The book that helped change my outlook on my life.

The book that helped me regain control of myself and my life was written by Mark Manson,

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F**k

A Counterintuitive Approach To Living A Good Life

The way that Mark Manson put this book together gave me such a better understanding. As to why some things I didn’t take as seriously as others, back then and especially now. My Not Giving a F**k meter is all the way up, but in the best way it possibly could ever be. Before I found this book at Bristol Public Library, I gave a f**k about way too much in life, and it was very overwhelming and stressful. It never felt like I was completing everything I needed to have a happy life. Like something was missing, but there is nothing missing in mine or my daughter's life. I just cared too much about way too many unnecessary things and people. It caused most of the failures in my life honestly. Everytime I thought I was doing good enough for me I always had someone on my heels telling me it still wasn’t enough, I still wasn’t skinny enough or thick enough or funny enough. Some would tell me I didn’t care enough or that I wasn’t as empathetic as a woman should be for certain situations, not realizing that any of this made a difference in my life until now.

In reading this book I realized all the things I didn’t pay attention to that were causing me more harm than good. With the first chapter locking me in with the philosophy of Charles Bukowski, who is brought up multiple times within the book, I felt like I really had hope. Like the way I’ve been trying to think is a way of being able to make life work for some people, why couldn’t it work for me? I am an Aries so I’m very hard headed at times and blunt when talking to people but at time had a problem picking my battles and that was because sometimes I just gave too many f**cks when I shouldn’t have. Giving so many f**ks in my young life caused some lifetime changes but nothing that some good old self TLC hasn't been able to fix. Now that I’ve had some time to really sit down and realize that as an adult and a parent there are just more important things for me to care for or strive for than what the norm is or what my parents or family members think or expect. I've been happier and felt free in more ways than legally, being able to identify what is important to me and my future through not giving a f**k about what everyone else around my age is doing has been hard in my early stages of life but reading this book and really living up to what Mark talks about has made a huge difference in my everyday life. Mark hit all of the marks when it came down to when and where to really start to not giving a f**ck. All his chapters kept me engaged and wanting to be better for me and do more for the things I’ve cared about, and I have been doing great! I’ve left behind all the negativity in my past and what was trying to linger in my present and no longer waste my energy on things that could set me back in life and within myself.

I struggle with Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia so it's been a roller coaster and this book has helped me become a more driven and powerful woman that has a I can beat the odds attitude. It was an amazing read and I encourage others to read this book all the time.