How To Ruin Your Life is a satirical book written by Ben Stein that perfectly blends humor and motivation. A joy to read, the book detail outs 21 steps (giving example of each) that if taken to heart and applied to your life will definitely ruin it. In short the book teaches you how to ignore other by becoming wrapped up in your own life, how to be an effective center of your own universe, and, perhaps most importantly, that because you are so special the normal laws of reality and common sense don’t apply to you.
I would highly recommend the book for someone looking for a motivation shot in the arm candy coated with some humor (as I was). Though even forgoing the task of actually reading the book, the chapter titles can act as a sort of checklist of the ruin in your life:
Chapter 1: Don’t learn any useful skills.
Chapter 2: Convince yourself that you are the center of the universe.
Chapter 3: Never accept any responsibility for anything that goes wrong.
Chapter 4: Criticize early and often.
Chapter 5: Never be grateful.
Chapter 6: Envy everything, appreciate nothing.
Chapter 7: Be a perfectionist.
Chapter 8: Don’t enjoy the simple things in life.
Chapter 9: Fix anyone and everyone at any time.
Chapter 10: Treat the people who are good to you badly.
Chapter 11: Make the people around you feel small.
Chapter 12: Keep score.
Chapter 13: Use drugs and alcohol freely.
Chapter 14: Don’t save any money.
Chapter 15: Ignore your family.
Chapter 16: Remember that no one else counts.
Chapter 17: Know that you don’t own anyone a thing.
Chapter 18: Show everyone that you’re holier than thou.
Chapter 19: Fight the good fight over everything.
Chapter 20: Think the worst of everybody.
After Thought: Don’t believe in God
July 19, 2009
Thoughts