Life Is Simpler Than You Think

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

Two things for you to think about

There are two fundamental skills in life:
1) Focus on what you can control.
2) Let go of the rest.

Ask yourself: on your deathbed, will you regret doing/not doing it?

Then act accordingly.

Four things for you to ask yourself

What’s one thing you’re stressing about that you have no control over? What could you change that’s within your control?

What’s one thing you’d regret not doing? What’s stopping you?

One thing for you to try this week

That thing you can control? Do something about it this week. And let go of all the other things. Let me know what happens.

New Podcast: Stoicism, Solved

What does it actually mean to live like a Stoic? In this wide-ranging conversation with bestselling author and modern Stoicism evangelist Ryan Holiday, we unpack the origins of Stoic philosophy, why it exploded during turbulent times in ancient Greece and Rome, and how its principles—like courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom—still apply in a world filled with chaos, anxiety, and uncertainty. From shipwrecked merchants to emperors journaling their fears, this episode explores why some of the most powerful figures in history turned to Stoicism not just for answers—but for survival.

We also dig into how Stoicism overlaps with modern psychology, why it’s gaining traction among young men, and whether its rising popularity is being misunderstood or misused. If you’ve ever wondered whether Stoicism means being emotionless, if it’s compatible with ambition, or if it actually makes you a better person, this podcast is your one-stop masterclass.

Listen to Stoicism, Solved

Last week’s breakthroughs

In last week’s newsletter, I asked you not to think your way into a better life, but to do one thing worth feeling good about.

Our first reader took action and thoroughly transformed their life:

This couldn’t be truer. When I think of myself one and a half years ago, I was waking up to panic attacks in my NYC apartment, on anxiety and depression pills, hating my job, feeling lonely, flipping through IG stories of happy people. I was ordering in food pretty much every day and rarely moved my body.

I hit a breaking point and decided I was going to give my current reality my all and make some changes, or pack my bags and head home because this NYC dream was not holding up to the expectations I had when I’d moved here four years ago.

Turns out New York was still cool, I’d just forgotten how to take care of myself and once I started doing that, EVERYTHING changed.

I deleted Instagram, signed up for yoga classes, started cooking at home more, enrolled for an outpatient PTSD treatment to face some demons I’d been struggling with since I was a child, got my dream job (having severe panic attacks before and after interviews… but they’ll never know), broke up with friends who weren’t good for me, and started finding friendships that made me feel good. One of those friendships slowly turned into a relationship and last month, I moved into a beautiful apartment with an awesome guy. I’m now working at a job I love (even though I took a bit of a pay cut), my body is healthier, I’m surrounded by good friends who support me and make me want to be a better person, and while I recognize this isn’t the case for everyone, I realized that my dependence on anxiety/depression pills stemmed from a habit of not taking action and not doing the things I needed to be happy. Now that I’ve learned self-regulation skills from my PTSD outpatient treatment and taking action has become a new habit, I’ve been able to wean myself off of depression/anxiety pills with the help of my psychiatrist.

Going from living in a nightmare to a dream come true—give yourself some love by taking action. It’s going to be tough, and you’ll feel like a warrior in a battlefield at the beginning, but once you internalize this concept, you’ll be a changed person and can find contentment and joy in life. Don’t give up on yourself.

Over in our Solved Membership community, I asked members what environmental fix they want to maintain to live a better life, and had them come up with a plan to stick with it. Here’s Cathryn:

For me exercise has been the hardest of the fixes to maintain in recent months so I have a schedule I’ve created that I can follow each day and tick off to help keep me on track and motivated. I find when I get in from work if I have to think about what to do at all then it doesn’t happen! So having it set out takes that resistance away and having a tick sheet motivates me.

And Bo:

The one that’s most consistently controllable is probably sleep. I could be traveling/outside without the most nutritious meals available, I could be nowhere close to a gym, but if I’m near a bed and quiet space, I have the best chance of keeping a good sleep hygiene.

Coincidentally, it’s also the hardest one out of all environmental fixes that I’ve been able to keep consistent. I’m a big fan of environmental controls over willpower, but sleep has been one of the most difficult to get right.

Bo and Cathryn are just two of a hundred members who responded to my prompt on Day #8 of the Resilience, Solved Course, our live 30-day course for October. Daily action prompts. Encouragement from a supportive, like-minded community. Live events with me. Even four months free when you sign up annually. Learn more or join The Solved Membership here.

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 – My Community