I listened to Mel Robbins' 'Take control of your life: How to silence fear and win the mental game.' I'd bought this on audible for Rs. 49 during their sale. I listened to about 4 hours and 30 minutes of the audiobook, which runs for 10 hours. I decided to listen to the rest of it over upcoming weekends.
In the beginning, Mel cautions us not to listen to it in the presence of kids since some of the stories touch upon adult themes and refer to topics such as abuse.
Mel takes us through six people's stories. I listened to the first one Dan, who seemed to have it all together but was really driven by the fear that when he would be in his 80s, he would look back on his life and regret the things he hadn't done. So this led him to rush through his days buzzed and wired, not being mindful of the present moment. Dan, 36 years old, is a sports coach, is married and has two children. His parents divorced a few years back. He doesn't seem to have had childhood trauma or any kind of PTSD. He wants to start a wine tasting club, but the idea is just germinating in his brain coz he has just attended a class on it recently. But he loved learning something new and feels that it would make him happy to do this.
Mel tells him not to think too big, which might deter him totally from taking action. She tells Dan to think of his life as a bunch of lego blocks...In this year, what are you going to add/subtract to/from your life that gives it meaning?
She tells him to slow down and be driven by his dreams rather than pushed by his fears. Sometimes, being busy is a way to take control of things, but it doesn't always result in really productive outcomes. Mel feels there is something about slowing down and doing things with mindfulness that brings the truth to the surface. If you are busy, you are out of control. She advises us to take 5 deep breaths or go on long walks in the woods or meditate.
She touches upon Maslow's hierarchy of needs and says the topmost part of the pyramid is growth and once our basic needs of food, air, water, shelter is met, and the second layer of the need for love and companionship is met, we look for more.
I like how Mel unpacks everything and tells us what we can learn from Dan's session. It's not like we learn something completely new from this session, but I like the way Mel asks pointed questions to Dan that makes him reflect. I also like how she advises him. This is the only audible book that I've heard out for 4.5 hours. There is a workbook to accompany this audiobook, which is available on Mel's website, but for some reason, it hasn't reached my email yet although I’ve signed up for it.
She simply tells us to do more of the things that energize us and less of the things that deplete us. She tells us to apply the same principle to people around us. She sums up the session with five takeaways. This is the structure she follows for the remaining sessions with the other people, too. I’d recommend it to those looking for a dose of motivation. I now believe that self-help books are the best choices for audiobooks because it’s almost like a friend ( or therapist) giving you advice face to face.
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