Mark Manson is a blogger, author, and entrepreneur. He specializes in writing personal development advice that doesn’t suck. His website MarkManson.net is read by over 2 million people each month.

He has written two best-sellers Models: The Art of Attracting Women Through Honesty and The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counter-Intuitive Approach to Living a Good Life. markmanson.netYou can connect with him and learn more at

Key Points

1. There is No Such Thing as a Problem Free Life

Life is not easy, anyone who tells you otherwise is full of crap.

Life can suck sometimes and that is just the reality.

However, you should not see this as a bad thing, in fact, you should appreciate it.

If life is going to be painful no matter what, this means that you have a choice to choose what kind of pain you want to endure.

You can endure the pain of failure or you can endure the pain of struggling to achieve success.

2. Pain Isn’t Always Bad Pleasure Isn’t Always Good

Something that most people misunderstand is that pain is not always a bad thing and pleasure is not always a good thing.

You can achieve pleasure by purchasing mounds of cocaine and heroin, but that would not be expedient for achieving your goals and living the life that you want.

You can also be in pain by pursuing your goals and trying to achieve greatness but this is not necessarily a bad thing.

Accept the fact that life is not about being in a constant state of euphoria, it is about overcoming challenges and living a life of meaning.

3. Your Behaviors Dictate Your Values

Whenever you ask people what they value they will tell you all sorts of things and about how they value family, fitness, or personal growth.

However, their actions say otherwise.

They say that they value family but they spend all of their time working.

They say they value health but workout only once a month and treat their body like sh!t.

Maybe they even say that they don’t value their sex life and yet they are out every week trying to get with a new girl.

If you want to know what you truly value, take a look at your actions.

Be willing to examine yourself and your life without any bias or judgment and make changes accordingly.

If you don’t you will spend your whole life spinning your wheel and accomplishing very little.

4. A Constant Pursuit of Happiness Leads to Dissatisfaction

Most self-help movements in the modern world seem hell bent on helping people achieve this constant state of euphoria.

But the sad fact is, by pursuing happiness, you actually make yourself less happy.

In every moment, you are always wondering “Am I as happy as I could be right now? What more could I be doing?” and you end up feeling depressed and frustrated because you are not happier.

The same is true with your physique, bank account, and game.

If you are constantly trying to be the absolute best, you will never be able to appreciate where you are.

Learn to just accept that you may not be the richest, best looking, or most charismatic man in the room and work with that.

Accept yourself for who you are and work to improve in the areas that are truly lacking.

Otherwise, you will be like a dog chasing its tail and end up living a miserable life.

5. You are Going to Die

This is one of the most important things to remember in your life.

No matter what you achieve, not matter how much money you make, who you marry, or how many people’s lives you affect, at the end of the day you are going to die.

There is no way around it.

Death is the only constant in every human being’s life.

But this should not depress or scare you.

It should liberate you.

The inevitability of death means that you can free yourself from the expectations of others, the drama of daily life, and the fear that accompanies big decisions.

If you are going to die, then all that matter is the legacy that you leave behind you.

Remember this and live life to the fullest.

ATG 79: Unoptional Joy - Why prioritizing your happiness is crucial to your success with Valorie Burton﻿

ATG 79: Unoptional Joy - Why prioritizing your happiness is crucial to your success with Valorie Burton