Mark Manson weekly newsletter

"Five minutes each week that might change your life." 58 people had a breakthrough last week. Read this newsletter on MarkManson.net. TWO THINGS FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT A tiny piece of advice that changed my life: Stop assuming people know how you feel, tell them instead. Tell them when you’re proud. Tell them when you missed them. Tell them when you’re angry or stressed. When in doubt, just tell them. Share this: If being honest about your feelings causes somebody to leave, then they were never really with you to begin with. Share this: Reflect: Then consider sharing this thought with others. TWO THINGS FOR YOU TO ASK YOURSELF What are you not saying because you’re afraid they’ll leave? Wouldn’t you rather find out? Recommended: Use these as journaling prompts for the week. ONE THING FOR YOU TO TRY THIS WEEK Say the thing. Reply and let me know what happens. Remember: Small changes lead to lasting breakthroughs. Reply to this email and let me know how it went. Say the Thing—to Yourself Sponsored by BetterHelp It's easy to tell someone you're proud of them. Harder to tell someone they hurt you. But the hardest conversation? The one you keep avoiding with yourself. That's what therapy is actually for. A place to finally say the things you've been circling for months, out loud, to someone who isn't going to flinch. BetterHelp makes it easy to start by matching you with a licensed therapist online in as little as 24 hours. Video, phone, or chat—whatever feels better for you. Because “better” is personal. So if your first match doesn't click, you switch. No guilt trip. I've spent enough time in therapy to know: the thing you won't say is usually the one you most need to. Get 20% off your first month here. LAST WEEK'S BREAKTHROUGHS In last week’s newsletter, I argued that growth is learning which problems aren't worth fixing, and asked you to leave one alone for a week. Ryan realized his problem was already fixing itself: “I've actually been trying to fix a ‘problem’ for the better part of the last 4 months, so this is timely. The problem I've been trying to fix is money, specifically the feeling that I need to accrue it fast in order to ‘get back’ to a place of financial security I had a few years ago before my life changed drastically and I essentially lost everything. In the last few months, I've launched an Etsy shop, a Shopify store, tried Fiverr and Wyzant tutoring, looked into voiceover work, and tried selling vintage goods online. Most of those are dead or stalled now. None of them replaced a paycheck. What they actually did was let me feel like I was doing something about money instead of sitting with how slow the real fix is. The real fix is boring. A debt plan that's already drawing a real balance down every month. A paycheck that already pays my bills and provides food. None of that needs another side hustle stacked on top of it. It just needs me to stop interrupting it. So the problem I'm leaving alone this week is starting anything new. No new listings, no new platforms, no ‘what if I tried X’ research at 11pm. Just the job, the plan that's already running, and the guitar instead of the laptop after 8pm.” Anthony stopped trying to solve uncertainty: “This one really resonated with me. I’ve been going through a difficult period in my marriage, and one of the biggest things I’ve realized is how much time and energy I spend trying to fix uncertainty. I keep looking for answers, analyzing situations, and trying to figure out what someone else is thinking or feeling. Part of me believes that if I can just get enough information, I’ll finally feel confident enough to make the decisions I need to make. But I’m starting to realize that I may already know enough. What I’m struggling with is accepting the uncertainty and discomfort that come with taking action. As far as pain I’m tolerating well, I’ve become pretty good at functioning through difficult emotions. I can have a rough day, reset my