Ready for day 4 of the PhilosophersNotes Challenge? I sure am! Today we’ll be studying The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks.
But first a funny story about Gay Hendricks. If it weren’t for him, MindValley and Brian Johnson would not have started working together on PhilosophersNotes. Do you believe in synchronicity? I sure do. Here’s what happened.
I live 3 hours away from the beautiful paradise island of Bali. But I had never ever visited that place. Some time in March I was supposed to meet with a business client from Australia. She and her team were going to fly down to Kuala Lumpur to see me. At the last minute, we came up with the idea of meeting in Bali since it was more central to both of us and I’d always wanted to visit the island. Plus, business meetings on the beach totally rock.
At first, I was a little hesitant to fly all the way to Bali, but an intuitive nudge told me that something important was going to happen. It did.
Just a day or two before the trip, I was speaking to Gay Hendricks over the phone about featuring him on FinerMinds. When Gay found out that I was living in South East Asia he told me that I had to connect with this guy called Brian Johnson because we were around the same age and crazy about personal growth. Brian was in Bali.
“Funny”, I told Gay. I’ve lived in South East Asia for 19 years. But not once had I ever visited Bali. Yet, I was about to make my first trip there in 2 days. So after my business meetings in Bali I drove to a place in Bali called Ubud to meet Brian. We started talking about PhilosophersNotes. One thing lead to another and before you know it, MindValley and Brian started working together.
Nothing came from my initial business meeting. It did not pan out. But that chance encounter with Brian led to a collaboration that has culminated in the 50 Days Challenge.
So thank you Gay, for starting a chain of events that led to this.
And today, we’ll be studying one of Gay’s best books. The Big Leap.
“Are you willing to take the Big Leap to your ultimate level of success in love, money, and creative contribution?”
~ Gay Hendricks from The Big Leap
From Brian: “Quick overview: The book is all about taking “The Big Leap” beyond what Gay calls our “Upper Limits” as we learn to live in our “Zone of Genius”—a place where time flows and we expand in success, abundance and love every day as we inspire those around us to do the same.”
As always, drop a comment on your EUREKA moment and how do you plan on implementing the wisdom from this Note. Plus any other thoughts you might have. If you’ve read the book, throw in your 2 cents too. And for those who want to buy the book, you can grab it on Amazon here »
Here’s a lil video from Brian discussing the book. Lots of cool stuff.
And twitter users, don’t forget the #50days 
Also, because lots of people are joining in on the Challenge a few days late and in case you miss a day or two, check out this page » We’ve listed every Note that will be discussed (on which day) along with links to the discussion posts.
Can’t wait to get the discussion going on today’s Note. Talk to you guys tomorrow and if you haven’t got your 100 PhilosophersNotes yet, you can grab them here »
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Playing catchup from yesterday, and even though I’ve read The Big Leap three times (I did a Big Leap “Genius Pact” experiment with my pal, Jacque, where we spent 12 weeks challenging ourselves and each other to integrate the wisdom in the book), I STILL got a lot out of Brian’s Note.
The “Crime of Outshining” thing still strikes me as such a huge insight, and I love the “sweaty 10-minute conversation” concept. But the overarching Upper Limits concept may be the mama of them all. All those little bickering arguments that start whenever pure love energy gets to scary. All those self-sabotaging acts that erupt whenever life starts getting to great. All the little details and commitments we leave undone as a way of tripping ourselves up before we get just a little beyond our comfort zone. The recognition of all this gives me the chills — over and over again!
Brilliant!!!!! There are so many things that get in the way. I call the upper limits.… limiting believes . Are you willing to feel good all of the time? I love this questions. I coach about this very topic. We get so stuck in the limiting beliefs we pt on ourselves based decision forming incidences from our life and previous lives. We did make a deal when we were born and we then start enduring pain and fear and create our walls that hold us back from living to our fullest potential.
I love the way he talks about making friends with your fear. I find that if you give your lower self (fear) a name and love it as if it were a child. Understand that fear is part of what enables to recognize when we are living in purpose and higher self.
You Rock Brian
Create a GREAT day!
I really enjoyed this. I have used Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy with clients. Albert Ellis invented this in 1955 and it still rings true today. Again, simple ideas that work. He teaches ABCDE. A, is the activating experience, B is the beliefs and irrational thoughts, and the C is the consequences. It is B that creates our unhappiness. We need to use D, to dispute our irrational beliefs, and E to enjoy the positive psychological rational beliefs.
