by Marie Forleo
I accepted a part-time teaching opportunity at a management college, earning just enough to stay afloat and pay my studio rent. I started teaching Ganapati idol-making workshops and other art workshops on the side. I wanted to offer these classes in the US, but it wasn’t practical or feasible since I live in India.
Then a friend introduced me to online teaching. I immediately decided to make an online course about how to make a Ganapati idol. It was tough and I had to figure out many things about video recording, lighting, editing, audio, and marketing, but I’m happy I did. The class was a hit! My course was covered in the local media and it’s still the only course on this topic anywhere on the internet. I was hooked. I now have twenty-five online courses and my paintings are in personal and corporate collections in more than seven countries. Everything is figureoutable!
—MANDAR
INDIA
“When love is your motivation, everything is figureoutable.”
My grandfather passed away unexpectedly. He lived in England. I live in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I had a two-year-old and a two-month-old, a business, and a busy husband/business partner. The funeral was set for Thursday at 11:00 a.m. in a small village outside Manchester. Every fiber in my being told me that I had to be there, but as a nursing mama, I HAD to bring my baby . . .
The mantra “Everything is figureoutable” got me through:
Rearranging schedules for my entire family.
Finding last-minute daycare for my toddler.
Finding the funds to buy a last-minute plane ticket.
2:00 a.m. packing, prepping, and pumping sessions.
And then . . . things got really hard. Everything is figureoutable got me through:
A delayed flight and missed connection.
An unexpected sleepover in a snowstorm in Detroit with my two-month-old baby.
Being told, “I’m sorry, the earliest we can get you into Manchester is Thursday EVENING.” (Oh HELL no.)
Everything is figureoutable is what gave me the courage to stand strong. Speak up. Switch airlines. Find a new path. Land in Manchester Airport at 7:00 a.m. Thursday. Get a ride to his small village on time and with one hour to spare. All on no sleep with my baby girl strapped to me. I have never been more proud of myself. And of my family. Here’s how I figured it out:
Deep breaths.
Literally telling the Delta agents, “Everything is figureoutable!”
Lots of phone calls.
Never taking no for an answer.
Being open to flying to unexpected places in order to get to my final destination.
I made it to my grandfather’s funeral. I was able to say my final goodbye to a man who meant the world to me. I was able to hold my baby girl while we buried him in the same cemetery where generations of my ancestors are buried. I showed myself, my children, and my extended family that when love is your motivation, everything is figureoutable.
—KATE
MICHIGAN
This full-time teacher uses everything is figureoutable on both the tiniest tasks and her biggest, scariest obstacles.
Marie’s (and her mom’s) mantra “Everything is figureoutable” has shifted me and continues to do so in such a powerful way. It’s challenging to land on just one problem this mantra has helped with because it comes up for me daily, often bubbling up over and over again.
Whether it’s the panic that comes right after I’ve realized I’ve lost my wallet or the angst I feel when my rent is due—this is figureoutable. Trains not running properly on a weekend and I’m now running late—this is figureoutable. Balancing being a full-time teacher in a high-performing low-income school, launching a yoga retreat business, writing a book, and making time for human connection and self-development—this is figureoutable.
This mantra helps me face the tiniest of tasks and the biggest, scariest obstacles. It has been so instrumental in my life that I’ve made it my password. Typing in “figureoutable” multiple times a day gives me a sense of calm and courage to take on a rich and full life.
Once I remind myself that everything is figureoutable, I’m calmer and clearheaded enough to take action. The first step usually involves making a list or reaching out for help. The end result is that I always figure it out. My rent is paid, I’ve learned the trains in a new city, I’ve learned how to embed a payment form on my website, etc. I’m still in the midst of many figureoutable moments, but Marie’s mantra provides me with the reassurance and permission to move forward.
—KATYA
NEW YORK
Everything is figureoutable helped this working mom of two survive her husband’s deployment.
My husband was leaving for a six-month deployment and I had to figure out how to hold down the fort with two kids and a full-time job without losing my sanity. I wanted to face one of the most difficult challenges of my life and come out stronger and healthier on the other side.
The mantra “Everything is figureoutable” gave me confidence to believe that—in spite of the loneliness, the heaviness, and the overwhelm—I could totally crush these six months apart. It helped me to choose fight over flight, and strength over survival. When I was afraid of the dark every single night, I figured it out. When I had to shoulder the taxes, the parenting, the housekeeping, and the work-life balance, I figured it out. When lightning struck the only tree in my front yard and it fell on top of our car, I figured it out (after I cried a little).
When I knew that my husband would be leaving, it felt like a staggering impossibility to maintain a normal existence without him. The thought alone gave me anxiety! So I figured out a way to get some help. I asked our babysitter and college student extraordinaire to take the guest bedroom and live with us rent-free in exchange for help with the kids and keeping me company. Her presence made our lives so much more bearable and even fun! (Holla at ya, Becca!)
