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Here are a few popular posts you may have missed:

• How to build back your attention span.

• Naval Ravikant on how to build a reading habit.

• Check out a list of my 100 favorite books here (PDF).

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📚 Book Summary:

This week’s book is “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins.

This book has been a #1 bestseller for months now. It’s rumored to be selling over 100,000 copies per WEEK.

It shares a simple yet powerful framework for living a life with more peacefulness, happiness, and freedom.

If you enjoyed “The High 5 Habit” or “The 5 Second Rule”, you’ll likely enjoy this book.

Here are 3 lessons from it:

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1) The LET THEM Theory

The Let Them theory is a simple yet powerful idea: Instead of trying to change, manage, or please other people, just say Let Them.

• If your parents are judgmental of your partner, Let Them.

• If your friends are skeptical of your business idea, Let Them.

• If your date doesn’t want to be in a long-term commitment, Let Them.

Let people be themselves and accept that. Then, you get to decide what you want to do next based on that information.

“No matter how hard you try, you will never be able to control or change another person. The only person you are in control of is you. Your thoughts, your actions, your feelings,” writes Robbins.

Robbins gives the example of how she was scrolling social media one day and saw that an old group of her friends had gone on a weekend trip together without her.

She immediately got upset. But after a few minutes, she said Let Them, and cooled off.

Because the truth is that people are allowed to go on trips whenever they want with whoever they want. It wasn’t personal, they were just living their lives.

The friends didn’t do anything to hurt Robbins, it was her own reaction that caused the pain.

“I did this to MYSELF. My friends didn’t do anything TO me. The way I reacted to their trip is what hurt me,” writes Robbins.

When you say Let Them, you're freeing yourself from the burden of trying to control the uncontrollable or trying to change the past.

This mindset shift doesn't mean you become passive or indifferent, but rather, it empowers you to focus your energy where it actually matters.

By accepting others as they are, you create space to make clear-headed decisions about your own boundaries and needs.

📖

2) The LET ME Theory

The second half of the Let Them theory is Let Me.

When you say Let Me, you take responsibility for what YOU do next.

You get to control your attitude, behavior, and response in every situation.

Going back to the girls’ weekend trip, Robbins realized that she had spent the last few years working so hard that she hadn’t made time to hang out with any of those friends.

She came to the realization that her social life was her responsibility and if she wanted to have more fun with her girlfriends, she needed to take action.

“Let Me stop expecting other people to always include me. Let Me take responsibility for what I want in life. Let Me figure out the deeper issue that I need to look at. Let Me be more proactive about reaching out to people. Let ME invite people to do something this weekend. Let Me throw a party for once,” writes Robbins.

Because as an adult, your happiness, health, healing, social life, friendships, needs, and success are all your responsibility.

No one is coming to save you or do the work for you. Use the Let Me mindset to take ownership of your life.

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3) The 5 Second Rule

At the age of 41, Mel Robbins was $800,000 in debt, unemployed, and depressed.

But by age 54, she was a bestselling author, had millions of followers, and traveled the globe giving talks at many of the world’s biggest companies.

What changed?

One day she was watching a rocket launch and heard the speaker count down the blast off: 5-4-3-2-1.

She thought to herself, “What if I just counted backward like that and launched myself out of bed?”

It seemed ridiculous, but Robbins was desperate to find any strategy that would help her get out of bed.

The countdown worked–she didn’t stop to think about how tired she was or how much she didn’t want to face her problems; she simply moved before her brain had the chance to talk her out of it.

“It’s like launching a rocket: Once you start the countdown, there’s no turning back.”

Robbins started using this strategy for anything she didn’t feel like doing.

• 5-4-3-2-1: Get up when the alarm rings.

• 5-4-3-2-1: Pay the bills that have been piling up.

• 5-4-3-2-1: Turn on the computer and start applying for jobs.

“The 5 Second Rule taught me that action is the answer. Thinking about your problems will never solve them,” writes Robbins.

If you wait around until you feel like doing something, you’ll likely never do it. You must save yourself from yourself.

Force yourself to make little moves forward all day, every day, especially when you don’t feel like it.

Use the 5 Second rule to push through excuses, anxiety, and fear.

Following this simple idea helped Robbins turn her life around completely and become one of the biggest authors, speakers, and podcasters in the world in just a few years.

✅ Actionable Advice

1) Practice the Let Them rule: Instead of trying to control or please others, let people do what they want and accept them as they are. Then decide how you want to respond.

2) Practice the Let Me rule: Take personal ownership by saying "Let me" to step up, make changes to your life, or take the lead when a problem arises.

3) Practice the 5 Second rule: Count down from 5 to 1 and take immediate action before your brain talks you out of it.

💎 Weekly Gem:

Tip: If you want to read more books, it helps to be comfortable while reading.

One of the best purchases I’ve made was a reading pillow that elevates my book and arms so that my neck doesn’t feel broken after a long reading session.

I’ve literally been able to read a book for 2-3 hours straight using my reading pillow.

I also recommend getting a reading bathtub tray, my girlfriend absolutely loves it (I would use it but being 6’6 I don’t fit in the tub haha).

It holds your book, wine, and candle while you enjoy a relaxing hot bath.

If you want to read more in 2025, consider getting a Reading Pillow or Reading Bathtub Tray (or buy it as a gift for a friend)!

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Thank you for your support,

Alex W.