Another factor that I noticed is how important the breath is, in this note and in meditation. I know that when I had physcial therapy on my broken leg, that the therapy hurt so much, that I would hold my breath. I was creating more physical and psychological pain by doing this. I was holding on to the fear and pain of the physical therapy.
When you learn to meditate, you also learn to just the thoughts that come just come and watch them go by.
I want to read this book now.
I started reading this book as my first kindle book a few weeks ago, great to get it condensed again by you Brian. I am totally fascinated (& inspired) by the concept of “Upper Limits” to success that we give ourselves in the areas of happiness, money, creative output and love. I’m seeing it more and more as true in my life. It’s kinda weird that we’d do it, but there it is. I’m ready to move on to fullness.
Leif — thanks for sharing this note with me. It truly is amazing! So much gold in here to digest.
Have a superb weekend everyone! Embrace enthusiasm and share it with anyone within 50 feet!!!! See you on Monday and enJOY!
“Your work is to simply determine what you want.”
Live Life to the Fullest
Brodie Whitney
Living Fully Life Coaching
http://www.lifecoachbrodie.com
trying to get in the grove with this Note…not really connecting to it. Guess I have to rasie my thermostat a big more. I am sure I could use some fine tuning in this department…I think the disconnect with it is that I don’t have a mission completely figured out yet…but I am getting closer. So therefore I don’t feel that I am able to be in my zone of Genius. I feel there is a block or (hex) to my accepting this idea of being or feeling good all the time. Seems not fair…with all the pain in the world. I know, I know that being down does not help with that…but its easier to know it much harder to live it. So that is where I am with it…but feels good to get it out and face the fears…waving at the even.
I love the concept of punching through into the next level generally. With all this learning I feel like I’m hovering around the next stratosphere but not yet through. Am I brave enough to make the decision to be happy all the time?
I also love ‘Imitation is a Crime’, because a lot of guidance says follow role models, model yourself on this or that person.… I guess both are valid.… but I have always believed that we are each unique, and it is our responsibility to be uniquely who we are.
Am I willing.…that is the new question I will be asking myself every day. Waves of joy and excitement during reading this note! I realized that my limiting belief that tells me that I have to suffer at some point even if something good happens to me can be changed just by my being willing to feel good and have life go well all of the time. This was profound for me.
Another point in this note was the part about the feeling of fear. I have been dealing with a nagging fear in the pit of my stomach on and off for days now and I have been taking a lot of deep breathes. That made it better somewhat but now!!! Just that flip of a switch and Wa.. LA.. from fear to excitement about the possibilities of living in my G zone!! Also getting so much from everyone else’s insights. This just gets better every day.…..I am so grateful to be here!
I see you.….
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I loved the point on upper limits and inner thermostats. SO TRUE for me! I’m getting ready to start my own business and I swear I have been living on the edges of discomfort for a long but have taken my sweet time to do anything about it. Armed with this new perspective of fear I feel less scared and more confident. Thank You!
I also loved the breakthrough/stabilization/integration point. How often I have been feeling on top of the world only for it to diminsh and not be found again. I very recently started to integrate what I have been learning all these into my daily life and let me tell you…that high on life feeling has been lasting longer consistently these days.
I love this stuff!!
The Big Leap seems to be a simple metaphor and the preset thermostat at our so-called ceiling limitation is another one.In fact, I’m beginning to feel that many of these self-improvement books thrive on fresh metaphors to catch our interest and stir our inspiration and emotions to convince us to get going beyond where we are in the present.
In my mind it seems like these authors, as good a some of them are, keep avoiding the real issue we are all face with — learning how to work with our conscious and unconscious mind, our habits and the new rituals that will allow us to go beyond who we currently are and being aware of our excellent and genius skills and traits along with our shadow and neurotic aspects that hold us back, will enable us to put our best foot forward and get on the life path that will make us most fulfilled.
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I was totally hyped up by the notes on How to Stop Worrying but this one has totally taken it to a whole new level for me!
I listened to the audio notes like 6 or 7 times and seriously each time I listened I gained something new. The whole breathing into the fear so that it can transform into excitement was a HUGE wake up for me. I’ve been dealing with anxiety at work for the last few months and each time I sat with it I made a reason for why it existed. I realize that my anxiety doesn’t have to have a reason…I just need to breathe through it. And I recognized a long time ago that I unconciously hold my breathe. The connections I made…WOW!!
