The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

Expanding our sense of freedom, aliveness, love, and peace means we’re going to be moving beyond what seems comfortable or safe. It means we’re going to invite small amounts of “danger” in the form of discomfort, risk, or failure.

attempt to escape the negative, to avoid it or quash it or silence it, only backfires. The avoidance of suffering is a form of suffering. The avoidance of struggle is a struggle. The denial of failure is a failure. Hiding what is shameful is itself a form of shame.

regardless of the story we tell ourselves and others, the lives we have today are most likely a product of answering these three basic questions: What do I do so that I don’t feel uncomfortable? What do I do so that I don’t lose time, energy, or money? What do I do so that I don’t look bad?

After a couple of years (!) of complaining and bitching and shooting down ideas, I finally reached a powerful, yet obvious realization: There was no perfect plan. No perfect path existed. No matter what there was going to be uncertainty. There were going to be risks. Mistakes were going to be made. I was going to be uncomfortable. I was going to lo