Everything is Figureoutable
Last Wednesday, I took myself off to a wrestling/boxing/MMA arena in Philadelphia (yes really) for Marie Forleo’s last US book tour stop. She was promoting her book, EVERYTHING IS FIGUREOUTABLE, which is on the New York Times bestseller list for Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous Books.
For those who haven’t heard of Marie Forleo before now, she is quite a personality—tons of energy, tons of smarts and savvy, tons of sass and swearing. She runs something called B-School, which is an 8-week marketing program, and she runs MarieTV, in which she gives away tons of valuable content. She’s about business, but she’s also about mindset.
I wasn’t certain what to expect from the event, but it was well worth my ticket price, because I got at least six really good bits from it.
Of course I’d love to share them with you. These aren’t in any particular order, and maybe one of them will resonate more with you than one that was a bigger deal to me.
Beliefs are “the train tracks that underpin our lives”. They are why we go where we go and do what we do in life. “But all beliefs are choices, and choices can be changed.” She offered as an example a childhood belief in the Tooth Fairy or Santa, which changed after you received new information. You got yourself some new beliefs—and ALL beliefs can work that way, if you choose to change them.
“Fear is always helpful if it’s interpreted in the right way. She’s a really helpful friend if you slow down and listen to her.” This was an eye-opener for sure. Forleo noted that fear is “a GPS for where your soul most wants to go.” Basically, she said that fear, which developed for good reasons to keep us alive, now does its best to keep us safe. Only safe sometimes gets interpreted as the same, protecting you from changing things.
When you are faced with an opportunity, and you feel nervous or hesitant about it, one way you can decide if it’s just fear trying to keep you safe by not allowing change or something like your tuition or gut warning you not to do it. One way to distinguish is to go someplace where you can be quiet and alone. Think about the opportunity, then close your eyes and tune into your body. Ask “does the idea of saying yes to this opportunity make me feel expansive or contracted?” If you feel tight and tense and the answer is “contracted”, that’s a good indicator that you shouldn’t do the thing. If you feel expansive, which could feel like floating or lightness, then it’s a pretty good indication that you are just nervous, but should go for it.
Simplify to amplify. As Forleo noted, most of us work on too many things at once. This is especially true of people who are running their own business or side hustle. Her advice is to choose one thing to figure out; choose the thing that is most important to you. Basically, work on one thing at a time. Simplifying will build momentum.
Don't try to monetize all of your passions. It’s fine to have a variety of things you are passionate about, but not all of them have to generate income for you.
Root what you do in purpose, fun, and service to others. Burnout happens when you are wrapped up in yourself, and in things like money. According to Forleo, it doesn’t happen when you are rooted in contribution or purpose. If you are there to serve others and you love what you do, you would be able to avoid burnout.
Today, I sat down and started to read the book. I got through the first few chapters. I’m not racing through it because I’m taking Marie Forleo’s advice and doing the work as I read the book—there are assignments along the way. The book’s title comes from a story that Forleo told last night, which is also in the first chapter of the book. It involves how her mother used to fix a bunch of stuff around the house, with no training or directions. When a teenaged Forleo finally thought to ask how her mother knew how to fix everything, her mother answered that everything is figureoutable.
I hope that you found at least one thing in this post that resonated with you. Drop me a note and tell me what it is!
And if you would like to order a copy of the book for yourself (it’s super good so far), I’ve put an Amazon link below for you.
Happy New Year!
HAPPY ROSH HASHANAH to any of you who are celebrating! This post was scheduled last week, since I will be at family dinners Sunday and Monday nights, and in synagogue services Monday and Tuesday during the day, praying, hearing the Torah and any sermons, and listening to the blast of the shofar (ram’s horns that are blown like tuneless trumpets).
For those who aren’t entirely familiar with the Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah always begins at a new moon (which is the start of a new month—the Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar, which is why all the holidays shift all the time). It’s the start of a new Jewish year. And Yom Kippur, which follows nine days later, is the holiest day of the year for us Jews—a day of atonement and serious reflection.