Interesting! Feeling good all the time is certainly a radical and challenging thought, given that we allow ourselves to feel good for such short spells. There is a lot to take away from the Big Leap, but I especially liked ‘Breathe into Your Fear’ and the emphasis on ‘Stabilization and Integration’ of Breakthroughs. I have had a number of breakthroughs recently but need to consolidate and build on them. Brian’s idea of journaling (expressed elsewhere), seems to be the way to go.
Yes — breathing into fear is a very helpful thing to do. Great note.
The inner thermostat .….. It seems to me that life and the whole personal development thing is wrapped up in this deep and I mean wayyyyyyyyy deep and profound concept!
Quote: “Each of us has an inner thermostat setting that determines how much love, success, and creativity we allow ourselves to enjoy. When we exceed our inner thermostat setting, we will often do something to sabotage ourselves, causing us to drop back into the old, familiar zone where we feel secure…
What blows me away is most of the time we are not even conscious of the “self sabotage” .…. it creeps in or shows up from the most unexpected places at the most unexpected times. I think that at times “Self sabotage” is rooted in “Desire”
Maybe our friend Tiger wasn’t feeling nervous enough when stepping up to the tee .… and he didn’t want to quit playing golf.
Quote:“And, even Tiger Woods says that the day he’s not nervous stepping up to the first tee is the day he quits“
So “Self sabotage” steps in and makes sure that Tiger will feel very nervous the next time he steps up to the tee! The old thermostat works both ways .…. Some peoples “comfort zone” is in the “adrenaline zone” Anyways .… The thermostat concept always makes me think .… Thanks Brian!
Wow, the big leap really is a big leap. A big leap into believing in yourself. I choose to be the best Luke Macumber I can possibly be…
On finding my genius… What would I pay to do? Mmmm…
A lot of great resources in this book! I really relate to the voices in the head, and just by permitting them to be there lightens the volume (resist/persistence).
This is so Powerful! I’ve found that when i am consciously striving to be the best me that i can be to the point that it becomes second nature„..i begin to see and receive the little nods the universe sends me letting me know that i’m on the right track and that my efforts are appreciated…things open up and the upper limits are cracked and then broken and then disappear!!!!! this reminds me of Robert Schheinfeld’s dynamite the box and journey to the infinite.…Powerful!!!!
Transcend your beliefs. Be aware of choice — reset your thermostat and be in the upper limit. Acknowledge your fears and breathe. Anchor yourself in your zone of genius. Be true to your own nature and self actualize. Train yourself for positive action.
Biggest Idea for me — Breakthroughs, Stabilization and Integration.
Great Note!
I agree with Vishen, my “happiness set point” is way to low and this is becasue i never believed that i deserved anything good in this life.Wow, is that ever a mistake. I am my own worst enemy. I need to take the big leap and believe in myself. this starts with aknoweldging my fears and waving to them, and breathing into the fears constantly.
I am happy to find the connection to the tv section again.
I appreciated the presentation of the four quadrant…indeed I needed to have a big leap where I am now.
Thanks a lot Vishen.
here for me the huge thing, and I thought, wow so simple (isn’t that always the way the most simple things = most beautiful, most profound, most cherished, most loved, most best…) was the idea of fear = excitement without the breath… brilliant. I have been focusing on my breath and really have been breathing myself into alignment. making a huge difference. Awesome
amazing truths once more!! and great notes, Brian you have a good fresh energy that is really enjoyable when it comes to hear and see truths that we could want not to see or hear, thank you to remind us to take it easy,
I love the idea that Fear is excitement without breath, I felt that as a dancer and sophrology teacher, as before a performance or exposure to a group one usually feels self conscious; and reading this put that way just made total sense! Brilliant!
The importance of breathing, is defenitly BIG, big abdominal breaths, just watch how babies breath, most adults don’t breath well anymore, breath with your stomach!!
Another book I want to read!! THank you for putting these notes out here!! GENIUS!!
Eureka moments for me were finding about the Zone of Genius and about breathing into fears.
I’m going to celebrate my fears from now on!
@Electra: Thanks. I’ll make it at the end of next week and post on the site.