How I Changed My Life in Three Steps

Petr Švihlík
3 min readJan 22, 2019

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The year 2018 was absolutely groundbreaking to me. I completely reorganized my life and I feel that I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. If something troubles you or you’d like to change your life for the better, here’s a three-step recipe:

1) The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

There is an overwhelming plethora of self improvement books. I find most of them shitty. If there’s one book you should read, it’s this one. It’ll help you set the right values and spend the finite number of f*cks you’re given in this life efficiently. For me, the #1 value is now honesty — to other people and to myself as well.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life

This book is an absolute gem, full of deep life truths. I can sign every word in the book. I humbly bow to you, Mr. Mark Manson.

If you enjoyed the book as I did, don’t miss Mark’s blog.

2) YearCompass

As surprising as it may seem, lots of people don’t take their time to look back into their past. Or at least, not as thoroughly as they should. Neither did I — mistake!

I think it doesn’t matter that much which retrospective framework you choose. I used YearCompass and it served me well. Actually, well beyond my expectations.

YearCompass guides you through the past year by asking you a set of intriguing questions. They might not seem intriguing at first, but believe me, they are designed very cunningly. The important findings about yourself tend to repeat themselves and stand out. The moment you’re done with the booklet, you’ll know absolutely clearly, what’s the one thing you have to do something about in the upcoming year. Just make sure you scan through the booklet one more time after you finish filling it out.

3) Talk to Your Friends

Once you’ve done your homework — you set the right values, looked into your past and dreamed big about your future, it’s time to talk to your friends.

When they say that communication is the key, what they actually mean is that honesty in communication is the key. Disclose your vulnerabilities and you’ll be surprised by all the supportive reactions you’ll receive from your true friends.

But beware of one little side-effect: when you “come out” your fake friends will suddenly start to disappear from your life. Great — more time for your true best friends! :-)

Talking honestly to your friends will help you find the balls you need to execute your plan.

A pair of tennis balls

Good Hunting

Is there a skeleton hiding in your closet? Lock and load! It’s time kick the shit out of the bastard!

Footnote: Thanks to all who helped me go through this tough period of my life — you guys know who you are. I ❤️ you.

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