Episode 17 – Finding Your Inner Energy – “The Big Leap” Book Review
Today we are focusing on finding your inner energy:
- Many people haven’t asked themselves “what do I really want?” in regard to their lives. This is where our theme of energy comes in …
- Energy comes from within when we love and enjoy life
- We have found 3 authors that share unique perspectives on how to find this inner energy.
In this episode we will share more about “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks.
After listening to Cliff Ravenscraft (known as the Podcast Answerman) podcast on over 5 hours worth of thought provoking accounts of how this book changed his life, I thought it would be worth a read (or at least further research). Episode 519 of Cliff’s podcast, Cliff actually interviews Gay Hendricks. I actually have listened to the episode at least 3 times to get all the details and concepts. So below is my summary of the themes in the book (summarized from various sources.)
Questions the book answers
If you’ve ever felt stuck, it’s your genius that’s beckoning.
If you’ve ever wanted to contribute more, your genius is the path.
If you’ve ever enjoyed a flow state, it’s your genius you’re tasting.
What is my genius? And how can I bring it forth so it serves me and others simultaneously?
Let the answers come. Celebrate them when they arrive. Share them with the world.
Quote above from: https://www.hendricks.com/big-leaps/approach/
Many people haven’t asked themselves “what do I really want?” in regard to their lives.
Without a careful inquiry into what you want now, you are likely to repeat old patterns that were imprinted when you were younger. The past does not have to equal the future.
Quote above from: https://www.hendricks.com/genius-free-resources/conscious-visioning/
Themes in Big Leap (High Level)
- Upper Limit Challenge
- We are programmed to stay safe – not over shine or even stand out from a crowd. Think of this in a corporate environment?
- We each in a lifetime create our own internal glass ceiling. We hold ourselves back and are fearful of the consequences to express our self in the fullest way possible in life.
- This concept of upper limit challenge paralyzes us from making the “big leap” into our genius or the greatest we can be in life.
- Guy Hendricks shows that this doesn’t have to be the fate of all individuals if you can become aware of the situation … you can then reprogram yourself and let go of the past fears and develop focus to unleash your creativity and do what you were designed to do.
- Out Shining
- Messages from others in your surroundings such as a family to not out shine your siblings or others in your circle (this could be at work, school, etc.)
- Or in Australia – there is an expression ‘don’t be a poppy’ or don’t stand out among the crowd.
The tall poppy syndrome describes aspects of a culture where people of high status are resented, attacked, cut down and/or criticised simply because they have been classified as superior to their peers. This is similar to begrudgery, the resentment or envy of the success of a peer. The term has been widely used in many cultures of the egalitarian English-speaking world. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome
- Commitment
- Extend periods of time to have a positive outlook and create good periods of time
- Even if you don’t know how to do the statement above – make a commitment to breathe love and enjoy the moment, this can be done with as little as 1 minute a day and building up from there.
- Why are we afraid to follow our dreams? We believe we are fundamentally limited and we tend to dwell on it and look for negativity in the situation.
- According to Gay Hendricks, by loving that part of us that we are fearful of and we can turn around and adjust ‘our upper limit thermostat and when you love yourself you have abundance.’
- Zones (Where are you operating now?)
- Incompetence – spending time doing things that you are not good at, the solution is to not do them or outsource the tasks.
- Competence – can do them well and but others can do them equally well. The solution is delegate these tasks as well to free up your time to get into the zone of genius.
- Excellence – This zone is where you are comfortable and can make a good living. You can do these tasks better than most people. You are tempted to take it easy in this zone.
- Genius – not just excellence but you are uniquely suited to do … find those things that have the quality and get paid for … take 10 more minutes a day to map out more and more things that you loved to do and get paid for …
- How do you get to the Zone of Genius?
- “If you have work that you love to do then you are blessed in life.” – Simplification and able to get to the core of existence
- Try to love life – try to revert to positive in every situation and not look for the negativity in any situation – Get rid of criticism or blameful words … the goal of loving life is tring to accomplish by getting rid of negativity
- Clear up your own self-limiting patterns by exploring the 3 P’s: Punishment, Prevention and Protection, as well as exploring self-sabotaging symptoms that are usually motivated by deep, unconscious needs. This takes awareness of why that part of us is setting those limiting beliefs. (I find this to be one of the more difficult parts of digging deep to find why I believe the way I believe, but the book gives a framework for better understanding the questions we need to ask ourselves.)
Upper Limit Challenge: Four Hidden Barriers That Hold Us Back
- Hidden Barrier One: Feelings of being fundamentally flawed – This is the feeling that you feel that something is wrong with you or feelings of undeserved and unworthiness. Anytime you feel success that, these thoughts came into your thinking and then somehow sabotaged yourself. How to Overcome Hidden Barrier One: Any experience success with thoughts of being flawed or not worthy of the success come into your line of thought — recognize that you are facing an Upper Limit Problem. Realize how to address this and that is a barrier to reach the zone of Genius
- Hidden Barrier Two: Feelings of disloyalty and abandonment – Refusing to embrace real success because you have a feeling that you will be alone and have to leave family and friends that maybe don’t share the same values. Ask these two questions to see if you have these feelings:
“To get to where I am today – Did I break the family’s spoken or unspoken rule?”
“Even though I feel that I am successful – Did I fail to meet the expectations my parents had for me?”
If you answered yes to either of the two questions, you need to look at the patterns in your life, where you may experience success then punish yourself by sabotaging your efforts and stopping all efforts together.
How to Overcome Hidden Barrier Two: To move beyond this Upper Limit Problem, Gay Hendricks mentions through communication and to speak openly with your family and friends.
- Hidden Barrier Three: More Success Means Bigger Burden – If you have feelings that somehow you are a burden to others, those feeling will immobilize you and prevent you from rising to your true potential. How to Overcome Hidden Barrier Three: Whenever these feelings of guilt are triggered, recognize that it’s because of the Upper Limit Problem and realize that you have nothing to be guilty of, so release the guilt.
- Hidden Barrier Four: Outshining – Having feelings of making others look bad. These are usually messages from others in your surroundings such as a family to not out shine your siblings or others in your circle (this could be at work, school, etc.) Or in Australia – there is an expression ‘don’t be a poppy’ or don’t stand out among the crowd.
The tall poppy syndrome describes aspects of a culture where people of high status are resented, attacked, cut down and/or criticised simply because they have been classified as superior to their peers. This is similar to begrudgery, the resentment or envy of the success of a peer. The term has been widely used in many cultures of the egalitarian English-speaking world. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tall_poppy_syndrome
Hidden Barrier Four is prevalent among most children that do well in activities compared to their siblings. How to Overcome Hidden Barrier Three: Looking back at your successful breakthroughs, was there anytime when you had fear? Did you have fear of outshining anyone from your past or present? Did you feel that others deserved the success more than you did?
Action Items
- Four Genius Questions to Ask Yourself – in the order listed below… – A great summary by: The Invisible Mentor
- What do (work, activity, etc.) I most love to do? (This can be split up into categories of life)
- What work do I do that doesn’t seem like work? (Think about all the areas of life)
- In my work that I have accomplished thus far, what yields the highest ratio of abundance and satisfaction to the amount of time spent?
- What is my unique ability in life?
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