[Book Review] 'The Big Leap'
AMI's notes on Gay Hendricks' "The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level"
Genre: Psychology / Self-Help
Format: Audible
Date: August 2020
AMI Rating: 6 / 10
Key Takeaways:
Upper Limit Problem: Often times people describe a feeling of anxiety when things are “too good” in their lives, a certain nervous anticipation for “the other shoe to drop” — Hendricks calls this the “Upper Limit Problem,” whereby the individual reaches a point in their “thermostat” of love or success, where they start to feel guilty, or not deserving. Subsequently, the subconscious brings about problems (i.e. arguments, accidents, illnesses) that allow the recalibration of the person’s happiness “thermostat” back down to a lower, more familiar level of stress / anxiety / unhappiness. This is an act of self-sabotage that constricts one’s growth and enjoyment of life.
Roots: The ULP has roots in childhood trauma / experiences (i.e. one may have felt unworthy of love; guilty of outshining another sibling; etc.)
Zone of Genius: Being aware of one’s ULP and solving it are keys to reaching one’s maximum fullest potential in terms of both economic success and fulfilling relationships, which he calls the “zone of genius” (vs. less fulfilling zones of incompetence, competence, and excellence). Everyone has a zone of genius; it’s a matter of overcoming the ULP. The book has questions for self-reflection to help identify one’s zone of genius.
Worrying: One of the most common ULP is worrying. The book goes through steps on dealing with it.
Ultimate Success Mantra: Because the ULP is rooted in the subconscious, we need to rewire our brains to become familiar with the emotions of abundance / joy / love, instead of shrink away from them. The book has a mantra to practice.
Einstein Time: Part of ULP is feeling rushed / in need of more time. Book defines a different paradigm, where the individual is the creator of time (instead of it being a fixed external dimension).
AMI Rating: 6 / 10
Recommended in audio format
Relatively short and concise; quick listen
Helpful in that it puts a framework around feelings and behaviors many of us experience
The book is partly a synthesis of the author’s private consulting practice
Content is a bit skewed towards economic success; examples cited in the book are usually entrepreneurs / executives who are at a more mature stage in their careers and lives
The book’s main solutions to the ULP is to work on identifying and changing subconscious limiting beliefs (usually through meditation)
Link to Amazon: The Big Leap