Are you looking for ways to live a happier, more balanced life, free from the constraints of others' expectations? The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga offers a groundbreaking perspective on personal growth, happiness, and self-liberation. This book has resonated with millions around the world for its transformative teachings rooted in Adlerian psychology, challenging us to break free from self-imposed limitations and live authentically.

In this post, I’ll share the core lessons from The Courage to Be Disliked, explore how it aligns with themes of well-being and life balance, and explain why this book might just be the key to unlocking a more fulfilling life.

What is The Courage to Be Disliked About?

The Courage to Be Disliked presents a conversation between a philosopher and a young man, where the philosopher introduces the teachings of Alfred Adler, a renowned Austrian psychologist. Unlike Freud, Adler's ideas emphasize the importance of choice, responsibility, and personal freedom over determinism. Through the conversation, the philosopher explains how anyone can find happiness by embracing the courage to live independently of others' expectations.

This book is particularly powerful for those struggling with people-pleasing, self-doubt, or lack of direction. It encourages readers to overcome fear and take responsibility for their own happiness.

Key Lessons from The Courage to Be Disliked for a Happier Life

1. Let Go of the Past to Move Forward Freely

A core message in The Courage to Be Disliked is that our past does not determine our future. Unlike many psychological theories that emphasize trauma, Adlerian psychology argues that we are not bound by our experiences. Instead, we assign meaning to our past, and we can choose to reinterpret or let go of past events to move forward.

This lesson is transformative for anyone who feels trapped by past failures or regrets. By choosing to focus on the present, you can redirect your energy toward building the future you want.

2. The Power of Self-Acceptance and Living Authentically

The book argues that true happiness comes from accepting ourselves as we are and embracing our individuality, rather than seeking validation from others. This theme of self-acceptance aligns closely with building a balanced life, as we often spend too much time worrying about others' perceptions rather than pursuing our own happiness.

The Courage to Be Disliked teaches that we are responsible for our choices and happiness. By accepting yourself, you can stop striving for approval and start living authentically. This is key to achieving life balance, as it reduces stress and increases self-worth.

3. Find Happiness by Letting Go of the Need for Approval

One of the book's boldest messages is that we need to relinquish our desire to be liked by everyone. When we live solely for approval, we sacrifice our own happiness to meet others’ expectations. According to Adlerian principles, happiness is found by focusing on one’s own values and goals rather than conforming to social norms or others’ expectations.

This is a crucial lesson for those striving for better life balance and well-being. The more you focus on living in alignment with your values, the less likely you are to be swayed by external pressures.

4. Take Responsibility for Your Life – and Your Happiness

The Courage to Be Disliked also emphasizes the importance of personal responsibility. The philosopher argues that blaming external circumstances or people for our dissatisfaction traps us in a cycle of unhappiness. By taking ownership of our lives, we empower ourselves to make positive changes.

This mindset is liberating. Rather than relying on others or circumstances to change, we can take small actions to improve our lives. This is a great lesson for readers looking to boost their well-being, as it shifts the focus from external validation to self-empowerment.

5. Find Meaning by Contributing to Others’ Happiness

A unique concept in Adlerian psychology, and discussed in the book, is the idea of "contributing to others." Instead of focusing solely on oneself, The Courage to Be Disliked advocates finding meaning by positively impacting others’ lives. This does not mean losing oneself to please others but rather fostering connections and contributing to the community.

This principle aligns with the theme of well-being and balance, as it suggests that true fulfillment comes from a balance between self-interest and concern for others. Helping others can be a source of personal happiness and satisfaction.

How The Courage to Be Disliked Can Transform Your Life

The teachings in The Courage to Be Disliked are empowering because they place happiness within our control. Unlike many self-help books that prescribe rigid steps, this book provides a philosophical framework for life. Here’s how these lessons can apply to your journey of creating a balanced and fulfilling life:

1. Freedom from Fear and Self-Limiting Beliefs: The book encourages you to step outside your comfort zone and let go of fears tied to other people’s opinions. By doing so, you create room for growth and gain the freedom to explore new passions and dreams.

2. Mindset Shift for Better Well-Being: The emphasis on personal responsibility and letting go of the past can create a profound shift in mindset. With these principles, you’ll find it easier to move forward from setbacks, leading to a happier and healthier life.

3. Living Aligned with Core Values: By focusing on self-acceptance and intrinsic values, you can live a life true to yourself. This alignment fosters genuine happiness and well-being.

4. Creating Positive Connections: The book emphasizes the importance of contributing to others, which promotes a sense of community and purpose. By being there for others, you’ll find fulfillment and discover the joy of shared happiness.

