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Within a week of its publication on Jan. 31, Jay Shetty‘s book “8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It and Let It Go” topped the New York Times best-seller list.

It’s the second book from the monk turned life coach and influencer, who uses his gargantuan platform (he has more than 50 million followers across social media) to share his wisdom from his time spent living at an ashram in India from 2010 to 2013. He first laid out his life philosophies in his debut book “Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day,” which brought him a new level of fame when it topped bestseller lists in 2020. With “8 Rules of Love,” he draws on some of the same ancient Hindu teachings to offer an actionable guide to every stage of romance.

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Last week, Shetty joined Drew Barrymore as a co-host on her talk show to share some of the advice he offers in the book. “I think that we’ve placed romantic love on a pedestal and the number one position podium of love and since we were born and raised, we’ve been told that finding the one is the ultimate expression of experience of love,” he says. “And what’s really fascinating is that if you look at any of the Wisdom Traditions, they don’t feel that way. All the Wisdom Traditions would suggest that the love you have for your co-workers, friends, your family, that stranger on the street, the person driving the car, the person you just bumped into at the grocery store — the love that you can embody and experience and share with that person is actually the ultimate expression of love.”

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He says he never wants to urge people to not seek out finding “their person” but that it shouldn’t be anyone’s driving force in life. “We’ve got to change our wiring of how we think about love,” he says.

Starting next week, Shetty will promote the book on a 30-stop world tour, which includes sold out shows in Sydney and Los Angeles.

Aside from his writing, Shetty’s loyal following comes from his ultra-popular podcast “On Purpose,” which he’s hosted everyone from John Legend and Kim Kardashian to Oprah Winfrey. He has an ability to make the most media-trained celebrities become vulnerable in his presence, even becoming close enough to Jennifer Lopez to officiate her wedding to Ben Affleck last year.

While he faces some internal conflict in moving from a monastery to Hollywood, he told The New York Times this week that his mission remains the same: “helping people find their purpose.”

Order “8 Rules of Love” below:

8 Rules of Love: How to Find It, Keep It, and Let It Go$28.99 $16.44Buy Now On Amazon

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