How to Win at Life
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Two quotes for you to think about
“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language. And next year’s words await another voice.” – T.S. Eliot
“Almost everything will start working again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.” – Anne Lamott
Reflect: Then consider sharing this thought with others.
Two things for you to ask yourself
What language of your life in 2025 will you leave behind? What language of 2026 will you bring alive?
Recommended: Use these as journaling prompts for the week.
One thing for you to try this week
Unplug yourself. Literally and figuratively. Pause what you’re doing, reflect on your year, and let me know what you find.
A New Year Gift: How to Win At Life in 2026
Humor me for a minute and think of your life as a game—or rather, a series of games. When you’re young, you might be playing to win validation from your parents, acceptance from your peers, or if you’re unlucky, reprieve from the school’s worst bullies.
As you get older, you keep playing—but now you get to choose the games. You can play the “climb the corporate ladder” game, the “loving and supportive partner” game, the “save the world” game…
But here’s the thing: though the number of life games you can play is limitless, the cheat codes that help you win across them are not.
And, because my favorite game (besides Elden Ring) is helping you win at life, I’ve put together an 85-page ebook with five of those cheat codes for you. It’s completely free as my gift to you. Just click the link below and they’re yours, forever.
Happy New Year.
Remember: Small changes lead to lasting breakthroughs. Reply to this email and let me know how it went for you.
Last week’s breakthroughs
In last week’s newsletter, I asked you to give yourself permission to skip one thing that drains you this holiday.
Hunter opted out of condescension:
I actually followed your prompt this past Thanksgiving. My wife’s aunt is in a relationship with a guy who is honestly pretty rude and condescending when we (me, my wife, and family) are around. We really only see this guy once a year, and I’d say it’s pretty draining for all parties. I was in the middle of moving to a new place anyways, and thought, ‘I’m actually not going to go and listen to this guy’s drama for a few hours this year. I’d rather be in a good mood.’ Game changer. Ended up spending Thanksgiving Day moving boxes to our new house and listened to a broadcast on my favorite radio station instead.
This is one piece of advice I will stand by! Gives the holiday season some much needed relief. Thank you for all you do!
Merry Christmas!
Our next reader is moving beyond guilt:
Oh boy—this one resonated. My sister-in-law is the Queen of drama. She has a victim mindset and loves to wallow in it. I have felt bad for her as she has had a number of contributing factors which have led to where she is today; however, I cannot allow myself to be sucked into it. There is nothing I can suggest or do which will ever be enough to help/save her. Nothing is ever reciprocated including the conversation—actually she prefers her monologue. I have moved beyond guilt. I am polite but I do not spend time in her circle. I have set boundaries for myself. My mental energy is mine to spend as I wish and I don’t wish to spend it there.
Finally, what’s draining our community member Erika isn’t drama, but detail:
I’m very proud of myself today. Instead of obsessing over travel details, I focused on relationships with the people around me (I’m alone but I focused on the employees, fellow travelers etc. I was interacting with). I was able to keep this as my primary focus, and logistics (all about ME ME ME) was secondary. I could give some deeper details but long story short I feel a sense of deep satisfaction and personal power (and interpersonal power) as a result. We are only alive in this moment… future moments aren’t promised. Make sure you are keeping the main thing the main thing.
Erika’s story comes from the “Breakthroughs & Wins” space inside our Solved Membership, where members come together to share their own and celebrate others’ breakthroughs—just one of many features inside to harness the power of community to help you live a life aligned with what matters. Click here to learn more.
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
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