Book Review: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Mona Lisa Moon
Oct 7, 2017, 4:22:17 PM
Mona Lisa Moon Follow Author
Oct 7, 2017, 4:22:17 PM Opinion
Like most people, there are lots of things I have given a f*ck about that I no longer give f*ck about. Thank goodness for that...
As straight forward as the title of the book seems, it did offer me a good supply of laughter as soon as I started reading it. Though the last chapter is on death [appropriately enough] and the topic is also something I myself thought about when I wrote my own book. At the time I had thought that I was a rare weirdo in being a 29 year old approaching 30 thinking about such a concept. However, at some point in the book I did come to the mathematical conclusion that Mark Manson and I are actually the same age too.
And while I too have lived an unconventional life in my own ways, Manson's included traveling to 55 countries in 5 years and with it came even a larger number of lovers. But you don't have to rack up those numbers in order to reach a nirvana of "not giving a f*ck." It's about living a life true to yourself in who you are, not what everyone else wants you to be or tells you to be. And in Manson's case he ultimately came to the conclusion that this adventurous and exciting lifestyle he had envisioned for himself turned out to not be all that it was hyped up to be.
I am a fan of his"Do Something" Principle and the analogy he used of how his parents would look to him as a technology prodigy as an example to illustrate the principle. It's often the stereotype that the younger generation is more technology-savvy but the point Manson was making was that he simply would try every button and plug or unplug every cable/cord to see what would happen until he learned how the whole system worked. The fear of trying and doing something/anything is trumped by curiosity.
I still go to auditions my agency sends me out on knowing that there's a high chance that I will not get the gig but I go anyways because I know that if I don't go my chances are zero. I wrote and published my own book last year, knowing that it's most likely not going to become a New York Times Bestseller or a Pulitzer Award winner.
I believe you could always make improvements but I don't believe in being a perfectionist. I too share the same belief with Manson (and Nike) that you just do it. Some of my earlier blog posts would make me cringe today. But the belief is that as you keep doing something you get better over time.
One might say that in some altruistic motive, I started this blog in hopes of inspiring others with my so-called modern vintage lifestyle. But as Manson points out, it's the action that inspires inspiration and then that becomes a motivation. It's not to say that my blog postings can't be inspiring. But there are many people out there who feel inspired by motivational seminars who will not apply what they learned to make changes in their life or those who hear about courageous acts on the evening news and they themselves will never lift a finger to help a stranger in need.
Though at the end of the day, it's our choice as to what we decide to give a f*ck about. And there are billions of people out there who couldn't give a f*ck about what I have to say. The important thing is to give a f*ck about something that matters to you. And it's not a bad thing to reevaluate what you deem as important once in a while.
Published by Mona Lisa Moon
Written by Mona Lisa Moon
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