I took mundane tasks one day at a time and learned to have a tremendous amount of grace with myself. Sometimes it’s way more important to figure out self-care than how to squeeze in the laundry and the dishes on a work night! I also figured out how to ask my neighbors and friends for help rather than curl up into a ball of defeat. (Lookin’ at you, tree car.)
Perhaps one of the most impactful things I figured out was how to care for myself so that I could take care of everything else on my plate. I signed up with a personal trainer and got help with my nutrition. I bought a bike and focused on doing things I loved so I could be renewed and energized instead of drained and used up.
The end result was that I survived the six-month deployment with my sanity intact. I strengthened my friendships and made new ones. Everything is figureoutable, and I’m so glad that someone told me so.
—KAYLA
MISSOURI
“Marie’s mantra is their mantra as well as mine, and I know they will pass it on to their children in the future.”
One day my car tire was nearly flat and I had no clue what to do. I remembered Marie’s mantra and Googled my car model and tire air pressure at the gas station and sorted out my flat tire in two minutes. This gave me proof and confidence that everything IS figureoutable.
I’ve since gone on to get a well-paying job and run my own business on the side. I have a range of power tools and my very own toolbox to flip a new four-bedroom house by the sea in Ireland. I passed Marie’s mantra on through word and action to my four children. Three of them have flown the coop and are studying law, accountancy, and psychology and all living and working independently from me without a single loan. Marie’s mantra is their mantra as well as mine and I know they will pass it on to their children in the future.
—ELLEN
IRELAND
She used everything is figureoutable to give herself the courage to escape a dangerous re
lationship and start a new life.
I was in a relationship I never should’ve been in to begin with. All the red flags were there, but I ignored them. One night, after months of awful fights, it came to an ugly and scary head. I needed to pack everything I owned—an entire house full of furniture, my office, and two sweet pups—and get it all into storage by the end of the next day.
By this time, I knew the phrase “Everything is figureoutable,” so I repeated it over and over. I repeated it on the phone to friends who were scared to death for me. I repeated it to the movers who showed up within two hours to pack me up. To a neighbor who took time out of her day to help me pack my most precious belongings. All day long I repeated, “Everything is figureoutable.”
It was an awful, awful nine months leading up to this moment, but it led to the happiest of endings because I controlled my thought process with this one phrase. It helped me keep going because I had no time to stop and freak out.
I broke everything down step by step. First, I called the police to be sure I was safe. Then I searched online for last-minute movers (I had no idea, but they exist, thank goodness). Then I rented a storage unit. Then I had my cousin, a lawyer, draw up a letter. In between I packed boxes, the movers showed up, and it was all out and in storage by six that night. I still get chills thinking about it. And I’m still so proud of how well it went and how strong I was/am.
I still use everything is figureoutable today. I moved back to Texas, met the man of my dreams, and got married. We now live in a beautiful house in California and I’m working on a project I truly believe in.
—JULIA
CALIFORNIA
“On the anniversary of my mama’s passing, everything is figureoutable brought the light back into my heart.”
After my mom passed away I lost my entire sense of direction. I had lost my dad at nineteen, and now I was an orphan. My mom was my closest friend and her passing left me feeling like I’d lost my lighthouse and was stumbling in the darkness. Nothing felt like it would ever be figureoutable again.
On the anniversary of my mama’s passing, “Everything Is Figureoutable” arrived in my inbox and Marie brought the light back into my heart. It was not one specific solution to a specific problem, it was a complete transformation of spirit. My heart extended. My eyes opened to the world again, and I felt my soul come alive as the wisdom sank into my bones.
This is what I had been doing every day, even when I felt like I was crumbling and could not face another day. I chose to show up . . . for my partner, for my children, and above all, for myself. “Everything is figureoutable” continues to be my daily mantra. It is the key message (along with choosing kindness and respect) that I model for my kids, and it is a message I now hear them repeat to their friends.
Marie and I have never met, and yet in my darkest hour she opened me up to the person I am. Her message is the lighthouse. It is not about doing one thing differently, it is a complete way of living and being in the world . . . every single day. In the darkness, in the shadows, and even in the brightest sun. Through the joys and the heartache, everything is figureoutable. Always.
—PATRYCJA
QUEBEC
Everything is figureoutable helped her revisit a long-forgotten novel with a fresh perspective.
A long while back, I started a novel. I was a young mom experiencing the challenges that present themselves at that particular time. In addition to raising three little ones, we were dealing with a parent in the throes of Alzheimer’s. After a walk through a cemetery and seeing my name on a tombstone, I wrote a short story, which ultimately morphed into an outline for a novel in the genre of magic realism.
Over the next few years, I pursued and earned a doctorate, which necessitated putting everything else aside. Soon after beginning B-School, I made the decision to revisit the novel. Although I still felt passionate about the theme, it just wasn’t working in its original iteration. I felt so discouraged because I’d made a commitment to finishing it once I’d earned my degree.
