Question #2: The author

[[deleted user]]

Did you wonder at any point while reading this book, who is this guy!?Mark Manson has no credentials, other than life experience. How did/does this affect your reading and take-away from the book?

[Kate]

You know, I actually never thought about his credentials at all and I had no idea he had a blog until he mentioned it in the book. I guess I responded to the casual tone of the book. It just sounded like one guy telling you what works for him instead of maybe a more authoritative tone from a doctor or a well known person in the field. You could take what you wanted leave the rest in some cases and handle points on a case by case basis instead of tying it back to a whole field of medicine or study or whatever. It's hard to argue against someone's own experiences. If it works for him that's great for him and anyone else whereas and it it doesn't work for you or isn't your style that's fine to.

[Ashley]

I did catch myself a couple times while reading, thinking to myself, "who is this guy?!" For a variety of reasons. Probably at least once while reading about his personal life (whether his girlfriend troubles, start-up troubles, or sitting on the edge of a canyon troubles.) Or maybe while reading his commandments for a better life, I thought to myself, who are you to tell me how to act? What credentials do you have? I suppose the answer is that experiences are his credentials; and perhaps those are actually more valuable than a doctor who has never struggled, but understands the psychological concept of struggling. So I guess, it depends on what you value! Ultimately, I decided I trust Mr. Manson, because he definitely has had a wealth of experiences, and yet at the same time, feels like a regular guy - and I'm a regular gal, who could use some help not giving a f*ck.