Rating: 9/10

My Thoughts

Derek Sivers is one of my favourite internet people. In his book he offers 26 mutually mostly exclusive ways to live your life. Many elements resonated on a deeper level with me, while others sounded very wrong. Use this book as a compass and follow the elements that ring true to you. Rereading this book makes sense. You are not static and neither is your reaction to these elements. I have written down the elements that I mostly agree with. There is no right way to live your life – neither is there a wrong one.

Summary

“Be independent: All misery comes from dependence, the only way to be deeply happy is to cut all dependencies, most problems are interpersonal, you have to detach from society”

• Live as if you were the only person on earth”

• Cut ties with society don`t engage. Norms, news, politics are not real. They are interpersonal drama. Don`t be a part of any group.
• Instead of standing out from the crowd, avoid the crowd.
• Stay unlabeled and unbound.
• Rules and norms were created by upperclass to see who belongs to which class.
  

“You can`t be free without self-mastery”:

• Quit a harmless habit for a month, just to prove you can.
• When you say you need freedom from yourself, you need freedom from your past self.
• Learn the skills you need to be self-reliant. Assume nobody will help you. Don`t depend on any company.
• Live where you feel most free.
• Be a nomadic minimalist.
• Spread different aspects of your life across different countries.

“The problem is a lack of commitment”

• No choice is inherently best, you make it best through your commitment to it.
• Pick one choice and irreversibly commit, so it becomes the best choice.
• Thoughts are divided, indecision keeps you shallow.
• Focus your attention on the few things you are committed to.
• Find a community of like-minded people.
• Invite your neighbours over for a meal. The more social ties we have, the happier we are.
• Marry someone full of kindness, you don`t want to change, who sees you as your highest potential.
• When you commit you feel free.

“Fill your senses”:

• Appreciate the physical world.
• Maximise your inputs, see all the places, meet all the people, be insatiable. Life is short.
• Never do anything twice.
• Follow guides, be systematic.

“Make great adventures and greater stories”

• Make a stagename and a company with the same name.
• Record everything on video and make everything a story.
• Keep momentum and repeat this process as much as you like.
• Push it as far as it goes.

“Live for the future”

• Listen only to new music. Use only the newest media.
• Stay only immersed in what is coming next.
• Spend your social time in meeting new people.
• Old friends and family will unintentionally keep you from growing.
• Tradition is the opposite of what you want.

“Value only what has endured”

• The longer something lasts the longer it will last.

“Learn as much as you can”

• Confidence is usually ignorance.
• Have questions, not answers. Doubt everything.
• When you are really learning, you feel stupid and vulnerable.
• Whatever scares you, go do it.
• Get to know people you don`t usually talk to.
• Great public speaking comes from great private thinking.

“Love”

• Sharing and learning is connecting and loving.
• When someone tells you whats broken, they want you to love the brokenness not to heal them.
• Keep communicating instead of shutting down.
• Who makes you feel more like yourself, more open and honest?

“Create”

• Either consume or create.
• Don`t wait for inspiration.
• It`s better to create something bad than nothing.
• Embrace whats weird about you and use it to create.
• Don`t just express yourself but discover yourself.
• Explore what excites you the most.
• Imitate your heroes.

“Quotes”

• “The more you really connect with people, the more you learn about yourself: What exites you, what drains you, what attracts you, and what intimidates you.”