Everything Is Figureoutable

by Marie Forleo

  It’s up to us to fix that, here and now. As the great Maya Angelou said, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” Which is why I’m thrilled you’re here. Because this book will help you do both.

  WHY IT’S IMPORTANT YOU’RE READING THIS NOW

  Everything is figureoutable will change your life. You can use it to solve mundane problems like a busted washing machine or a flat tire. You can use it to build a company, reshape your health, or create financial freedom. You can use it to save (or end) a relationship or create the most magnificent, passionate love story of your dreams. You can use it to find your way out of chronic stress, grief, anger, depression, addiction, anxiety, hopelessness, and debt. You can use it to invent a breakthrough technology, learn a new language, become a better parent or a stronger leader. Most important, you can use this idea with others—in your family, organization, team, industry, community, or the world—to create positive and significant change.

  Individually and collectively, we’re confronted by events and circumstances that can no longer be ignored. Political, social, environmental, and economic forces are upending life as we know it. Less than one-third of US employees are actively engaged at work, a trend that’s continued for years. The dissatisfaction people feel right now is having serious global economic repercussions, which says nothing of the emotional, psychological, and spiritual costs straining our souls and society. An estimated 350 million people around the world suffer from depression, which is the leading cause of disability and a major contributor to the burden of disease. In the US, suicide rates are at a thirty-year high.

  Every day we throw away more food in our homes, restaurants, and supermarkets than it would take to feed the nearly one billion people who go hungry.1 As a species, we choose to spend more money each year on ice cream—a whopping $59 billion—rather than provide the basic human dignities of education, health care, and sanitation to all humans on earth, for a mere $28 billion.2 We haven’t even touched upon the systemic racism, corruption, pollution, violence, war inequality, and injustice that continue to cause pain across every corner of our planet.

  Yet there can be no significant change in the world unless we first have the courage to change ourselves. In order to change ourselves, we must first believe we can.

  Together, we’ll use this one simple belief, everything is figureoutable, to activate our inherent ability to transform our lives and, by doing so, instigate meaningful change around us. Which is exactly why this book is in your hands right now.

  We need you. We need your heart, your voice, your courage, your joy, your creativity, your compassion, your love, and your gifts. Now, more than ever.

  2

  Your Road Map to Results

  You don’t make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.

  Shirley Chisholm

  Just because this idea is simple doesn’t mean the road ahead is easy. You’ll need humility and courage. Self-compassion. A willingness to experiment. A sense of humor. And patience. Lots and lots of patience. As Carlos Castaneda shared, “We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.”

  Before we continue on, the following road map ensures you get the most bang for your buck. Once mastered, the figureoutable philosophy will become a treasure you own in your heart, one that you can never lose.

  1. TRAIN YOUR BRAIN FOR GROWTH

  Your brain is an extraordinary biocomputer, and it’s constantly running programs that work either for or against you. That’s why I want you to be aware of two destructive thoughts—viruses, if you will—that can pop up when you’re learning something new. The trick is to catch these thought viruses and turn them into productive questions. Why? Because the brain is wired to answer questions. No matter what question you ask, your brain will immediately start searching for an answer. When you transform these thoughts into helpful, productive questions, you train your brain to help you learn, grow, and improve.

  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?”

  You can always learn one of two things. First, you can learn a new angle to a concept you’re familiar with. Or more likely, you’ll realize that you’re not fully executing on the thing you “already know.” You’re not living it. Knowing something intellectually is very different from doing something consistently, mastering it, and benefiting from it. Be humble. If you come across an idea or suggestion you’ve heard before, don’t skim past it and say, “Whatever—I know this already.” Be wiser than that. Ask the question “What can I learn from this?” and train your brain to find new opportunities for growth.

  The second destructive thought virus is “This won’t work for me.” Instead of saying, “This won’t work for me,” which instantly shuts down the possibility of anything working, stop, catch it, and change it to a more productive question. Ask yourself, “How can this work me? How can this work for me?” Asking this question again and again forces you to look beyond the obvious, stretch outside your cognitive comfort zone, and poke holes in your own status quo. You’ll train your brain to find new connections, innovations, opportunities, and possibilities that otherwise would have been missed.

  Instead of . . .

  Ask yourself . . .

  “I know this already.”

  “What can I learn from this?”

  “This won’t work for me.”

  “How can this work for me?”

  2. TRY IT BEFORE YOU DENY IT

  Let’s make one thing clear. I don’t pretend to have all the answers. Nor does this book. But in these pages you’ll get a simple framework and set of tools to help you find or create your own. If you’re a person who thrives on playing devil’s advocate, you might already be thinking, No, Marie. Everything is NOT figureoutable. What about X, Y, or Z . . . ?

