What’s Wrong With You?

0 people had breakthroughs this week. Will the next one be you?

One thing for you to think about

It’s an amazing trigger within human nature, the minute someone acknowledges their flaws, not only do we tend to forgive them, but we actually come to admire them.

Two things for you to ask yourself

What flaws, if any, are you trying to hide? Why?

One thing for you to try this week

Admit your flaw to someone you care about this week. Don’t hold back. Let me know how they react.

New This Week

Podcast: Breaking the Monoculture, the Rise of “Premium Mediocre,” and Choosing Your Suck

Ever feel like culture’s splitting into countless micro-worlds where everyone’s just vibing to their own thing? In this latest podcast episode, I introduce my theory on the “Jazzification of Everything.” Drew and I dive into how our subcultures of music, entertainment, and even personal obsessions have evolved into these aging communities, totally detached from the cultural monocultures of the past. Whether it’s metal fans in their forties or electronic music lovers growing older with their favorite DJs, we explore how the media landscape and algorithms have encouraged us to stick to what we know—and why this shift could be both a gift and a curse.

We also dig into why “premium mediocre” is taking over our consumer habits, and whether or not that’s actually a bad thing. We discuss how these tiny, exclusive-seeming trends might be fooling us, offering superficial luxuries instead of anything truly valuable. We cap it off with a big question about whether chasing after anything is worth it, or if we’re just dooming ourselves to disappointment. Give it a listen. Enjoy.

Last week’s breakthroughs

In last week’s newsletter, I asked you to embrace adulthood by doing one thing that isn’t pleasant but is the right thing to do.

For our first reader, what’s right is letting go:

For the past nine months, I’ve been pouring my heart and energy into helping a family friend with her business. I was driven by her promises—empty in hindsight—of remuneration and the potential to one day buy the business from her. During this time, I created an entirely new brand for her, tripled her sales, and navigated countless challenges. Yet, all along, I heard warnings from others about her patterns, her inability to change, and her tendency to fall back into old habits.

Deep down, I knew they were right. But I felt obligated. And, if I’m honest, I struggle with confrontation.

Then, just before Christmas, the breaking point came. Two key staff members I’d brought into the business resigned, frustrated by conflicts with her. I was summoned to a meeting with her and an advisor, only to have the blame shifted onto me. Everything in me wanted to walk away right then and there—but instead, I stayed, offering three more solutions to her endless problems. I ignored the opinions of others who told me to let her fend for herself. (Part one of doing what was right instead of what felt right.)

Weeks of silence followed, and now, here we are in the New Year. I’m still unpaid, still uneasy, and no closer to the promises she made.

I’ve realized it’s time to walk away. Not because it feels right, easy or comfortable, but because it’s what’s right. She doesn’t respect my time, my energy, or the value of the work I’ve done for her. I’ve spent so much effort trying to help her succeed, driven by long-term goals I thought were worth fighting for. But it’s clear now—this no longer serves me.

This realization didn’t come lightly. I’m writing this at 4 A.M., jolted awake by a dream of her chasing me—a perfect metaphor for the weight she’s had on my mind. It’s time to let go.

Walking away isn’t easy after all the work I’ve put in, but it’s the only way to reclaim my time, my peace, and my energy. Sometimes, the hardest decisions are the ones that free us the most.

Bruce was inspired to put his grandsons first:

You asked for a reply regarding doing something uncomfortable but ‘right’ which helped me decide to help my son and grandsons. I am not sure how it will turn out but thanks for the push in the right direction.

My son is recently divorced in a pretty amicable separation where the two boys live with one parent each week. Kyle, my son, starts a new job today changing from a 100% home office to a 100% onsite job beginning at 7 A.M. each day. The boys have always been dropped off at our house around 8:30 for school bus pickup and drop-off until the ‘weekly’ parent can grab them at the end of the day.

Anyway, back to the right thing that is uncomfortable—I volunteered to come to my son’s house at 6:00 A.M. each day of his week in order to give the boys an extra hour or so of sleep. I am an early riser anyway but my morning hours are my most productive as a solopreneur.

I don’t know if this is the type of thing you were imagining but your email inspired me. Thanks.

Finally, what is right for others may not be right for you, as Vicki realized:

I usually do what senior management says is right, or what is right for the job.

Your email made me think. I am off with a severe back spasm. On multiple meds. Cannot drive or walk. Yet I have said I will work from home for the next two days and return to work on Thursday as soon as I am allowed to drive (due to medication not pain). That is the right thing to do for my role. However, I am not going to do that or feel guilty about it (at least try not to). What feels right is to take an extra couple of days off until the pain is less severe and I can function. My team will be fine, the patients will be fine, and the world will continue.

This feels unpleasant. I ‘should’ be at work leading the team. I ‘should’ be completely on top of things. But I am not like that with my team so why should I be so hard on myself?

As always, send your breakthroughs by simply replying to this email. Let me know if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.

Until next week,

Mark Manson

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author
My Website – My Books – My YouTube Channel – My Podcast