JP’s Reviews > The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life > Status Update
JP
is on page 95 of 212
Chapter 5: You Are Always Choosing
The Choice
There is a simple realization from which all personal improvement and growth emerges. This is the realization that we, individually, are responsible for everything in our lives no matter the external circumstances.
We don’t always control what happens to us. But we always control how we interpret what happens to us, as well as how we respond.
— Oct 16, 2026 05:01AM
The Choice
There is a simple realization from which all personal improvement and growth emerges. This is the realization that we, individually, are responsible for everything in our lives no matter the external circumstances.
We don’t always control what happens to us. But we always control how we interpret what happens to us, as well as how we respond.
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JP’s Previous Updates
JP
is on page 89 of 212
Defining Good and Bad Values
Good Values:
1. Reality-based
2. Socially constructive
3. Immediate and controllable
Bad Values:
1. Superstitious
2. Socially destructive
3. Not immediate or controllable
Good values engage you with the world as it is rather than how you wish it were.
— Oct 13, 2026 06:45AM
Good Values:
1. Reality-based
2. Socially constructive
3. Immediate and controllable
Bad Values:
1. Superstitious
2. Socially destructive
3. Not immediate or controllable
Good values engage you with the world as it is rather than how you wish it were.
JP
is on page 86 of 212
Shitty Values
Common Values of People That Create Poor Problems:
1. Pleasure. Pleasure is not the cause of happiness; rather, it is the effect.
2. Material Success.
3. Always Being Right.
4. Staying Positive. Constant positivity is a form of avoidance, not a valid solution to life’s problems.
“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” — Sigmund Freud
— Oct 12, 2026 07:35AM
Common Values of People That Create Poor Problems:
1. Pleasure. Pleasure is not the cause of happiness; rather, it is the effect.
2. Material Success.
3. Always Being Right.
4. Staying Positive. Constant positivity is a form of avoidance, not a valid solution to life’s problems.
“One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful.” — Sigmund Freud
JP
is on page 81 of 212
Rock Star Problems
… because we are apes, we instinctually measure ourselves against others and vie for status.
“If you want to change how you see your problems, you have to change what you value and/or how you measure failure/success.”
— Oct 12, 2026 07:02AM
… because we are apes, we instinctually measure ourselves against others and vie for status.
“If you want to change how you see your problems, you have to change what you value and/or how you measure failure/success.”
JP
is on page 76 of 212
The Self-Awareness Onion
Layers of Self-Awareness:
1. Simple understanding of one’s emotions
2. Ability to ask why we feel certain emotions
3. Personal values: Why do I consider this to be success/failure? How am I choosing to measure myself? By what standard am I judging and everyone around me?
— Oct 10, 2026 09:00AM
Layers of Self-Awareness:
1. Simple understanding of one’s emotions
2. Ability to ask why we feel certain emotions
3. Personal values: Why do I consider this to be success/failure? How am I choosing to measure myself? By what standard am I judging and everyone around me?
JP
is on page 57 of 212
Things Fall Apart
Often, it’s this realization—that you and your problems are actually not privileged in their severity or pain—that is the first and most important step toward solving them.
— Oct 09, 2026 07:51AM
Often, it’s this realization—that you and your problems are actually not privileged in their severity or pain—that is the first and most important step toward solving them.