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The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level
by
Gay Hendricks (Goodreads Author)
Most of us believe that we will finally feel satisfied and content with our lives when we get the good news we have been waiting for, find a healthy relationship, or achieve one of our personal goals. However, this rarely happens. Good fortune is often followed by negative emotions that overtake us and result in destructive behaviors. "I don't deserve this," "this is too g...more
hardcover, 224 pages
Published
April 21st 2009
by HarperOne
(first published 2009)
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Love the ideas in this book. Thoughtful and thought provoking. I am sometimes hindered by the language though. The metaphors and terminology are a bit too sports, big business or California life coach oriented for me to be able to relate (the "zone of genius" and "keys to liberation" for example). But if you forget those verbal shortcuts the concepts themselves are both simple and powerful.
So in the spirit of "take what works and leave the rest" the lessons in this book can really help you bre...more
In The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks puts forth that our last and only obstacle that holds us back from attaining ultimate success in wealth, work and love is what he has termed an "Upper Limit Problem". The Upper Limit Problem is our universal human tendency to sabotage ourselves when we have exceeded the artifical upper limit we have placed on ourselves. It is caused by us setting a too-low thermostat on our ability to achieve and enjoy success. We tend to do this in our childhood, when we could not...more
About a decade ago, a friend of mine landed an interview for his dream job. He had worked hard to reach that point in his career, and he was thrilled and nervous about the upcoming appointment. The day of the interview, he had a few drinks and showed up drunk.
Gay Hendricks would say my friend had an Upper Limit Problem.
Or how about a typical family gathering where everyone is laughing and having a great time until an offhand comment from a well-meaning relative sets off a firestorm of over-react...more
Gay Hendricks would say my friend had an Upper Limit Problem.
Or how about a typical family gathering where everyone is laughing and having a great time until an offhand comment from a well-meaning relative sets off a firestorm of over-react...more
A friend gave me this book as a gift because she knows I am stuck in a creative and business rut (which for me is one and the same thing) and was certain it would help me.
Now, I am not the self-help book sort. I'll be completely up front about that. But I admire and love this friend, so I read it in one sitting.
Essentially, the book helps you learn how to jump from mediocrity to excellence. To do that, you have to learn to conquer the fear that's holding you back -- and Hendricks' opinion is eve...more
Now, I am not the self-help book sort. I'll be completely up front about that. But I admire and love this friend, so I read it in one sitting.
Essentially, the book helps you learn how to jump from mediocrity to excellence. To do that, you have to learn to conquer the fear that's holding you back -- and Hendricks' opinion is eve...more
Ever noticed that just when you’re starting to feel really good, or are on the verge of some new level of success, something always seems to come along to kibosh it? Maybe it’s a spat with your partner, a bounced check, a stubbed toe, or your own excessive worrying or self-doubt. Whatever it is, it throws cold water on whatever joy you were kindling.
Renowned coach and therapist Gay Hendricks suggests that this commonly experienced dynamic may well be due to our own unconscious “Upper Limits.” He...more
Renowned coach and therapist Gay Hendricks suggests that this commonly experienced dynamic may well be due to our own unconscious “Upper Limits.” He...more
Holy fuckety fuck, I wish I'd read this two years ago! Self-sabotage? Success/crash cycle? It's in there! Finally, an explanation! I'm only in chapter 2, but so far it's pure gold. Can't wait to read the rest and solve my shit!
...
Finished. Loved it. I give this my highest recommendation. Even for people who don't sabotage their own happiness and success, there's a lot of great stuff in here about making the most of your life.
Here's what it means for me:
I upper-limit myself because I believe I'm...more
...
Finished. Loved it. I give this my highest recommendation. Even for people who don't sabotage their own happiness and success, there's a lot of great stuff in here about making the most of your life.