Is The Courage to Be Disliked Worth Reading?

Absolutely. This book is a game-changer for anyone looking to live a happier and more balanced life. It challenges conventional ideas about self-worth, happiness, and relationships, offering a fresh perspective on what it truly means to be content. Unlike many self-help books that encourage relentless self-improvement, The Courage to Be Disliked offers a gentler, more profound approach that focuses on letting go rather than accumulation.

Whether you’re striving for a more balanced life, seeking to boost your well-being, or looking to overcome self-doubt, The Courage to Be Disliked provides valuable lessons to help you lead a more fulfilling and intentional life.

The Courage to Be Disliked isn’t just a book; it’s a guide to self-liberation. In today’s world, where we’re often caught up in external expectations and comparison, this book offers a breath of fresh air. Its lessons on responsibility, self-acceptance, and finding meaning resonate deeply for those seeking a life of well-being, balance, and fulfillment.

If you’re ready to stop living for others and start living for yourself, this book is a must-read. Let 2025 be the year where you embrace courage, accept yourself, and start living a life that’s truly yours.

Have you read The Courage to Be Disliked? What are your thoughts on its philosophy? Let us know in the comments below!

As the year draws to a close, now is the perfect time to take control of your finances and set yourself up for a successful 2025. No matter where you’re located or what your financial goals may be, a few strategic steps can help you start the new year on strong footing. From budgeting and saving to preparing for taxes, here are essential financial moves to make before the end of 2024.

1. Review and Adjust Your Budget for 2024

November is a great time to evaluate your spending patterns and make necessary adjustments. Reviewing your budget can reveal where you may have overspent or underspent, allowing you to set a more realistic and balanced budget for the new year. If you aren’t currently using a budgeting tool, this could be a good opportunity to start.

Key Actions:

• Go through your spending over the last few months to identify any patterns or unexpected expenses.
• Adjust your budget categories based on your actual spending.
• Consider using budgeting apps, such as Spendee, Goodbudget, or Money Lover, which can help you manage your finances.
  
  

2. Maximize Savings and Investment Contributions

Many countries have tax-advantaged savings and investment options, such as retirement accounts, ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) in the UK, CPF in Singapore, Superannuation in Australia, or RRSPs in Canada. Maximizing your contributions before the year ends can help reduce your taxable income and improve long-term growth potential.

Key Actions:

• Check contribution limits and see if there’s room to add more to your retirement or savings accounts. Even a small extra contribution now can make a difference over time.
• If you have additional savings goals, consider setting up an automatic transfer each month to stay on track.
• Investigate options specific to your country, such as tax-free savings accounts, retirement funds, or investment incentives.
  
  

3. Reassess Your Debt Repayment Strategy

Reducing debt can be a powerful way to start the new year feeling more financially secure. Many people use the snowball method (paying off smaller debts first) or the avalanche method (focusing on high-interest debt first) to pay off debts strategically. Holiday bonuses, year-end bonuses, or even seasonal work income can provide an opportunity to make a dent in outstanding debt.

Key Actions:

• List your debts, noting balances and interest rates, and decide which method works best for you.
• Make an extra payment on high-interest debt if possible.
• Look into debt consolidation options or refinancing, which may be available in your country, to reduce the burden of high-interest debt.
  
  

4. Review Investment Portfolio and Consider Tax-Loss Harvesting

If you have investments, this is a good time to review your portfolio’s performance and consider a strategy called tax-loss harvesting. This involves selling investments that have lost value to offset gains from other investments, which can help reduce your overall tax bill. Rules and benefits vary by country, so check local regulations or consult a financial professional.

Key Actions:

• Evaluate each investment’s performance and decide if any low-performing assets should be sold.
• Be mindful of local regulations, as countries have different rules for what qualifies for tax-loss harvesting.
• If possible, consult with a tax advisor or financial planner who understands your country’s specific rules.
  
  

5. Organize Tax Documents and Maximize Deductions

While tax deadlines and deductions vary worldwide, organizing your tax documents now can save you time and stress during tax season. Many countries offer deductions for expenses like medical costs, education, and charitable donations, so be sure to collect all relevant receipts and documentation.

Key Actions:

• Gather receipts and documentation for deductible expenses, such as health expenses, charitable donations, and educational costs.
• Consider making charitable donations before year-end if they are eligible for tax deductions in your country.
• If your tax situation is complex, schedule a meeting with a tax advisor who understands local tax rules.
  
