Book: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
- Eric Kraus
- productivity
- 04 Jun, 2018
A note from the author (me)...
I’ll admit it, the title of this book and the assumption that a lot of cursing would be involved drew me to make the purchase. I didn’t expect the content to be revolutionary, but possibly a different (and entertaining) spin on some old advice.
No offense intended…this is how most self-help books work. This was also the first book I listened to on Audible and for that part alone, it was not a disappointment.
General Impression
The first third of the book reminded me of a stand up comic’s routine. I couldn’t stop laughing. I was listening to it while driving, and it made three hours pass by in a minute.
The dry, sarcastic vulgar delivery was perfect for the “get over it” subject matter. The first part didn’t venture into solving problems, just calling out all the ridiculous things we care too much about.
If the book would have ended after the first few chapters, I would have been happy. However, my 100 Book Goal required me to read (later adapted to include listening) to the end of a book, so I stuck it out.
In short, the middle of the book had some valuable content, some of it noted below. The last third of the book was quite repetitive.
Main Ideas
Below are the main topics I took away from the book. Nothing Earth shatteringly new, but the entertainment value was the worth the price alone.
- work towards something greater in your life. a greater purpose gives you the focus to care about the things that matter and not give a fck about the things that don’t
- adopt a sort of Grit (another book I read and enjoyed) mentality: essentially, obsess about the things that do matter and accomplish them at all costs
- allow yourself a limited number of fcks — use them wisely
- what fcks you do give are what you care about the most (take note of these things)
- you have to spend some fcks — otherwise you aren’t passionate about anything and will be seen as entitled
- YOU control your emotions — no one can make you anything (you allow emotions to happen)
- don’t let your emotions dictate your actions
Biggest Takeaway
Possibly the best advice from the book was about 3yr olds and dogs…
Three-year olds and dogs have one thing in common:
They both sh!t on the floor, and people don’t give a fck!
(because we love them)
Despite a surprisingly lackluster ending, I have recommended this book to several people. Almost all of which, have listened to it and summarized it the same as above.
