The CTO who couldn't sleep

I was talking to a friend recently who told me he was losing sleep over his investments.

He's a CTO at a health tech business. Watches the markets every day on his phone, scared they'll drop.

His worries made sense on the surface.

But then I remembered we'd had chats in the past about how worried he was about how little money he was earning, too.

Different problem. Same sleepless nights.

. . .

I'd like you to try a quick exercise…

Think about what's currently bothering you most right now.

What's been repeatedly showing up in your mind?

Got it? Hold that for a second.

Here's something the psychologist Alfred Adler said that initially sounds extreme:

He said, 'All problems are interpersonal problems.'

Not most problems. All problems.

At first glance, that seems ridiculous.

Surely money problems are about money. Health problems are about health.

But look closer.

My friend wasn't really worried about numbers on a screen. He was worried about what losing that money would mean.

Things like how others would see him, or whether he'd fail to support those important to him.

The anxiety wasn't about the markets. It was about him, in the context of other people.

And this applies to all of us too.

Think about how your current worries connect to your relationships with others.

The philosopher Syd Banks said that our feelings are the flipside of our thoughts. We literally feel our thoughts.

An anxious thought is an anxious feeling.

So when we think fewer anxious thoughts about others, we'll have far less anxiety.

Much of the weight my friend carries is simply because he continually entertains these scary thoughts about what others think. He'd be more effective by letting go.

The peace he's looking for starts with realising thoughts don't hold as much merit or meaning as he thinks.

This is simple in practice, but harder when we have more ingrained beliefs about the world and others that get in the way.

To shift the deeper beliefs that keep pulling you back into worry, you need to address them directly. This means questioning them and breaking them down so they lose their emotional charge quickly.

That's what Let Go of the S#it That Weakens You does. The results are fast.

The course guides you through breaking down the common beliefs we hold about who we are in the context of other people.

When these are addressed, freedom and confidence open up across all areas of life.

This week only for a special Autumn promotion, it's available at $79 (usually $197). It closes this Sunday 12th, 4pm ET. This price won't return until 2026.

Get instant access here

Alex

'It was instant! This course completely changed my perspective on how my thoughts influence the way I react to the world around me. I've tried hundreds of resources on "fixing myself," and on self-improvement, but I never expected this kind of clarity from Alex.' - Sarvam