Here's what it means for me:
I upper-limit myself because I believe I'm...more
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Gay Hendricks' approach to life is to spend the majority of your time living in your "zone of genius". His theory is that we all have "upper limits", areas where if we begin to experience too much success, happiness, or love we fall out of our comfort zone and will subconsciously do something to get us back into our usually routine. Even though that routine may have us being excellent at certain things, it doesn't have us progress to where we can really shine and experience a life beyond what we...more
in my quest to get over my doldrums, I've been reading self help lately. I found this book useful in several of ways:
it reframes worry (a constant in my life) as an indicator of movement and growth; it describes fear (another constant) as excitement without breath
it posits that we each have a certain level of happiness that we are familiar with, and tend to limit ourselves to (this rings true to me). but we can train ourselves to transcend it.
it details a practice of sensing body feeling to mov...more
it reframes worry (a constant in my life) as an indicator of movement and growth; it describes fear (another constant) as excitement without breath
it posits that we each have a certain level of happiness that we are familiar with, and tend to limit ourselves to (this rings true to me). but we can train ourselves to transcend it.
it details a practice of sensing body feeling to mov...more
I'm as wary of hardback self-help books as the next intellectual snob, but I read this because someone I respect got an intuitive hit that I needed it, and she turned out to be right. Basically, if you'd like to get a quick-and-dirty tutoring session in your upper-limit problem (Hendricks-speak for the ways we subconsciously sabotage ourselves just when we're getting it right or experiencing joy we don't know how to deal with), this book is a good pick. The font is large, the pages are small, an...more
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It's a life changer. I didn't know anything Gay Hendricks prior to reading this book. It was referred to my by my coach who saw that I hit a major roadblock in my life. He "prescribed" this book to me to learn about myself - what is my personal Genius? I did all the exercises in the book and am happy to say I will be making tangible efforts towards becoming my Personal Genius. I "gifted" this book to two other people and haven't heard anything back yet, but I do highly recommend this book for an...more
Mr. Hendricks has a few nuggets in this book, but overall it felt like I was talking with someone who did not know when to shut-up.
Reading about ULP provided me with a number of opportunities for self-reflections, but I kept wanting him to dive deeper on the subject. He kept the information very basic. He included entirely too many anecdotes and very few concrete steps. Additionally, he spent an entire chapter comparing Einstein time and Newtonian time. I found some of his insights on time help...more
Reading about ULP provided me with a number of opportunities for self-reflections, but I kept wanting him to dive deeper on the subject. He kept the information very basic. He included entirely too many anecdotes and very few concrete steps. Additionally, he spent an entire chapter comparing Einstein time and Newtonian time. I found some of his insights on time help...more
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This book gave me a new perspective on my business and my life. A way of looking at things I hadn't thought of before. I've been using the mantra Gay recommended and really stopping to think about if I'm having a "ULP" (upper limit problem) when I'm stuck. It's made me think about my relationship with my husband in a new way too.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a fresh perspective on why they aren't reaching their potential and what could be holding them back.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a fresh perspective on why they aren't reaching their potential and what could be holding them back.
This is the most life changing book I have read in a really long time. I want everyone I know to read it! I learned a few things about myself and what is keeping me from my Zone of Genius. For the most part we live in our zone of excellence but there is more...a level above where time stands still and ultimate peace and satisfaction are achieved. It will take time and work but I want to get to that place. The Big Leap will help me get there!
As someone that's read a fair share of self help books, I found this book to be helpful to a beginner self help reader, but not for someone that's read a few of them. Hendricks uses terms that are cute and fun, but then doesn't fully explain them and assumes that the reader grasped the full intent of the content from the get go. Disappointed, but I might check out Five Wishes because it was a New York Times best seller.
In good old pop-psychology fashion, Hendricks has given some old psychological principles a fresh coat of paint and a new name so that people will pay attention to them (and buy his book). His main message about self-sabotage being the root of all our problems is oversimplified, but not altogether wrong. His solutions to these problems are simple, if not simplistic. However, I chose to read this book with an open mind and glean from it only what I thought might be useful. I found some useful stu...more
I found this book to be very uplifting and motivational. I found just how limited I am by my beliefs that I picked up over the course of my life, beliefs that I no longer have but did not realize I was still living by. Gay Hendricks shares insights from his own life that make a difference in mine. I found this book to be a beneficial read...
