Very Sivers
4 stars
I love Sivers' outlook and approach to life. This book summarizes so many teachings and worldviews into bitesized, conflicting answers, all in a very Sivers way.
Paperback, 130 pages
Published May 1, 2022 by Hit Media.
4 stars
(2 reviews)
27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion
Not quite non-fiction, not quite self-help. It’s a work of art about conflicting philosophies.
Many books believe they know how you should live. But each book disagrees with the next. In “How to Live”, each chapter believes it knows how you should live. And each chapter disagrees with the next.
One chapter makes a compelling argument for why you should be completely independent, keeping all options open. The next chapter argues why you should commit to one career, one place, and one person.
One chapter persuades you to be fully present, and experience each moment. The next, to delay gratification and invest for the future.
Which one is right? Which does the author believe? All of them. It's a philosophy of conflicting philosophies.
A very unique and thought-provoking book. Meant for reflection as much as instruction.
113 incredibly succinct pages of profound insights. …
27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion
Not quite non-fiction, not quite self-help. It’s a work of art about conflicting philosophies.
Many books believe they know how you should live. But each book disagrees with the next. In “How to Live”, each chapter believes it knows how you should live. And each chapter disagrees with the next.
One chapter makes a compelling argument for why you should be completely independent, keeping all options open. The next chapter argues why you should commit to one career, one place, and one person.
One chapter persuades you to be fully present, and experience each moment. The next, to delay gratification and invest for the future.
Which one is right? Which does the author believe? All of them. It's a philosophy of conflicting philosophies.
A very unique and thought-provoking book. Meant for reflection as much as instruction.
113 incredibly succinct pages of profound insights. No philosophers are quoted. No -isms are named. Only actionable directives. The end result feels more like poetry than prose.
Perplexed, in a good way?
4 stars
Content warning Definitely spoilers
This book was recommended to me by a friend, and given how short it is I full-sent it in one session.
I went in knowing nothing aside from the title. I read through the first method of living a bit confused, but proceeded with an open mind. The second method of living almost directly contradicted the first, and that’s when I realized what this book was. It truly is 27, exclusive ways of living life - some have concepts that contradict with each other, and others that flow together incredibly well.
The diversity of ways you can live your life is certainly a message this books attempts to convey. Each method of life has clear pros and cons for the reader to think about.
Another observation I had is while I feel certain people tend to fall into certain camps, no one actually seems to live a single method of life perfectly. There is almost always a mixture of different styles of living behind every individual.
This may be a hot take, but I didn’t love the ending - perhaps because I wanted a clearer answer or message behind it all. But that also seems to be the point the author tries to make at the end - there is no “right” way of living. Each approach has different benefits and drawbacks, and we are the ones in control to decide how we want to live our lives. Perhaps the real purpose of this book is to remind ourselves that we have control over our lives and can choose whichever path(s) we want to take. None are right, none are wrong. All that is true is we are the ones in control.
I am giving this 4 stars because it wasn’t a mind-blowing read, BUT I must say this is definitely a book worth re-reading. I feel it’ll age better with time as I have more opportunities to sit with it, so I would certainly not be surprised if my rating changes.