The Courage to be disliked
Book - The courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishmi and Fumitake Koga
After coming out of a long term relationship that followed on from time spent focusing on the demands of high school and university I realised that I had really never needed to question what it was that brought happiness to my life, as I had always had it defined for me.
I found myself confronted with a sudden lack of purpose following a life defined by pleasing others.
The book - This book was recommended to me by a great friend who realised my challenge.
It truly helped me understand the extent to which we are shaped by the social world and how essential it is to deeply consider what brings us true happiness.
It's a challenging thought experiment to question how you would live if you could accept that all problems were interpersonal problems and that the opinions of other people truly didnt matter, but one that can make many of the trials you face in life seem trivial and easily solved once you have the courage to be disliked.
Result -
After reading this book I spent a few weeks solo travelling India where I proved to myself that there is enourmous value in purely "selfish" moments.
It's too easy to live a life entirely dedicated to bringing happiness to others and in turn completely neglect giving time to your own. Not to say that you should live a selfish existence, this book teaches balance and independence.
Take the time to occasionally be selfish, question your own happiness and purpose and you will find yourself better able to support others in your life and to give selflessly.
