Everything is Figureoutable — Book Summary
Summary of Marie Forleo's latest book.
As a small kid, growing up in the projects of New Jersey, Marie Forleo came across an idea that would forever change her life. To get the full benefit of what she learned, make sure you watch the video in this article!
Marie’s mom was a jack of all trades.
Fixing the leaky roof – check.
Retiling the bathroom – check.
Repairing her favorite orange radio – check.
It seemed like she could do anything. So one day Marie asked her point blank “Mom, how do you know how to do so many different things you’ve never done before?”
Her mom answered: You can do whatever you set your mind to so long as you believe. Everything Is Figureoutable.
This one interaction became a cornerstone for Marie’s life and success
Creation
She began to understand what she called the Creation process and it looked like this:
- Beliefs lead to thoughts
- Thoughts influence our feelings
- Our feelings determine our actions
- And our actions ultimately create our results
So the key to getting anything you want out of life is to focus on that first element. Because if you can change your beliefs than you can literally change everything.
Fear
To help us adopt this new belief, that everything truly is figureoutable, Marie helps us tackle 3 of the most common excuses we all face:
- We don’t have enough time
- We don’t have enough money
- We don’t know how
The number 1 reason we allow these excuses to hold us back is due to fear. Most of us have grown up believing that fear is the enemy. That it is something negative that we should fight against and shut out from our journeys. But she offers us a different approach.
Our fear is there for a reason, all it wants to do is communicate something. Once we understand that, we can begin to listen to our fear and decide how to respond to the information it is giving us. Fear can act as our soul’s GPS when we use it correctly. Fear can even lead us to a better understanding of our dreams.
The next main point Marie wants us to understand is that clarity comes from engagement, not thought. When you are feeling stuck, confused, or lost about how to move forward. Take action. This is the number 1 remedy not only for getting more clarity about your situation. But also for engraining the “figureoutable” philosophy more deeply into your life.
This is how Marie discovered that she did not have to fit into any premade mold of what an entrepreneur or business person should be. She could follow the sometimes oddball tangents her life took her on. And they would only add to who she was becoming and what she was creating in the world.
Marie began calling herself a Multipassionate Entrepreneur. This allowed her to pursue a hip-hop dance career in addition to building her coaching business on the side. If she hadn’t and followed the advice that she could only work on one thing if she wanted to be successful, she would have missed out on life-changing partnerships, such as her work with MTV and Nike.
Just like hers, your own journey to success will be unique. But there are 3 main principles which will help you make the most of the figureoutable journey.
Learn to prioritize progress over perfection
Many of us believe the lie that if this is what we were meant to do, it would be easy. When in fact, that difficulty is a test to see how bad you truly want the goal you are chasing. Marie’s first workshop was attended by only 5 people – 2 of which were her parents.
She could have given up right then and there.
But she knew that the upside to what she wanted to create in the world: a business that would inspire and equip millions of people, give her the financial freedom she desired. All of that was worth every setback she faced along the way.
We must remember that little by little becomes a lot. And the more persistent we are, the more likely our goal becomes.
Learn how to refuse being refused
On our journey towards success, we will inevitably run into roadblocks that seem flat out impossible to overcome. But this is where we have to decide that no matter what, we will figure out a way. Marie shares the story of trying to catch a last-minute flight to Spain. Her entire marriage was riding on this trip. But when they got to the airport, they were told they wouldn’t make it because of luggage restrictions. Instead of giving up, Marie and her husband improvised.
They ran to the nearby shop, purchased 2 carry on bags, transferred as much of their luggage into those items as they could, got rid of their suitcase, hopped on to the inter-terminal shuttle, and ran like maniacs towards their gate. The good news is, they made it! They tackled the seemingly impossible roadblock because they refused to be refused.
Reasons power results. When you have a strong enough reason motivating you, you can accomplish anything.
Understand that your unique gift is exactly what the world needs
Marie’s husband had been trying to help her eat healthier for years but it wasn’t until she heard the advice and story of a cancer survivor that it finally clicked. It doesn’t matter if what you want to do has been done before, because you will do it in a unique way. By not sharing, you are actually stealing from others.
Your contribution matters, your story, your product, your creation may be the very thing that finally tips the scale for so many people and helps them live a greater life.
The heart of this book tells us this: That once you believe everything is figureoutable, you can do anything. You can survive even the most difficult things life will throw at you. As well as climb to levels of success you never thought possible.
So, if everything IS figureoutable... What will you do next?
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