Simone Biles- In its first year alone, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck sold over a million copies. But what is it about?
Simone Biles has long been known as an athlete who takes her training, her sport (gymnastics) and her competitions seriously. Now, the 24-year-old Olympian, affectionately known as the GOAT, is making big changes in her life and career: she’s moving away from the rigors of being the face of gymnastics. And, according to Biles herself, she has been inspired for this, at least in part, by a recent book of great success.
“Girls laughed at me when I read it, as if to say, ‘You’re so indifferent to everything now,'” Biles told New York Magazine. “It was kind of like, ‘This is so pretty. How do you do it? I said, ‘You just have to read the book. You will learn.'”
First published in 2016, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck is a 224-page manifesto about the power of caring less about the little things and more about what really matters. The idea is that this will lead to a simpler, happier and more fulfilling life.
Biles isn’t the only fan of the book; in its first year alone, more than one million copies were sold. Since then, it has been translated into 25 languages.
“If you’re like me and you’re on an emotional roller coaster because you take every event in the world to heart and within your own life, I strongly encourage you to read this book,” one Amazon critic wrote. “I still allow myself to feel and talk about the things that bother me… but insignificant things no longer affect me. Now I let negativity not catch me.”
Today, Biles says he pays less attention to unwanted criticism, exaggerated expectations and the need for perfectionism. Instead, he is pouring his energy into healing, into his loved ones, and into figuring out who he wants to be next.
“It means sacrificing some of that stardom,” he said in the New York Magazine interview. “But at the end of the day, you can’t have it all. And if you take care of your mental well-being first, the rest settles in.”
We are impressed by Biles’ athletic and mental strength. So if the professional gymnast (who is also a tough guy) recommends this book, you can bet that we will curl up under a cozy blanket to read it as soon as possible.