  

6. Set Clear Financial Goals for 2025

Goal-setting can provide focus and motivation for the year ahead. Think about what you want to achieve financially in 2025 – whether it’s saving more, investing, or improving your overall financial habits. Setting achievable, realistic goals can help you stay on track and create a financial roadmap for the year.

Key Actions:

• Define specific goals, such as “save for a home deposit,” “pay off a specific amount of debt,” or “build an emergency fund.”
• Break down larger goals into monthly or quarterly targets to make them more manageable.
• Schedule time each month to check in on your goals and make any necessary adjustments.
  
  

Bonus Tip: Automate Your Finances for Simplicity

Automation can be a valuable tool to help streamline your finances. Automate as many payments and transfers as possible to make managing money simpler. This can include setting up recurring transfers to savings or investment accounts, automatic bill payments, and even automated reminders for important financial deadlines.

Key Actions:

• Set up automatic monthly transfers to savings or retirement accounts.
• Automate any regular bills to avoid late fees and streamline your payment process.
• Use reminders or calendar alerts for important deadlines, such as tax filing dates or contribution deadlines, which vary by country.
  
  

Ending 2024 on a Financial High Note

By taking a few steps now to organize your finances, you can start the new year feeling prepared and empowered. Whether it’s adjusting your budget, increasing savings, tackling debt, or setting intentional goals, these moves can set you up for a strong and financially secure 2025. Remember, every small effort adds up over time!

What financial goals are you setting for 2025? Let us know in the comments below!

Disclaimer: The information on this post does not constitute financial advice.

If you have managed to save up a little bit of money and you are looking for ideas on how to invest it and grow your money, you have come to the right place!

1. High-income deposit accounts

Savings deposits have had all-time low records of interest rates which is why people have been looking for alternatives.

If you want a safe investment, there are some banks that are offering higher interest rates for your deposits, some even awarding daily interest earnings.

You just have to do a bit of research for these accounts, depending on the country you live in and to make sure they are trustworthy institutions and that your money is guaranteed. 

2. Stock market

There is also the option to invest your money in the stock market. There are several companies (shares) you can invest in, but also ETFs, cryptocurrency, etc.

With this type of investment, there is always a risk of losing your money but there is also a chance that you will grow your money, namely through compound interest (i.e. your investments will pay you dividends and you can then reinvest those dividends to make more money and so on).  

If you want to start investing in the stock market, I suggest you do a bit of research and learn the basics of investing in the stock market and which companies or ETFs might be a good bet. 

Some people swear by investing in the S&P500 (which tracks the performance of 500 of the best companies listed in the stock exchange in the US).

3. Peer-to-peer lending platforms

If you've never heard of peer-to-peer lending, these platforms allow people who need capital (for example, to start a business, start a project or just fund the acquisition of a property or material for their company, launch a new project in their company, etc.) to request a loan to the general public who is registered in these platforms.

In turn, you can loan some money to these companies and get your money paid back with interest rates. These types of projects usually have some guarantees but they obviously have some risk, as if things go wrong with the investment, the company or person who requests the money can end up not paying back the money.

However, this can be a good way to invest some money (you can usually invest small amounts) and get a return.

4. Real Estate

I have already written a whole blog post on this topic which you can check out here.

This is obviously an investment that requires a decent amount of starting capital, but you can use that to leverage a loan.

There are several options with this: 

• you can buy something in good condition and rent it out or resell it for a profit if you manage to get a bargain and you think it's worth more (but this is a rare situation);
• you can buy a property that needs some construction work done and rent it out after you repair it (this ensures you can ask for a higher rent and also will have less chance of the tenant requesting repairs frequently) or resell it after (the fix + flip route);
• you can buy a property in decent condition that's already being rented out and start making money immediately;
• you can buy a property with several floors or divisions, where you can live in one part and rent out the other part (this is usually referred to as house-hacking).

Just bear in mind that you need to make some calculations to make sure the investment on a certain property will be profitable, as you need to consider eventual repairs/construction work needed and its market value (both before and after the repairs).

It's also a good idea to make sure the route you go is the best for you - some people say it's best to fix and flip in the beginning so you build more capital and only buy and hold and rent out properties after a while when you can buy one or two properties that give you the amount of monthly income you want.

If you don't have the money for real estate investing yet, you can also invest in REITs (real estate investment trusts), which are companies that have real estate that generates income and they divide the income earned from their properties among their investors (shareholders) as dividends.

Whatever you choose to do, just make sure you do some reading on the basics of investing and make sure to diversify your investments. 

The old adage of 'don't put all of your eggs in one basket' is still the best rule in this matter, as it can make the difference between losing all of your money or just taking a small irrelevant hit on your investments.

