Words of Wisdom from Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo
I hate to break it to you, but many of the barriers we face in life are self-imposed and stem from our beliefs (which can be changed!). Everything Is Figureoutable is a loving life pep-talk from energetic pocket-rocket, Marie Forleo, and is jam-packed with inspiring personal stories from Marie’s own struggles and triumphs. Marie’s tone is warming and engaging…reading this book is like having a chat over coffee with a bestie.
Here are the bits I liked best…
1. Everything is figureoutable
“She put down her screwdriver, turned to me, and said, “Don’t be silly, Ree. Nothing in life is that complicated. You can do whatever you set your mind to if you just roll up your sleeves, get in there, and do it. Everything is figureoutable.”
2. Perfectionism is fear of failure
“Perfectionism at its core isn’t about high standards. It’s about fear. Fear of failure. Fear of looking stupid, fear of making a mistake, fear of being judged, criticized, and ridiculed. It’s the fear that one simple fact might be true: You’re just not good enough.”
3. Be willing to suck at first
“Every pro starts off as an amateur. There’s not one top artist, athlete, writer, scientist, architect,
entrepreneur, programmer, musician, or potter who enters the field at the top of her game. To begin anything new or learn anything new means you will be a neophyte. You must go from outsider to insider. Respect that. Embrace it. Be willing to suck.”
4. We make time for important things
“If it’s important enough, I’ll make the time. If not, I’ll make an excuse.”
5. Another person’s opinion is not the “truth”
“Just because someone doesn’t like what you do doesn’t mean no one else will. A person’s opinion is not
The Truth, it’s their truth.”
6. What would you do if you knew you could figure it out?
“If you believed to your core that everything really is figureoutable, what would you now do?
What would you create or heal or transform or transcend? Who would you become?”
7. Beliefs can be changed
“All beliefs are a choice and choices can be changed.”
8. What are you saying “no” to?
“Every choice has a price. Everything you say yes to means you’re saying no to something else. Translation?
Each time you pick up your brain-draining gadget and say YES to watching another cat video, you’re saying NOPE to ever reaching your biggest and most important long-term goals.”
9. Is it really a problem?
“Rule 1. All problems (or dreams) are figureoutable. Rule 2. If a problem is not figureoutable, it’s not really a problem—it’s a fact of life or law of nature (e.g., death or gravity). Rule 3. You may not care enough to figure this problem out or achieve this particular dream. That’s okay. Find another problem or dream that ignites a blazing fire in your heart and go back to Rule 1.”
10. Write it down
“Putting pen to paper is a mystical way to access your most profound truths.”
11. Face your fear, then work through it
“The fastest way out of our fear is through it.”
12. It’s all about your mindset
“It’s never about the lack of money or time or anything else. It’s about your internal game, your commitment to do whatever it takes to be creative, get resourceful, and figure it out. To find or make a way ahead, no matter what.”
13. Don’t compare yourself to others
“*Comparschläger: noun; a self-inflicted poison. Activates when you compare yourself to others and end up feeling worthless. Analogous to Goldschläger, the disgusting cinnamon-flavored schnapps with gold flakes that, when ingested in large quantities, makes you puke.”
14. Everything started as an idea
“Miracles like electricity, indoor plumbing, and Wi-Fi. Do you realize that virtually everything that surrounds us was once only a thought? An idea? A wild, formless figment of someone’s imagination? Every movie you’ve ever seen. Every story you’ve ever heard. Every book you’ve read. Every song that’s made you sing, dance, or cry has taken the mystical journey from the world of unmanifest to the manifest. From formless idea to concrete reality. These minds of ours are magical creation machines. They’re the birthplace of every extraordinary experience we’ve ever encountered and every major breakthrough in human history.”
15. What do you want to work on?
“We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”
16. Be curious
“The first destructive thought to watch out for is “I know this already.” Whenever we feel like we already know something, our minds disengage and shut down. The next time you hear yourself thinking or saying, “I know this already,” especially as you read this book, immediately catch that thought and switch to a growth-minded question. Ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” Ask it again and again with genuine curiosity. “What can I learn from this? What can I learn from this?”
17. Our behaviour stems from our beliefs
“Beliefs create behaviors. The cumulation of those behaviors adds up to your entire life. Know what else? Every belief has a consequence. Your beliefs either heal you or harm you. They either support your aspirations or thwart them. Belief becomes the source of your limitation or your liberation. It doesn’t matter what’s true, it matters what you believe.”
18. Choose your attitude
The remarkable thing is I have a choice every day of what my attitude will be. I cannot change my past. I cannot change the actions of others. I cannot change the inevitable. The only thing I can change is attitude. Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it.”
19. Write it down (again)
“No matter what you want to figure out, one thing is for sure: writing it down is a fundamental step to making it real.”