  Look, if you try hard enough, I’m sure you can conjure up something fantastical that’s not technically figureoutable. Or not figureoutable—yet. For example, you can’t bring your childhood dog back from the dead (though there are scientists working on cryogenics, and dog cloning is happening). You can’t figure out how to grow working human wings out of your back (although we humans can indeed fly).

  Sure, there’s no scientific evidence to confirm my hypothesis that everything is actually figureoutable, but you’ll never grow beyond your current circumstances if you’re closed off to everything except what you currently know. Even if this entire book is bullshit, can you think of a more empowering and pragmatic philosophy to embrace? Can you imagine a more useful and supportive belief than everything is figureoutable?

  With that in mind, here are three rules of play. This mental container helps you stay focused on what matters—your growth, your fulfillment, and your ability to access your inborn wisdom to solve problems and contribute to others.

  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.

  As David Deutsch says, “Everything that is not forbidden by laws of nature is achievable, given the right
knowledge.” You don’t need to take a quantum theorist’s word for it. Or my word, for that matter. Instead, test it. Apply it. Experience it. Live it. See for yourself. If you’re hell-bent on looking for reasons why this won’t work, congratulations. It won’t. But neither will anything else.

  3. DON’T OFFEND YOURSELF

  Like sea salt crushed over a fresh caprese salad, you’ll find swear words sprinkled throughout these pages. I write the way I speak, raw and from the heart.

  My suggestion? Don’t offend yourself. If you’re going to clutch your pearls and gasp in horror seeing words like “clusterfuck” or “shitstorm” in print, let us lovingly part ways now. In a similar vein, I’ve chosen to keep the prose simple by using pronouns like “she” and “he.” Please know that this book is for everyone, regardless of gender identity.

  In the nearly two decades of my career, I’ve had the honor of helping people create meaningful change in their lives—people who come from a dazzling array of socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. From ages six to eighty-six. People who are homeless. People with disabilities. People who are depressed and suicidal. People who have lost children, spouses, and loved ones. People recovering from horrific abuse and lifelong addiction, and people who are battling a terminal disease.

  As a white woman born in the US, I’m well aware that I’ve won what Warren Buffett calls the Ovarian Lottery. That said, this book is filled with compelling, diverse stories far beyond my own. While not every anecdote, tool, or exercise will be a match for your situation, please don’t use the “easy for you to say; you’re so __________ [lucky, privileged, etc.]” argument to let yourself off the hook from exploring a concept that could be of value in your life. Remember to ask, “What can I learn from this? How can this work for me?”

  I respect you. I respect and appreciate our differences. The fact that you picked up this book tells me that we share some DNA. We’re both students and seekers.

  While I don’t know the details of your history or hardships, I do know this: Your innate power is immense. Your potential is limitless. You are unique, valuable, capable, and worthy of the dreams in your heart. Most of all, you have what it takes to transform and transcend whatever challenges you face.

  4. DO THE WORK

  Most books are designed to help you acquire new information. Some are made with the hope that you’ll feel inspired. My intention goes far beyond that. I’m committed to helping you get results. For that to happen, you must do the work and complete the Insight to Action Challenges in this book with your full effort. I’m talking total, down-to-your-bones commitment. Because insight without action is worthless. Taking action is the only path to change.

  Not every exercise will produce mind-blowing insights, but neither of us can predict which challenge will trigger a seismic paradigm shift or game-changing “aha.” You’ll get out of this what you put in. So don’t think your answers to those that require writing. Don’t say, “That sounds interesting, I should try it someday,” to a challenge that says, “Do this now.”

  I also heartily recommend that you complete all written exercises by hand—in a journal or notebook—rather than on a keyboard, if possible. Studies show that writing notes by hand helps you learn, understand, and retain new information more effectively than typing. More than that though, writing by hand forces your brain to slow down and allows you to express your ideas and feelings more clearly and deeply. Putting pen to paper is a mystical way to access your most profound truths.

  Do the work as suggested. Give your very best. If something doesn’t make sense right now, earmark it and come back later. The point is to stay in action and keep moving forward. All it takes is one new perspective or tool, and your life will never be the same again.

  You’ll also notice that some of the key points circle back on themselves. Any repetition is by design. Repetition is a key principle in neuroplasticity. It’s how we rewire our brains and turn good ideas into permanent new ways of being and behaving.

