The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k

For decades, we've been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. Mark Manson, however, is ready to explode that myth. The key to a good life, according to Manson, is the understanding that -sometimes shit is f*cked up and we have to live with it'.

Backed by academic research, a life spent breaking the rules and the benefit of hindsight, Manson makes the argument that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. It's time to re-calibrate our values and what it means to be happy: there are only so many things we can care about, it's time to choose what really matters.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is not about alleviating your problems or your pain. It's not some guide to greatness or spiritual enlightenment. But it will teach you how to take inventory of your life, laugh at your tears as you cry them and care less.

Filled with entertaining stories and the profane, ruthless humour that has seen markmanson.net amass over 2 million monthly readers, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is an antidote to the coddling, let's all-feel-good mindset that has infected modern society. It's a wakeup call, a refreshing slap in the face and it's about time.

Author Mark Manson has spent a number of years studying the academic research on things such as happiness, passion, goals and relationships, publishing his views online as well as in Forbes, CNN, Vice, TIME, Vox and The Huffington Post. Mark shares his philosophy through articles on his wildly popular Internet blog markmanson.net. Mark lives and writes in New York.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k
Macmillan Australia
Author: Mark Manson
RRP: $27.99

Interview with Mark Manson

Question: Why did you decide to write The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k?

Mark Manson: A few years ago, I wanted to write a self-help book about pain and negativity and how they are necessary and often beneficial in our lives. The problem was that people aren't exactly jumping out of their chairs to read a book with that message. So I had to find some rather creative ways of expressing that idea in such a way that would also make the book fun and interesting to read.


Question: How did you establish this particular way of thinking?

Mark Manson: I've always been a contrarian by nature, so I'm always looking to take the less obvious route when an opportunity arises. But for me personally, I spent most of my 20s engaged in the self-help world and pursuing a lot of shiny and sexy goals for myself. By the time I hit 30, I realized that most of those goals had actually not meant that much in hindsight and as a result felt a little bit bitter about it. This book is a result of a few-year period where I had a little bit of a crisis of meaning in my life -- where I gave up trying to feel good all the time and simply looked at things I was doing and how much they actually mattered.

Question: What do you hope readers take from The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k?

Mark Manson: 1) That pain and problems are inevitable and this is not necessarily a bad thing. And 2) that we need to get really clear on the few things in our lives that truly matter, because it's this meaning and importance that will help us endure those inevitable struggles.


Question: Why should we no longer 'think positive'?

Mark Manson: Because chasing positivity usually leads people to avoiding their problems and pain rather than accepting and embracing it. Optimism is fine and healthy, but ultimately what we need to be is realistic: sometimes life sucks. And that's OK.


Interview by Brooke Hunter

 

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k
Macmillan Australia
Author: Mark Manson
RRP: $27.99