I am always on the lookout for good books that inspire me to live intentionally. My most recent discovery is Everything is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo. The title is pretty self-explanatory. The book is readable, practical, and encouraging, filled with humor and inspiring stories of people who have figured out and conquered big life challenges. Here are five key concepts I gleaned from reading the book:
Everything is Figureoutable. Do you believe that EVERY time you find yourself
confronted with a problem, challenge, or setback, you are capable of figuring
out a solution, plan, or alternative that will allow you to move forward? Even the things that seem too big, too
complex, too hopeless to figure out? That’s what this book is about. It will
show you that all the challenges of life can be figured out, from repairing a
radio to reinventing your career to facing your fears to improving your
relationships.
The concept reminds me of Carol Dweck’s work on fixed mindset (life is static and I can’t change) vs growth mindset (I am able to learn, grow and improve). Everything is Figureoutable combines a growth mindset with practical strategies which enable readers to overcome fears, move past failures and persevere until they find success.
- There are three destructive thoughts that aim us to a fixed mindset and impede your ability to figure out life:
- “I know this already.” – Sure, you know something, but do you know all there is to know about every aspect of the subject? Instead, tell yourself, “What can I learn?”
- “This won’t work for me.” – A self-defeatist attitude. Instead ask, “How could this work for me?”
- “This is too huge/complex/hopeless to figure out.” – It may look that way, but every big problem can be broken down into smaller chunks that can be figured out. Eventually. Even if it takes years.
- Beliefs are powerful, because they inform your attitudes and decisions, which in turn control your actions. But beliefs are not set in stone. You can intentionally change your beliefs. It takes effort but it can be done. If you believe you are too old, or too stupid, or the problem is hopeless, those beliefs will limit your potential. If instead you believe that growth is possible and anything worth doing can be figured out with enough time, effort and help, you give yourself much greater potential.
- The clearer your goals, the more likely you are to succeed. You can figure life out, but you can’t tackle multiple big problems all at once. When your goals are vague, unclear, or wishy-washy, you waste time and energy trying to decide what you should be doing, or if you should be doing it at all. The clearer your goals, the clearer your priorities. When goals and priorities are clear in your mind, you know what challenges are worth the effort of figuring out.
- Start before you think you’re ready. If you believe that you have the potential to figure out whatever you need to figure out, then you don’t need to fear starting into a project before you have every one of your ducks lined up in neat little row. You need to take that first step before you feel ready, (because in most cases you’ll never feel completely ready). Once you begin, things start to happen. The act of starting often gets things outside your control moving, enabling you to accomplish tasks that seemed impossible before you began.
Do you have big problems looming in your life? Dreams you’ve been ignoring because they seem impossible to reach? Are you stuck in a situation that seems hopeless?
If so, this book may be just what you need to figure out a solution.
Here is an example of the the things you can learn from the author on MarieTV.
