The Big Leap Book Review

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks is a book I mention often in my posts and one that I love to recommend to people. It gives a unique perspective on how we should give ourselves permission and the space to feel good not just sometimes, but all the time. What follows are the notes I took when I read it about two months ago.

If you’ve read The Big Leap or have any thoughts to share, send me an email! I’d really love to hear.

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Overall message: Rise above your limits and accept greatness and prosperity to occur all the time in life, not just once in a while.

Introduction

• keep your love and creativity growing with your material success (3)

Chap 1

Concepts:

• Goal: Zone of Genius (9)

  • Questions

    • Am I willing to increase the amount of time every day that I feel good inside?

    • Am I willing to increase the amount of time that my whole life goes well?

    • Am I willing to feel good and have my life go well all the time?

    • Are you willing to take the Big Leap to your ultimate level of success in money, love, and creative contribution?

• Fear + deep breaths = excitement (18)

• Upper Limit Problem

  • limitations (20)

• let your capacity for good feelings expand (22)

Questions:

• How am I getting in my own way? (14)

Chap 2

Concepts:

• thinking you don't deserve happiness (42)

• different mantras (before 58)

Chap 3

Concepts:

• worrying (64)

• stop pressing the wrong button (70)

• criticism (76)

• deflecting (80)

• squabbling/arguing (84)

• each and both people in a disagreement are 100% responsible, not 50% (87)

• sickness (89)

• projecting feelings (103)

• questions (107-8)

Things to think about:

• unsubscribe from tradition (108-9) *possible episode

• attitude of wonder is greater than blaming (109)

  • self-awareness of flaws and curiosity for them is key (110)

  • chuckling about your flaws instead of criticizing them (110)

Action steps:

1. affirmation - learn about the Upper Limit Problem (111)

2. make a list of your ULPs

3. expand your potential and capacity for abundance and success (112)

Chap 4

Questions (113):

• what's my genius?

• how can I bring forth my genius in ways that serve others and myself at the same time?

Concepts:

• fear of failure (119)

  • acknowledge the fears instead of pushing them away

Action steps:

• commit to the Zone of Genius (121)

  • "I commit to living in my Zone of Genius, now and forever." *take this out for post*

• hone in on your unique ability (138)

  • "I'm at my best when I'm ____"

  • "When I'm at my best, the exact thing I'm doing is ____"

  • "When I'm doing that, the thing I love most about it is ____"

Zone of Genius questions:

1. what do I love to do the most? (122)

2. what work do I love to do? (125)

3. big value:time ratio (126)

   1. meditation and let your mind roam (127)

   2. dig behind the reasoning for your ULP limitations (129)

      1. ex: Nancy

   3. jealousy/fear of outshining others (130)

4. what is my unique ability? (132) my superpower? (137)

   1. *mine is happiness, positivity, honesty/cutting out BS, good energy, silly but professional, fighting the status quo with happiness*

   2. Gay's is "having respect for the creative process with no judgement and with patience" (134)

Chap 5 (143)

• using a mantra (145-6)

• the Ultimate Success Mantra (USM) is the antidote to our ULPs (147)

  • counters the ULP, which contracts you and holds you back

• expand in abundance, love, and success (148)

USM:

use as (149):

1. meditation for 5-10min a day (149)

2. in daily life, whether writing it on cards and/or saying it throughout the day

"Enlightened No" (151)

No need for ego in the Zone of Genius (155)

• no needs for ego, approval from others, etc.

More action steps:

• Renew your commitment instead of just saying that you're committed (154)

• Aim for exhilaration and serenity (157)

Chap 6 - Time (159)

Big idea: You're where time comes from. (160)

Problem: trying to use time management systems and eventually not using them (164)

Solution: Einstein time for creativity and intimacy (164)

Newtonian time:

• makes two time extremes (166-7)

  • either too little or too much

• puts time as something that is "out there", makes time seem tangible

We are time. (176)

• "stress and conflict are caused by resisting acceptance and ownership" (178)

Action steps:

• Give attention and space to something to shorten time (169)

  • example: spending time with a loved one versus waiting on something and constantly checking the clock

• Stop complaining about time (179)

  • you're not a victim of time

Chap 7 - Relationships (185)

Goal: handle more positive energy/success/love NOW, not later

ULP: I'm flawed and don't deserve success (188)

Projection issue (189)

How we limit positive relationships (191)

• arguing, the need to control/dominate someone or be controlled/dominated, etc.

Solution (192)

1. alone time

2. communicate your emotions *episode idea: we don't get trained on saying how we feel out loud and this is "costly"*

3. let your emotions out, cry, don't suppress them, don't tell people "please don't cry"

4. non-sexual touch to your significant other

5. come back down from the highs in a positive way

6. "conspiracy"/gentle reminders

Action steps:

DO: be open and curious to learning new things

DON'T: be stubborn and defensive, because the universe will find a way to teach you the lesson, either the easy or hard way depending on your openness

Conclusion (197)

ULP: "our universal human tendency to sabotage ourselves when we have exceeded the artificial upper limit we have place on ourselves"

• "caused by a too-low thermostat setting on our ability to achieve and enjoy our ultimate success"

Business tips:

• think from the customer's point of view

• create things that will make people's lives better (213)