Sorry for the delay…
I am very pleased to be part of this round. When I came across Jay Shetty’s new work “8 Rules of Love”, I was skeptical at first, as a book about the rules of love didn’t seem very original, since there are already many similar books. Nevertheless, based on my selection for this reading round, I was looking forward to it and was curious to see how Jay Shetty would treat the topic of love.
After the first part, I have to admit that I really like the book. I was especially drawn to the wisdom, quotes, and self-reflection exercises. The love letter to yourself is a wonderful idea and it is beautifuly written. In the beginning, I had difficulty with the statement that loneliness is the foundation upon which we build love. Since I value me-time and have difficulty in the presence of others, the opposite was more true for me personally. However, I realized that the topic still affected me. I slowly got into the book and understood the structure better. In the meantime, I can say that I really like it so far and am eagerly awaiting the next part. Jay Shetty emphasizes that the romantic notion of love from fairy tales, movies, songs etc. is not enough to sustain a long-term relationship. This idealization of love does not show us how to practice love in everyday life. Instead, we need to learn what love means to us as individual persons and break away from ideas we have had about it. Loneliness is described as a strong emotion that pushes us to accept less than we actually deserve. Jay Shetty emphasizes that we should not settle for less. This realization encourages us to strengthen our own self-love and raise our standards in relationships and in how we treat ourselves.
Solitude is described in the book as the foundation upon which we build our love. This may be confusing at first, but it refers to the fact that it is through time spent with ourselves that we learn who we are and what we really need in a partnership or relationship. Another important concept discussed in the book is self-control. This is about the ability to recognize a moment of attraction or impulse and create the space between that moment and our reaction to it. This ability allows us to make more conscious choices and to disengage from automatic reactions that may not be in line with our true intentions. Finally, the book emphasizes that karma is the law of cause and effect. Every action leads to a reaction. This invites us to think more consciously about our actions and to take responsibility for the consequences of our actions.
I’m really looking forward to read on
