Here is an example of how a great title does half the work. Though the author’s point is not so much that we should not give a f*ck, but rather that we should only give a f*ck about what we give a f*ck about. Easier said than done, in my experience. I often find myself getting riled up about things that I know I do not care about. In any case, the book is refreshing in its emphasis that there is no life without problems; the point is to choose the right problems.
I also thought this was useful:
If you want to change how you see your problems, you have to change what you value and/or how you measure failure/success.
Here his point is, don’t measure success too much based on things you cannot control, e.g., the approval of others, promotions, etc. Rather focus on things you can control, e.g., doing your best. Associated with this is what you should measure yourself on:
Redefine your metrics in mundane and broad ways. Choose to measure yourself not as a rising star or an undiscovered genius. . . . Instead, measure yourself by more mundane identities: a student, a partner, a friend, a creator. . . . (You should) define yourself in the simplest and most ordinary ways possible. This often means giving up some grandiose ideas about yourself: that you’re uniquely intelligent, or spectacularly talented . . . This means giving up your sense of entitlement and your belief that you’re somehow owed something by this world.”
I can’t say it’s the best written or most insightful book I’ve ever come across, and admittedly I lost it in an Uber before I finished it completely, but that said I enjoyed it.
