Uploaded August 2024 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
Originally published on January 31, 2024
What do you do when trying to improve your life makes you feel worse? What if trying to be better comes across as ‘try-hard’? What if setting more goals is just your way of avoiding your own bullshit?
This is the topic of discussion in today’s episode, “The Self-Improvement Paradox”—or in other words, why sometimes trying to be better makes you feel worse. It turns out improving yourself is nuanced and complicated.
Who would have thought?
Check it out.
Sign up for Your Next Breakthrough, a weekly newsletter that will make you a less awful person: markmanson.net/breakthrough
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:37 Question #1: When is improving yourself being try-hard?
00:10:35 Question #2: How do you balance improving yourself with accepting yourself?
00:20:14 Question #3: Is too much self-esteem really that big of a problem?
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Originally published on January 31, 2024
What do you do when trying to improve your life makes you feel worse? What if trying to be better comes across as ‘try-hard’? What if setting more goals is just your way of avoiding your own bullshit?
This is the topic of discussion in today’s episode, “The Self-Improvement Paradox”—or in other words, why sometimes trying to be better makes you feel worse. It turns out improving yourself is nuanced and complicated.
Who would have thought?
Check it out.
Sign up for Your Next Breakthrough, a weekly newsletter that will make you a less awful person: markmanson.net/breakthrough
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:37 Question #1: When is improving yourself being try-hard?
00:10:35 Question #2: How do you balance improving yourself with accepting yourself?
00:20:14 Question #3: Is too much self-esteem really that big of a problem?
instagram.com/markmanson
twitter.com/IAmMarkManson
facebook.com/Markmansonnet
linkedin.com/in/markmanson
tiktok.com/@iammarkmanson










