“The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson”

“People who become great at something become great because they understand that they’re not already great - they are mediocre, they are average - and that they could be so much better.” This is one book that would definitely catch your eye, owing to its bright orange cover and a title that’s so unconventional! Kudos to Mark Manson for this!

Whether you like the book or not, whether you take anything substantial away from this book or not, whether you implement any wisdom described in the book in your life or not, I think you would definitely enjoy the way this book is written, its language and the general fun feeling of reading through a book, which I would safely put in the genre of ‘Unconventional Wisdom’. There were times I felt the author is contradicting himself. In the first few pages, he tries hard to convey the message that you are plain average but towards the end of the book he conveys the opposite - that you are special. It is different from other self-help books in the way that it doesn't glorify you as someone who is unique and one of a kind.

He says that feeling entitled is the reason why people care about unimportant things the way they do. So don't get confused by the title, the entire book is more about how to not take yourself so seriously. The book will also teach you to embrace mediocrity because admit it, not everyone is going to be great. But it also teaches you that such acceptance is the first step towards achieving something better, if not something great. However, I think the book’s target audience is the younger generation, young adults. The book will make you realize some things which you already know but you couldn’t admit to yourself. Some parts would be extremely funny, just because of the way certain things are described and put together in the book.

Some other parts would be really enlightening. Also, there would be times when the author reminisces about his past, which can get slightly boring and dragging, even exaggerated. The book does take a while to pick up, with the early chapters focusing on examples of people who you may or may not relate to, or even care about. It can start to drag on, but eventually, Mr. Manson really dives into the meat of the book and asks yourself to challenge your beliefs. Knowing that you're not always right all the time. Not denying your own flaws by redirecting the blame onto other people when challenged (many people are guilty of this).

Acknowledging you're not perfect and rolling with it. Realizing your emotions and problems aren't exclusive: nearly everyone in the world will have experienced what you felt at some point in their lives. The real stuff that actually helps you come to terms with yourself and not inflate your ego or do some tantric yoga exercises to unlock your inner chi circles. This book is a must-read for people who think they are depressed, 'something is wrong with me', 'why me' type of questions. Trust me there is nothing wrong with you

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