I went back to the keyboard, but after days staring at old words and blank pages, I happened upon Marie’s Oprah talk. Amazingly, it unleashed a flood of ideas.
I realized that the block I was experiencing was a result of being a different person today than when I first wrote the short story. Once I was open to the process without urgency or preconceived results, I found the answers. I introduced a new character and everything started to click—especially my keyboard! It is all a gift and it is all figureoutable! Insights for which I am incredibly grateful.
—LILLIAN
NEW YORK
She lobbied government to help her grandparents keep
their only source of income.
Our state government made an announcement that they were canceling limousine licenses, simply throwing them in the bin. My grandparents, who are in their nineties, had five licenses and the lease on those licenses is their only source of income—a modest income, but it was all they needed. Which meant they were about to lose everything.
At the time, there were devastating stories of cab and limousine license owners and operators committing suicide. It devastated my grandfather. He was such a proud provider who worked so very hard to have assets he could leave to his nine children.
He was now too frail to look after his investments, so when the government made this announcement, the ball was in my court. I knew nothing about the industry and even less about politics (not even who my state member was!).
“It’s all figureoutable,” I told myself. I knew I could figure this out.
I took it one step at a time. I went to a limousine meeting for the first time in my life and voiced my concerns. Then I organized a meeting of others with the same concerns. Then I started an industry association. Then I organized protests and a social media campaign to get the government to even talk to me (they’d locked me out of everything).
I find that in figuring one thing out, there’s such a flow effect. I now get super excited about the challenges I face because it’s usually a stepping-stone to something greater. Eventually I appeared in the media, made submissions to parliamentary committees, and spoke to countless politicians. I did everything I could to influence change.
The government eventually renounced their decision—and my grandparents still have an income. I figured it out and then some!
My association is now the peak body, and I also sit on the Government’s Industry Reference Group. My desire to figure out how to help my grandad has, in turn, helped many others in the limousine industry in Queensland. I formed wonderful friendships and have learned so many new things. One senior government staffer even told me I should start teaching people how to lobby government!
I know everything is figureoutable, I was born knowing that. But I never had the words for it until Marie articulated it so well. Now, whenever I encounter challenges I can hear her saying, “Everything is figureoutable” and I go, “Yep, she’s right, now let’s get on with it.”
—JACQUI
AUSTRALIA
NOTES
CHAPTER 1: THE TROPICANA ORANGE
1. Tristram Stuart, Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal (New York: W. W. Norton, 2009).
2. “Ten Great Reasons to Give to Charity,” The Life You Can Save, accessed March 15, 2019, https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/learn-more/why-donate#collapseFAQs.
CHAPTER 3: THE MAGIC OF BELIEF
1. Walter A. Brown, “Expectation, the Placebo Effect and the Response to Treatment,” Rhode Island Medical Journal, May 19, 2015, http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal/2015/05/2015-05-19-cont-brown.pdf.
2. Ulrich W. Weger and Stephen Loughnan, “Mobilizing Unused Resources: Using the Placebo Concept to Enhance Cognitive Performance,” The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/figure/10.1080/17470218.2012.751117.
3. 60 Minutes, “Marva Collins 1995 Part 1,” YouTube video, 7:56, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8b1Behi9FM.
4. Alyssa Toomey, “Oprah Winfrey Talks Barbara Walters’ Legacy,” E! News, May 16, 2014, http://www.eonline.com/news/542751/oprah-winfrey-talks-barbara-walters-legacy-former-view-host-gets-teary-eyed-while-talking-about-her-final-show.
5. American Psychological Association, “Marriage and Divorce,” https://www.apa.org/topics/divorce.
6. McKinley Irvin Family Law, “32 Shocking Divorce Statistics,” https://www.mckinleyirvin.com/family-law-blog/2012/october/32-shocking-divorce-statistics.
CHAPTER 4: ELIMINATE EXCUSES
1. Victor Mather, “Bethany Hamilton, a Shark-Attack Survivor, Reaches an Unlikely Crest,” New York Times, May 31, 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/01/sports/bethany-hamilton-world-surf-league.html; “Learn About Bethany,” BethanyHamilton.com, https://bethanyhamilton.com/biography; “Bethany Hamilton Biography,” Biography, https://www.biography.com/people/bethany-hamilton.
2. Tererai Trent, The Awakened Woman: Remembering & Reigniting Our Sacred Dreams (New York: Enliven/Atria, 2017); “Have an Impossible Dream? This Woman Proves You Can Achieve It,” MarieTV, https://www.marieforleo.com/2019/03/tererai-trent-achieve-your-dreams.
3. Nicholas Kristof, “Triumph of a Dreamer,” New York Times, November 14, 2009, https://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/opinion/15kristof.html; Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (New York: Vintage Books, 2010); “A Remarkable Story,” Tereraitrent.org, https://tererai.net/index.php/about/.