In this edition of PT Reading Corner, we take a look at The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson. This book serves to provide life lessons for individuals, allowing them to achieve their dreams without focusing on irrelevant details. Manson highlights that we are no longer facing a material crisis in the world today, there are plentiful goods and services at our disposal, hence the struggle that people face is existential and spiritual.
Here are a few lessons to help solve some of those existential problems:
1) What Not Giving a F*ck Means
Manson explains that not giving a f*ck is not as simple of a concept as it sounds. It does
not mean that you travel through life being indifferent about anything and everything. The underlying principle is that you as an individual have to be comfortable with being unique and focusing on the things that matter. Manson encourages the reader to limit exposure to distractions such as social media and television as they provide little value or meaning to your life. The process of being able to focus on the things that matter won’t occur overnight, it will take some introspection, namely by asking yourself questions. These include: “How do I choose to spend my time? What am I neglecting that I shouldn’t be?” By answering these questions, you will be able to determine where your values lie.
2) Your Actions Determine Your Values
Once you have identified where your values lie as a result of your daily actions, you are able to formulate a plan to impact them. Manson notes that change will occur with every decision that you make. Consider starting with hypothetical scenarios, for example “If I had two hours of free time right now, what would I spend it doing?” Eventually, you will come up with a set of values that you would like to embody. But the final and toughest part of this transition is to actually take action upon the values that you have established. Manson acknowledges that you will fail multiple times, however that is normal and expected. The point of this exercise is to one day reach a point where your behaviours line up with your new values. According to Manson, the act of choosing your values and living by them is what makes you great, not the outcome of one specific accomplishment or task.
Overall, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck provides a great framework that individuals can use to establish their values and actively work towards attaining them. We would like to thank Bahram Jam for recommending the book and hope you’re able to utilize some of Manson’s lessons to improve your life.
