Sunday, August 4, 2013

The Big Leap - Gay Hendricks

This book I suspect will have a bearing on my life. It could also have a bearing on many other lives because this 'big leap' business needs to be understood first - it is not only about the hard work after some time. It enters the realm of consciousness. It is something I have been conscious about for some time now, but did not have a clue about how to handle it. The book has a nice by line oo - Conquer your fears and take life to the next level.

The next level is what we need to worry about really. Why do we get stuck at one level and not go beyond? Clearly Hendricks says that the one reason why most of us get stuck at a particular level is the "Upper Limit Problem" (ULP). Everything goes fine for us until we hit the upper limit and then bang, we sabotage ourselves because we cannot accept good happening to us beyond a point. This point, this ULP, is the thermostat that trips over when we reach it - be it in money, love or anything else. How our sabotage happens is most intriguing - we could design an accident, a health problem, a fight or a squabble, take a decision that can set off all our gains etc etc. You get it don't you - it all seems so very convenient and you can easily justify it by saying that you could not go beyond because of your bad luck or whatever. But my friend, it's the ULP and nothing else.

I have experienced this sabotage myself many times and know this to be true, so I read the book with great interest. Hendricks also shows the reader on how to extend periods of contentment, eliminate behavior that stops flow of positive energy and stop worrying when things go well all the time.

Hendricks feels that we operate in four zones - the zone of incompetence (not our area of expertise), the zone of competence (where we are competent but where many more are equally or better at it), the zone of excellence (where you are good and can make a decent living) and the zone of genius (your unique talent that keeps you in a zone all the time). This last zone is where one can aspire to be if they crack the ULP.

Hendricks asks basic questions such as (1) how much love and abundance you are willing to allow and (2) how you are getting in the way. It is obvious that breaking that ceiling is the hardest part, taking the Big Leap as he says, and requires sincere commitment. Now how do we solve this problem of the ULP is the question and the author has a nice answer. Hendricks says it cannot be solved - it must be dissolved. In our consciousness. In our sharpened awareness. Be aware when the ULP kicks in and you are showing signs of sabotaging extended periods of happiness.The theory is rather enlightening.

The four barriers for your growth are - (1) a feeling of being fundamentally flawed (why does that sound familiar to me), (2) disloyalty and abandonment (of growing above the other people in your life such as family, spouse etc and feeling disloyal to them because of your success), (3) a belief that more success can be a bigger burden and (4) the crime of outshining (making yourself less magnificent so others do not pale or feel outshined). I do identify with more than one here. These barriers can result in the following acts that will strengthen the ULP.

The acts that result from the above barriers are worry, criticism and blame, deflection, squabbling, getting sick and hurt. (I have experienced all again and I am sure most have.) To worry needlessly when nothing has gone wrong, to criticise and blame needlessly, to deflect any compliments or help, to squabble and most importantly to get hurt or sick. This whole system follows a cycle of Punishment, Prevention and Protection. Almost always, punishment is a result of an integrity breach. Among the many examples Hendricks gives is the one of Bill Clinton and his famous lie.

Finding the zone of genius is the next big issue. To identify your genius commitment Hendricks asks some questions again (1) what do you most love doing (what you can do it for long stretches of time) (2) what work do you do that does not seem like work (you love it and don't get bored) (3) what produces the highest ratio of abundance and satisfaction to time spent (ideas of value that can happen in short times and need not have long stretches of hard work necessarily). Hendricks urges you to find your unique ability, that special skill, that super power, you are bestowed with.

The mantra is all about constant expansion of your upper limit of love, abundance and success (he actually reveals a simple one-line mantra which I will leave for you to find out after reading the book). In the state of expansion he talks in detail about being in a state of Einstein time - the fact that you are where time comes from. Time ceases to be an excuse as soon as you take responsibility for it and you stop doing things you don't really want to do.

Simple, effective and certainly powerful, 'The Big Leap' I feel could have a significant change on my life. I will come back to it later once I implement some of this stuff and have results to show for it. Now for the big leap.