How to Live
27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion
Twenty-seven directives for how to live, each chapter arguing the opposite of the last — all true, all incompatible. The weird conclusion: there’s no single right way, so pick a stance fully and live it.
Derek Sivers founded CD Baby, sold it, and spent the profits and the years since experimenting with how to structure a life. “How to Live” (2021) presents 27 short chapters, each one a fully committed answer to the title question — and each one contradicted by the next. The contradictions are the point.
A few lines worth keeping:
You don’t see things as they are. You see them as you are.
If it’s not important, never do it. If it’s important, do it every day.
The sooner you pay a price, the less it costs.
Choose the pain of discipline, not the pain of regret.
Don’t try to be more right. Just be less wrong.
Observe yourself. Your own mind is the best laboratory. It’s also the most private and peaceful place to work.
The only real time is this moment. So live accordingly. Whatever benefits you right now is the right choice.
Try absolutely everything, all the time, expecting everything to fail. Just make sure that you capture the lessons from each experience. And never make the same mistake twice.
Don’t die. There’s only one law of nature: if you survive, you win.
Shallow happy is what you want now. Deep happy is what you want most. Fulfillment is more fun than fun.
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