The 50 75 100 Solution: Build Better Relationships

Having trouble in relationships is part of being human. Everyone comes at the world from two different perspectives, and sometimes those perspectives lead to a clash. It’s unavoidable, but most of the time, it can be smoothed over or worked through with little trouble. When it can’t, you can turn to The 50-75-100 Solution.

Bryan Falchuk is quick to say that his solution will not work in every scenario, for which I commend him. So many self-help authors make it seem as though they can fix every one of your problems, and it’s refreshing to come across one who admits his work will not help in every event. Still, unless you are in need of help either from law enforcement or medical professionals, his simple solution will help a great deal in your relationships with others.

Another thing I found refreshing is how versatile his method is. While his main example of how he’s used it in his life is between him and his wife, he provides examples of how it can work between family members and even at work. With enough forethought, it could even be used in every interaction you have, even with perfect strangers. In fact, I would recommend using it with customer service. Very often, relationship advice deals with romantic relationships, and while those are a large part of many people’s lives, the vast majority of relationships we have will be with people we aren’t romantically attached to. They are with family, and coworkers, and complete strangers, and it’s such a relief to have advice that could fit any and all of those.

The short version of The 50-75-100 Solution is that you control more of any given interaction than you think you do. Falchuk gives a better explanation of the full solution than I ever could, so if even that snippet piques your interest, I strongly advise you pick up the book. If you feel skeptical about it, I would still recommend you find a copy and flip through it. None of it feels mystical or improbable in any way. Falchuk takes a no-nonsense, down-to-earth look at human interaction and presents it as a math problem. While at points it feels oversimplified, the basic advice is sound, and it’s an excellent beginning that I would love to see expanded upon someday. At less than one hundred pages, the book is easy to read and digest, but it’s interesting enough that it still left me wanting more.