittedly, some of these truths were seemingly a little too harsh and quite hard to swallow but others were just the great reminders that I needed while I read. The author presented what I would call profound, deep, useful and points which are very much applicable in every-day life that promise to be life-changing.
“Denying negative emotions leads to experiencing deeper and more prolonged negative emotions and to emotional dysfunction. Constant positivity is a form of avoidance, not a valid solution to life’s problems-problems which by the way, if you’re choosing the right values and metrics, should be invigorating you and motivating you…Negative emotions are a necessary component of emotional health. To deny that negativity is to perpetuate problems rather than solve them.”
Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck.
I learned a whole lot of valuable lessons about embracing fear and pain, choosing what to care about and the importance of choosing my struggle every single day, the importance of defining good and bad values and having metric systems for values that matter, understanding that everything I do is a choice, learning how to respond to tragedy as well as coming to terms with my mortality and making peace with the fact that death is a part of life.
“Travel is a fantastic self-development tool, because it extricates you from the values of your culture and shows you that another society can live with entirely different values and still function and not hate themselves. This exposure to different cultural values and metrics then forces you to reexamine what seems obvious in your own life and to consider that perhaps, it is not necessarily the best way to live.“
Mark Manson, The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck.
A great read which I would definitely recommend to anyone eager to learn and come to terms with amazing hard truths of life
Verdict
Definitely an 8.9/10 in my books.
Rachel Eyo 