everything is figureoutable
A couple of days back, I finally started listening to Marie Forleo’s new book/audiobook Everything is Figureoutable. I’ve been following her work via MarieTV (her YouTube channel) for the past few years now and couldn’t wait for the new book since it was announced.
I’ve always found her important philosophy “Everything is figureoutable.”, which always happens to be the title of her new book, very empowering. And it was good to know the story behind that game-changing insight. Let me share that with you.
When Forleo was a kid, she remembers her mom being someone who always used to stretch the dollars to make the most of them, and found ways to fix things around the house. Whether it was fixing the roof or changing the tiles in the bathroom, her mom somehow knew how to undertake any project. Now this was during the ‘80s, a time before any technological marvels that came into our life, it was pre-Google, pre-YouTube, so searching online and getting all the information in a matter of a few milliseconds was not an option then. One evening, as Forleo came back home, there was an eerie silence all around the house. It turns out that one of her mom’s most prized possessions, the Tropicana Orange transistor radio, was having some issues and her mom had disassembled it and was working on fixing it, hunched over the kitchen table like a surgeon as she examined all the parts that were lying around along with electrical tape and screwdrivers. This piqued Forleo’s curiosity and she asked her mom how she knew to do so many different things that she had never done before, even though nobody was showing her how to do them. Her mom looked at her and said, “It’s no big deal. Nothing in life is that complicated. You can do whatever you set your mind to if you just roll up your sleeves, you get in there, and you do it. Everything is figureoutable.” This ended up being a eureka moment for Forleo, and from then onwards, this has been her single biggest driving force, belief and mantra that has taken her through pretty much anything in her life.
We all have challenging times in our life and we have two options — either we can feel disempowered and slip into the victim mindset or instead take charge, roll up our sleeves and work towards finding a solution.
Whatever you’re going through in your life right now, whether it’s a job loss, an illness, a bankruptcy, a broken heart, a geographical or cultural change, or any other event that makes you feel powerless and defeated, know that you are going to be okay and things will get back on track again. Just remember Forleo’s mantra, “Everything is figureoutable”. No matter what challenge you may be facing right now, there is always a way to figure out a good solution.
When you come across an obstacle or a roadblock, don’t give up. Keep moving forward, keep walking through the wilderness. If you believe deep down that everything is figureoutable, hope and positivity will churn the engines of creativity within you, and soon you’ll come across an idea, an insight or an important piece of knowledge that will equip you to find an effective solution and figure your way out. As the famous proverb goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way.”
Apart from certain things and events in our life that are beyond our control, we can use Forleo’s empowering philosophy to overcome any challenge or problem in any area of our life. All problems (or dreams) are figureoutable, period. As the quantum theorist David Deutsch points out, “Everything that is not forbidden by laws of nature is achievable, given the right knowledge.”
PS: You can grab a copy of Marie Forleo’s new book Everything is Figureoutable in any store where books are sold.