Mark Manson - Life Advice that Doesn't Suck
Mark Manson — Author of the #1 NYTimes bestselling books, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and Everything is F*cked
What is your biggest fear? What would it mean if you could overcome that fear, once and for all? In this article, I'm going to help you do exactly that by teaching you five tactics to conquer anything you might be afraid of. Heights, spiders, small spaces, strangely-shaped clouds—whatever makes your knees turn to water and keeps you up at night. These five tactics are universal and proven. In fact, last year I used them to help two readers who were afraid of driving overcome their fear over a single weekend, then shared the results on my YouTube channel. https://youtu.be/pZXzLN2miq8?si=AZgbNR_VVyvcnCY5 Ready for those five tactics? Let's hear them. Exposure therapy. (2024). In Wikipedia. Exposure therapy is exactly what it says. You take something you're afraid of and gradually expose yourself to it, first in small doses, then in larger doses, until finally you become desensitized to the experience. If you're afraid of heights, you don't want to start at the top of the Eiffel Tower. You want to start on a second-floor balcony and work your way up until …
Today is my 40th birthday. When I turned 30 a decade ago, I wrote an article sharing life lessons to survive your 20s and crowd-sourced advice on how to excel in your 30s. And apparently you guys loved it. So, here's more of the good stuff: 40 life lessons I now know at 40 that I wish I knew at 20. Dig in. If you treat yourself with dignity and respect, then you will only tolerate others who treat you with dignity and respect. Get right with yourself, get right with the world. Success and failure are fuzzy concepts that only exist in your mind before you do something. Not after. After the fact, everything will be a mixture of both. The only real …
I've read over 1,000 nonfiction books in my life, and these 33 are the most powerful of them all. I can honestly say they changed my life, who's to say they won't change yours too? Don't just take my word for it though. Read on for my summary of all 33 books and see for yourself how your next read might just change your life. https://youtu.be/7kwqWgXzHvc This might be the most practical book ever written on simple behavioral change. Atomic Habits has three big takeaways. The first is that small lifestyle changes compound over a long period of time. So you don't want to try to be a completely different person tomorrow, you want to be 1% better 100 days in a row. The second big takeaway can be summarized with the line, "We don't rise to the level of our goals, but we fall to the level of our systems." The idea here is that it's not about ambition or effort, it's about creating an environment that makes behavioral change inevitable. And finally, the third takeaway is that habits don't stick unless we alter our identities. That means it's …
Every day, hundreds of millions of people suffer from giving too many fucks. They spend their lives imprisoned by meaningless anxiety and unnecessary concerns. But it doesn't have to be that way. In this article, I'm going to walk you through the five levels of non-fuck-giving, each level demonstrating more non-fuckery than the last. You will learn step by step how to face your fears, how to stop worrying what other people think, and how to achieve the eternal bliss of a fuckless life. Strap in, it's time to stop giving fucks and start living. https://youtu.be/zhjuqTGMaAs?si=BBYLnwI07pU6C_HF Think back to the last time you got a terrible haircut. Chances are you walked around all day assuming that everybody was staring at that tragedy of a mop on your head. But the reality was most people didn't notice. And if they noticed, they sure didn't care. One of my favorite quotes ever comes from the author David Foster Wallace. He said: You will stop worrying so …
Welcome to the realm of uncomfortable truths, where I, Mark Manson, will make you question everything you've ever believed in. Buckle up, buttercup. Let's dive into the rabbit hole of reality. Remember the past you? The one with embarrassing beliefs and naïve ideas? Well, guess what, future you will look back at present you with the same cringe-worthy disgust. The Lesson: Next time you're absolutely sure about something, take a step back and ask yourself if it's something you'll be embarrassed about in a decade. If yes, maybe shut the fuck up. Enter Hanlon's Razor: is some degree of stupidity. The Lesson: Combine these two principles, and you'll see that we should reserve our moral judgments for only the …
The internet is inundated with countless videos and advice columns promising to teach you how to become more successful than 99% of the world's population. Most of these claims revolve around setting goals, developing discipline, and eliminating distractions. But let's face it: if you take a close look at the habits of highly successful people, you'll quickly realize that they don't strictly adhere to a regimented lifestyle or adopt monk-like behavior. So, what is it that truly sets the wildly successful apart from the rest? Develop a contrarian idea Be correct about that idea Execute on it on a massive scale The most significant challenge lies in disagreeing with the majority, being right in your contrarian stance, and having the courage to put everything on the line for your beliefs. People often fixate on the execution aspect because it's the most visible and easiest to emulate. However, execution alone does not determine the extent of a person's success. Correct Contrarianism: The Key Ingredient to Groundbreaking Achievements Some of history's most significant breakthroughs, such as …
We're living in an era where anxiety seems to be omnipresent, and everyone is struggling with it to some degree. It's important to remember that the reasons behind our anxiety may not be as crucial as our reactions to it. In this guide, let's explore five comprehensive ways to help you deal with anxiety, along with one slower, long-term approach. When we repeatedly experience certain emotions, especially during our formative years, our bodies can adapt to this state as a natural response to various situations. To challenge and change this, we have to consciously work on reacting differently when those emotions arise. Here are five techniques to start with. Inhale deeply through your nose for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds. Exhale slowly through your mouth for 8 seconds. Repeat this cycle at least four times. Ensure that you're engaging your diaphragm while breathing, as this …
Many of us harbor a deep-seated desire to adopt a particular identity, often picturing ourselves as something that we are not. For example, I've longed to be a surfer for years. The idea fascinated me so much that I even booked several weeks of surf lessons in Costa Rica. Surfing can be incredibly meditative. It compels you to surrender control and simply respond to the unpredictability of the ocean. The nature of surfing is such that you can't control the waves. All you can do is react to them. It encourages a zen-like mindset where you learn to accept whatever comes your way and respond to it with your best effort. Yet, despite the appeal, I soon realized a painful truth: I was more in love with the idea of being a surfer than actually surfing. The thought of catching the perfect wave was thrilling, but the reality involved a lot of crashing, paddling, and exhaustion. https://youtu.be/CmCFm3GNNNE Why do we yearn to adopt these identities? For me, being a surfer was a way to fill …
All ye readers, buckle up. Today, I'm giving you 14 non-fiction books I believe everyone should read. For each book, I've provided a brief summary. Now it's up to you to decide if it's worth your time. Let's dig in. This book dives deep into the world of trauma, discussing its effects on the mind, body, and daily life. If you want to know everything about trauma and how to deal with it, this is your go-to guide. With more choices, we often feel less satisfied. This book argues for simplifying our lives and limiting ourselves in various ways to combat the constant bombardment of options we face daily. Debunking the myth that our minds are born as clean slates, Pinker delves into the importance of genetics in shaping our identities. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the ongoing debates around gender, sex, and race. This book explores the psychology of relationships, explaining the patterns …
Hey party people! It's Mark Manson, and today I want to talk about Dr. Jordan Peterson and his books, "12 Rules for Life" and "12 More Rules for Life." I've had the pleasure of chatting with him on his podcast and even got some F-bombs out of him. But what really stuck with me was the idea of creating our own rules for life—guiding principles and codes that help define us as individuals. So, without further ado, let me share my rules for life. Disclaimer: These are MY rules for life, not a prescription for everyone. Take them or leave them, but let's dive in. This concept comes from existentialism, specifically Jean-Paul Sartre. He believed that in every moment, we're making choices and that this constant choosing can be a burden. To avoid this responsibility, we often blame others or adopt their values. Sartre called this "living in bad faith," when we avoid responsibility and live for others rather than ourselves. On the other hand, living authentically means making conscious choices based on our …