Just Finished Reading: The Joy of Missing Out by Svend Brinkmann (FP: 2017)

After really enjoying his previous book (Stand Firm – Resisting the Self-Improvement Craze which I reviewed back in May 2017) I was looking forward to reading his other two available works. I was a little disappointed that the book was only 97 pages not including notes, but, I thought, it will be worth every page…..

Unfortunately I thought this was thin in more ways than one. The general argument throughout the slim volume is this – you can’t have it all so don’t even try. Firstly you’ll be happier because of it and so will the planet when you stop striving to die with the most toys. Everything in moderation – essentially know when enough is enough and stop there. Stop working late at the office looking for that bonus to upgrade item X or event A because you won’t be satisfied with it once you get it anyway… so why kill yourself when you could (at least theoretically) be in a pub with friends actually having fun. So travel in Standard Class and stay in a 3* or 4* if you’re feeling flush, drive your more than adequate car for another year, stop trying to keep up with the Jones’s (who are actually trying the keep up with you) and just RELAX. Oh, and one last thing: If you’re in a relationship stop the constant looking to ‘trade up’ to a more "ideal" partner without at least giving things a chance – it’s really annoying!

That was essentially it: Get off that bloody treadmill and start enjoying the life that you have now. To me (who is a fully paid up rejecter of all things treadmill related – *long* before I retired) this all seemed rather obvious and possibly a little trite/patronising. But maybe my head wasn’t in the right place to find it all that useful. Full of good advice on the Good Life but preaching far too much to my particular choir for me to find it too informative or useful. Sadly a little disappointing.