You can try your hand at all of these by investing small amounts to learn more about them and figure out which types of investment you like or just use them all to diversify your investments.

Happy investing!

The start of a new year is a great time to declutter your home and make a bit of cash!

If you want to raise some money quickly and easily, the best way to do that is to go around your house and gather all the stuff that you don't use anymore and sell it.

The thing is most apps require you to take care of delivery or meet the buyer in person, which can make the whole experience much less attractive.

I for one always wanted to sell some of my old clothes or stuff that I had lying around but I just didn't want to go through that hassle and I didn't really feel comfortable going to meet some stranger in person for the transaction so I never actually sold anything online.

That is, until I discovered what Vinted was all about! 

I decided to check it out after hearing a friend talk about it and I was amazed. It was exactly what I always wanted!

Vinted is available in several countries so the market is actually bigger than I thought and they have partnerships with several delivery companies that allow you to sell your stuff in the app easily.

If I had known that Vinted existed, I would have started using it a long time ago!

I've even bought a couple of things on Vinted for really great deals.

There are a few interesting features on it:

    - you can talk to potential buyers and sellers and negotiate the price of an item;

    - you can allow for discounts to be applied if someone buys more than one item you have listed;

    - you can pay for making your items more noticeable in searches (kind of like advertising);

    - you can make collections of items;

    - you can allow or not allow for returns on the items you've sold.

Another plus is that Vinted handles the payments so you don't need to exchange personal information with the buyers or sellers. The money will only be sent to the seller when it arrives to the buyer and they check that everything is okay.

And if anything goes wrong with the delivery or your product isn't as was advertised, you can ask for Vinted's support to help out with the resolution of any conflict with the other party, which is also very reassuring.

Finally, it's a great way to be more sustainable as you can sell your pre-loved items and extend the lifespan of clothing, thereby reducing waste. One man's waste is another man's treasure, as they say!

If you want to give it a try, here's how you can get started.

How to sell on Vinted:

1) Create an Account:

Download the Vinted app from your app store or go to their website and sign up for an account. You can create an account using your email address or by linking your social media profiles.

2) Capture and Upload Photos:

Take clear and high-quality photos of the items you want to sell. Ensure that the images accurately represent the condition and details of each item. Vinted allows you to upload multiple photos for each listing, so take advantage of this feature to showcase your items effectively.

3) Write Descriptions:

Provide detailed descriptions for each item, including brand, size, color, material, and any other relevant information. Be honest and transparent about the condition of the item, mentioning any flaws or wear and tear. Accurate descriptions help buyers make informed decisions and build trust in your listings.

4) Set the Price:

Decide on a fair and competitive price for each item. Consider factors such as the item's condition, brand, original retail price, and market demand. Vinted provides guidance on pricing based on similar listings, helping you to set a reasonable price that attracts potential buyers.

5) Activate Shipping and Payment Options:

Choose your preferred shipping method and set the shipping cost for each item. Vinted provides shipping labels that you can print at home, making the shipping process convenient and seamless. Select your preferred payment method, such as direct bank transfer or Vinted Wallet, which allows you to receive funds securely.

6) Promote Your Listings:

To increase the visibility of your items, consider promoting your listings on Vinted. Promoted listings are featured more prominently in search results and are more likely to catch the attention of potential buyers. Promoting your listings can lead to faster sales and increased exposure for your items.

7) Communicate with Potential Buyers:

Respond promptly to messages from potential buyers who express interest in your items. Address any inquiries or requests for additional information they may have. Good communication and quick responses can help build trust and facilitate successful transactions.

8) Complete the Sale:

Once a buyer is interested in purchasing your item, they can make an offer or purchase it at the listed price. Review the offer and, if accepted, proceed with the transaction. Vinted handles the payment process securely, and you can track the status of your sales within the app.

9) Ship the Item:

After receiving a purchase confirmation, package the item securely and attach the provided shipping label. Drop it off at the designated shipping location or schedule a pickup, depending on the shipping method chosen. Keeping buyers updated on the shipping status enhances their buying experience.

10) Provide Feedback and Ratings:

After the buyer receives the item, they have the opportunity to rate and provide feedback on their experience. Similarly, you can rate buyers based on their promptness and overall transaction experience. This feedback system helps maintain a trustworthy community on Vinted.

Why not give it a try?

(Disclaimer: This article is NOT sponsored in any way and is based on personal experience only. The process described above is based on the information available at the time of writing. Please refer to Vinted's official website or app for the most up-to-date guidelines and instructions on selling your items.).