I liked this book. It was a bit like a cheesy self-help book in the beginning as the author tries to win you over in telling you about the celebrities he has worked with. However, his points are good and there is something to be learned from reading the book. It's a fairly quick read and I can recommend to others.
Feb 07, 2013
Heather P
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio-books,
2013-reads
Interesting, intriguing interesting way of looking at things in an UP way, remembering to remind yourself that it's good to have good feelings and thoughts. Happy things happen and you shouldn't let bad things get in your way. Happy Thoughts! this book is hard to review its something that you have to read or listen to yourself and apply what you need in your life to make YOU a better person. I suggest the Audio book!
This book was annoying. The author is arrogant and, while he has some good ideas, doesn't explain them in enough detail for them to be very helpful. It seemed like this book was written in a couple of days and not edited. As a coach, I feel concerned and turned off by his rather broad definition of "success" -- one that seems entirely money and power based without any consciousness of ethics or morality or social/environmental impact. This kind of climbing seems very dated to me, and therefore,...more
I'm not a big fan of Self-help books in general, but was assigned this book as the main text of a 6-month class on conscious living I had enrolled in with my girlfriend. The book was incredibly inspiring and helpful and just goes to show that you are never beyond learning the simplest things. Hendricks' language is fresh and inspiring, his methods are positive and challenging to people of all education levels, and his ideas work, especially in group settings. My only criticism is that a lot of t...more
Enjoyed reading the book and I see its application in life for sure. Upper Limiting is a good concept and outside the interpersonal context - I think the findings would apply to structures and communities. I wish there could be ways to apply these findings to social movements and activism.
This is one of Gay Hendricks' best books since "Conscious Living." It's inspiring and offers concrete advice. I like the fact that he has a lot of integrity, too. He doesn't endorse every other self-help book out there, the way some self-help authors do.
I wanted to like this book; it does have inspiring ideas and anecdotes. Hendricks can probably be immensely helpful to work with; as for how to implement the practices on one's own and the likelihood of doing so? Less than optimistic about that.
While reading this book, I kept thinking "oh I wish so and so would read this!" because it spoke to me in ways I didn't expect. While simplistic in theory, the overall message is powerful. We stand in the way of our own successes. A must read!
Jun 01, 2009
Elizabeth Simons
marked it as audio
will listen to this again. several very useful ideas regarding the thinking process. how to stop negative ideas, worry,etc. Some ideas are interesting in light of the Jill Bolte Taylor book and right brain, living in the moment, meditation, etc
Changed my life!
This author is originally from Colorado Springs. I have an autographed copy.
This book focuses on getting your mind in the right place to move towards achieving your goals. What's standing in your way? Find out here.
This author is originally from Colorado Springs. I have an autographed copy.
This book focuses on getting your mind in the right place to move towards achieving your goals. What's standing in your way? Find out here.
Very accessible book discussing how our inner doubts we've been holding our entire lives have been stunting our true potential. Good message, though limited in details and exploration.
Lots of great insight into our individual blocks. What holds us back? How can we move into our zone of genius instead of staying where we are comfortable? Loved it.
Seriously the right book at the right time for me. Practical advice and interesting insight into what holds us back from taking the leap in our lives.
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Dr. Gay Hendricks has served for more than 30 years as one of the major contributors to the fields of relationship transformation and body-mind therapies. Along with his wife, Dr. Kathlyn Hendricks, Gay is the author of many bestsellers, including Conscious Loving, At the Speed of Life, and Five Wishes.
Gay received his PhD in counseling psychology from Stanford University in 1974. After a 21-year...more
More about Gay Hendricks...
Gay received his PhD in counseling psychology from Stanford University in 1974. After a 21-year...more
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