  Like life, the figureoutable philosophy is a spiral path. Expect to hit some of the same issues again and again, each time at a different level. My goal is to help you master the fundamental mindsets and habits you need to figure anything out, for the rest of your life. You don’t need to add 479 tasks to your morning routine or dozens of complex, time-consuming techniques. The figureoutable philosophy requires just a handful of tools and tenets that will alter the trajectory of your life. Simple is elegant and extremely efficient.

  Nothing in this book will work unless you do. Experiment with the ideas, suggestions, and action challenges for at least thirty days. It’s taken your entire lifetime to acquire and reinforce your current beliefs and behaviors, so there will naturally be some deprogramming required.

  I’m confident that in one month of consistent, good-faith practice (and that’s daily good-faith practice!) you’ll see significant, noticeable improvements. More than enough to encourage you to keep going.

  5. CONNECT WITH OUR COMMUNITY

  The figureoutable philosophy becomes geometrically more powerful (and fun!) when applied in collaboration with others. You’ll reach your collective goals faster and with a greater sense of joy, creativity, and camaraderie than ever before. That’s why one of the greatest joys of my life is connecting with growth-minded, creative souls like you. As you operationalize the figureoutable philosophy, share your wins and breakthroughs with me at MarieForleo.com/EIF. You’ll also find a ton of additional free resources, hundreds of episodes of our award-winning show MarieTV and The Marie Forleo Podcast (guaranteed to get you out of any funk—fast), and one of the kindest and most supportive global communities on the planet.

  As you’re about to discover, everything is figureoutable is more than just a fun phrase to say. It’s a practical, actionable discipline. A mantra that helps you operate at your best and achieve what you want. It’s a mindset to help you solve meaningful problems, learn new skills, and find ways to help and contribute to others. Once adopted, this attitude will make you virtually unstoppable.

  Not unstoppable in the sense that everything will always go your way, because it won’t. And not unstoppable in that you’ll never get disappointed, face rejection, suffer defeat, or find yourself in extraordinarily challenging situations, because you definitely will. But unstoppable in the most profound sense. Meaning that nothing—no thing, no person, no fear, no limitation, no circumstance—will ever again have the power to hold you back.

  Let’s roll.

  Figureoutable Field Notes

  She used everything is figureoutable to help her mom get the care she needed in her last five weeks.

  A while back, I watched Marie’s Oprah talk, “Everything Is Figureoutable.” I loved it so much I shared it with my mum—it’s a lesson I knew she’d been trying to teach me. She just loved it.

  Then suddenly, everything changed. My beautiful mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Nothing seemed figureoutable. But you know what? When I looked deeper and stopped railing against what was happening, the little things were figureoutable.

  Like trying to find nursing care for my mum, who lived in a rural area. Like finding special foods she could tolerate. Like getting medical equipment so she could spend her last days (and last five weeks) in her home. So I can honestly say, yes, everything is figureoutable. You’ve got to break the big things down into small bits so you can figure them out.

  Thanks, Marie and team. You’ve made a difference to two people living on the other side of the world.

  —JENN

  NEW ZEALAND

  3

  The Magic of Belief

  ALICE: This is impossible.

  THE MAD HATTER: Only if you believe it is.

  Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)

  I felt like a total failure. Less than a year earlier, I’d graduated as the valedictorian of Seton Hall University. Yet here I was, sitting o
n the steps of Trinity Church in lower Manhattan, in tears.

  Being the first in my family to get a college degree, I felt the weight of the pressure to make good on my education. As a trading assistant on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, I had pride, a steady paycheck, and health insurance. I was grateful to have a job, but inside I felt like I was dying. To be clear, I gave it my all. I got to the office early, put on my game face, and worked my ass off to be the best trading assistant I could be.

  But no matter how hard I tried, something just wasn’t right. This little voice inside me kept whispering, This isn’t it. This isn’t where you’re supposed to be. This isn’t what you’re supposed to be doing with your life.

  More than 99.9 percent of the people I worked with were men, many of whom liked to hit the strip clubs and do a few lines of coke after the 4:00 p.m. closing bell. That wasn’t my scene. What’s more, the near daily propositions and sexual innuendo from my male colleagues was exhausting. At one point, I cut off my hair in protest, thinking a stark look would help me be taken more seriously. It didn’t work, but I did my best to suck it up because I didn’t know what else to do. I was confused because, on the surface, most of the guys I worked with had achieved the trappings of “traditional success.” They had power and security, and were making millions. But on an emotional and spiritual level, many seemed bankrupt. They pined for their two priceless vacation weeks like they were the only thing they had to live for.