InpsireHer’s book club, In Her Company, met on March 10, 2020 to talk about “Everything is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo. A special shoutout to our volunteer Nicole Constante for facilitating the conversation and to Glass Bookshop for providing a comfortable and welcoming space for our group.
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About “Everything is Figureoutable” by Marie Forleo
A born-and-raised Jersey girl with nothing more than passion, a laptop, and a dream, Marie Forleo has created a socially conscious digital empire that inspires millions across the globe. In “Everything is Figureoutable”, Forleo shared the one philosophy that not only transforms your lives but is also actionable.
We talked, we shared, we learned
We started our event by asking everyone to share moments where things are ‘figureoutable’. Our participants recalled the times when they hit a roadblock (whether it’s in the workplace or a relationship) and realized that it was time for them to go with the flow.
It is often the case that in facing obstacles, we feel incapable of doing things. We’ve all dealt impostor syndrome and being perfectionists, but it is important to remember that we can take baby steps to figure things out. While our inner voice says “we have to learn this, we have to learn that”, the truth is that the help we need is often within ourselves. Marie Forleo in her book mentioned that we can use intuition to make our decisions.
The discussion then went on to the excuses we made. We say “we can’t wake up earlier, we can’t work out, we can’t cook dinner…”. But when we reframe our thoughts, we might be able to set our priorities right.
As Dana, one of the participants said, “While ‘I don’t have enough money’ is a common excuse, if you stop thinking about replacing or buying new things, it will shift your relationship with money. ‘I don’t have money for the gym.’ But you have two feet!”
Try to replace the word “can’t” with “won’t”. This will give you a sense of ownership of your statement. “I can’t go to the gym” becomes “I won’t go to the gym”. You realize now that you are getting out of responsibility and that you are powerful to make both good and bad choices.
In “Everything is Figureoutable”, Marie Forleo mentioned that “fear” is something we need to embrace. When we feel fear, it often pushes us to the direction we should go.
In getting closer to our target, we need to take action. Action breeds clarity and clarity brings power. For example, if you want to learn a new language or want to move to a new country, start by taking action. Don’t just say you want to do things, but begin buying an airplane ticket or buying the grammar book. Engagement reaches clarity and questioning gets nowhere.
At this point, Dana stressed the point that “we need to give ourselves the grace. Just because a door is shutting, doesn’t mean that we’re not successful.”
Nicole our host agreed and further explained that the book said that failure is something that you do and not what you are. During an interview, Marie Forleo was about her biggest mistake and she responded that couldn’t come up with an answer because she truly believed, “it’s either I learn or I win. I never lose.”
We then discussed growth and fixed mindset. Destiny, another participant said that in general, she has a growth mindset. But when there’s a hurdle, she tends to have a fixed mindset. The way she defines it, growth is all about openness and being adaptable in receiving information. A fixed mindset accepts things the way they are.
Trina, InspireHer President mentioned that a lot of times, it’s about struggling with our ego. “I want a job with this much of a salary.” One way to look at it is to think beyond the salary. We can shift our perspectives.
The last thing we discussed was about defeat where Marie Forleo wrote that there is defeat when the situation calls in and there’s defeat when it’s from the outside force. For example, a defeat because of a situation is when life is saying no to us, but also when it pushes us out of the comfort zone. Meanwhile, a defeat from the outside force is what others say about us.
Trina shared how during her teenage years she listened to elders in the society. She realized that although they mean no harm, she should not take it all into her heart.
Our March Bookclub was closed with an activity. There is 42% Secret Marie Forleo talked about in the book: studies found that there is a 42% higher chance of achieving more when we write it down. We wrote a letter from our future selves to our current selves and shared it with others.
Christa, a participant recognized that her future voice is a lot kinder than the current one.
Nicole, another participant mentioned that her future self wanted her to know that whatever meant for her, will find a way.
Destiny shared that her future self wanted her to let go of the need to please others.
Nicole our host mentioned that her future self wanted her to start creating more and letting her light shine.
For myself, I talked about the need to remember that her loved ones will always support her.
Thank you for all the participants and we hope to see you again for our next Bookclub!
Let us know if you have any book suggestions for future meetings.
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