The Dark Art of Life Mastery: Your Life, Your Way, Right Here, Right Now
by Hussein Hallak
Overview
Life doesn’t slow down just because you want it to. It’s complicated and messy. It tests you and shapes your experiences, especially if you don’t shape your own. Sometimes it demands more than we feel able to give.
But you can’t wait for an opportunity to spark change. You have to create it.
In The Dark Art of Life Mastery, Hussein Hallak helps unleash your potential by offering a guide for living fearlessly, second-guessing less, and embracing your true purpose.
The first chapter makes one thing clear: this book won’t tell you anything entirely new. Instead, it compares his writing to putting on sunglasses:
“Sunglasses aren’t right or wrong; they just allow you to see things differently based upon the environment surrounding you.”
What’s Inside
- Rewind
- (Untitled)
- Time Is the Key
- Then You Die
- Let Go
- Captain On Deck
- Master
- At the Helm
- Take It In
Highlights
Captain On Deck
Sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself. We pretend to be kings of our lives when in reality, we can’t control everything. All you can do is step on deck, take the wheel, and hope for the best.
Scanning
We’ve evolved to prioritize survival. That’s why criticism feels like a threat, triggering defensiveness and pushing us into fight-or-flight mode.
Review
The Dark Art of Life Mastery is a reflective and motivating guide for anyone who feels like life is happening to them rather than being shaped by them. Hallak begins with a question that quietly lingers throughout the book: If it’s your life, who’s really in control? From there, he explores the uncomfortable truth that life doesn’t pause when we feel overwhelmed, it keeps moving, demanding intention, courage, and self-awareness.
Hallak blends personal stories with poetic insight, creating a tone that feels grounding and quietly empowering. He doesn’t offer rigid formulas for success. Instead, he focuses on mindset: learning to sit with discomfort, questioning self-doubt, and taking responsibility for the choices that define our path. The “dark art” isn’t about manipulation or secrecy, but about mastering unseen inner battles, fear, hesitation, and the stories we tell ourselves.
The illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are beautiful and thoughtfully reflect each chapter’s theme. It’s a short read and serves as a reminder that transformation doesn’t come from waiting for the right moment, it comes from creating it.
“You may have to pause, think hard, and go deep inside to bring out the one thing that matters most. It’s likely buried under all those meaningless someday goals.”
This book is recommended for readers who enjoy inspirational and introspective personal development reads.
About the Author
Hussein Hallak is a founder, entrepreneur, and strategist dedicated to helping people and organizations find clarity in complexity and build lasting impact. As CEO of Next Decentrum, he guides leaders and teams worldwide through digital transformation, innovation, and values-driven growth.
He is the author of The Dark Art of Life Mastery, a blunt and honest invitation to confront illusions, reclaim personal agency, and stop waiting for permission to live. His work challenges easy answers and rewards those willing to choose meaning over comfort.
*Thank you to Next Decentrum for the gifted copy for review consideration. I haven’t been compensated for this review and all views and opinions expressed are my own.
SA Examiner 