The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: Takeaways
I haven’t read many books that have changed how I think about life.
Until now.
Recently, I got accepted into The Knowledge Society, a program that will allow me to explore more of the quantum computing world. As a recommendation from my program's director, I was instructed to read The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson. Not having much to do while I was staying at my grandma’s place, I decided to give it a try. To be honest, I had no expectations for this book.
However, after reading the book, I was shocked! I didn’t think I’d ever resonated with a book this much. The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson gave me a newfound perspective on life and the way in which I maneuver through it.
So, without further ado, I’d like to share my top 3 takeaways from reading this book!
What Should We Give F*ck’s About?
There’s only a limited number of f*ck’s we can give out. If we give out too much then we’d be stressed and worry about every single thing. By only choosing some things to care about, we can avoid pointless obstacles and narrow our focus. You may be wondering what we should even give a f*ck about, and to answer that, we must be selective in picking what our true values in life are.
Picking Your Values
You’re probably thinking “What makes a good value?”. Well, to decide if a value is worthwhile or not, there are a few things to consider:
- Reality-based: Your value can’t be imaginary or unknown because you need a way to track it. For example, being honest is trackable since it’s all up to you.
- Socially Constructive: The value doesn’t have to be personal as it can impact others collectively. For example, being honest can help you as well as those around you to notice more details.
- Immediate and Controllable: If the only way to change your value is through external factors, then it isn’t a good value. You can’t depend on outside factors because they aren’t reliable. For example, being honest is something you can control. It’s up to you how honest you are going to be.
By picking out good values, we are able to better choose/manage things that we actually give an f*ck about. It also helps you realize what you want to fight for, and the problems you will face throughout your life.
You Have Problems (But That’s Good)
You will always have problems in your life and that’s perfectly fine.
Problems give you something to work for and solve. And though it may cause some grief, in the end, you’ll learn from the experience and have a better idea of how to handle future obstacles. This will help you improve on yourself, and find/fix problems you didn’t even know you had. Furthermore, 99.9% of the best moments of your life come from resolving a problem or overcoming something that was challenging (winning a spelling bee, getting a high score on exams etc.).
You Should Definitely Give This A Try
Yes.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck is probably the only book I’ve ever read that has had such a profound impact on me. And this is coming from someone who prefers not to read self-help books.
From understanding how to effectively choose my values to learning to be ok with having problems, this book gave me the opportunity to reflect on myself and my thoughts. Since reading this book, I’ve begun trying to implement many of its ideologies into my own life. And so far, I’ve seen changes in my mood. I’m able to find enjoyment in both the good and the bad.
So, I really do hope that you give this book a read. There is so much that this book covers – more than I could mention in this article. And if you do read it, feel free to reach out. I’d love to discuss anything related to this book!
Thanks for reading! Hopefully, you learned something new and valuable today. Feel free to check out my:
Twitter: @EthanSelvarajah || Substack: Ethan’s Expeditions
