Book Review by Taylor Berrett
Translate Your Creativity into Real Results
Where does Oprah Winfrey get her business and personal inspiration? None other than Marie Forleo, TV host, entrepreneur, public speaker, philanthropist, and author of Everything Is Figureoutable.
After failing in several corporate roles before giving it all up to launch a coaching business that would eventually skyrocket her to success and fame, Marie Forleo became a household name among a certain subset of achievers and believers as the host of the award-winning online show Marie TV, now with more than half a million active subscribers. Now, Forleo has condensed her message into the punchy, powerful, and relentlessly positive Everything is Figureoutable, an inspiring and actionable guide to figuring out, well, anything.
If you ever find that you have trouble finishing what you start, following through on exciting ideas after the initial excitement phase, or translating your creativity or ambition into real results and business success, this book likely has something for you.
Like all great authors and speakers in her space, Forleo manages to provide real and research-backed guidance without ever dropping her unflappable optimism or position as personal cheerleader for her readers. Her book deals with everything from how to deal with criticism or feelings of low self-worth in professional life to bouncing back from failures or overcoming a lack of time, money, or resources that seem necessary for success.
Success Stories from Everyday People
To put it in Forleo’s own bold-print words, everything is indeed ‘figureoutable.’
One of the most inspiring elements of Forleo’s approach to the book is the inclusion of stories from everyday people, rather than just top-1% achievers, each highlighting how they’ve managed to use Forleo’s philosophy to great effect in their own lives. In this book you’ll find everything from tips for launching your own business to secrets for finding one extra hour in every day for pursuing your passions.
Everyone from Brené Brown, Elizabeth Gilbert, and #GIRLBOSS Sophia Amoruso to Oprah, Cheryl Strayed and others have endorsed the power of Forleo’s approach, and it’s hard not to become an instant believer after reading this book.
The Bottom Line
Overall, Figureoutable will help you retrain your brain to think more positively— not just because it will make you happier, but because an optimistic belief that everything can be mastered leads people to actually make the effort to master their biggest challenges, leading to lifechanging transformations and results that speak for themselves.
And while it’s marketed largely towards the self-help, personal transformation market, Everything Is Figureoutable actually has plenty of utility as a professional and career guidebook. Through Forleo’s bright-eyed lens, no job is out of reach, no promotion is unobtainable, and no career goal is impossible. While they may all take time, effort, and willpower, the idea that they can be achieved is an important reminder compellingly delivered in this book.
“The problem isn’t you,” Forleo says in Figureoutable’s description. That spirit imbues every page of this excellent book, removing the shame of stagnant progress while also empowering readers with the tools to get themselves unstuck once and for all.
________________________________________
Taylor Berrett is a Contributing Writer at Soundview. He is also a freelance writer, editor, and host of the podcast Alone in a Room. His other book reviews can be found here.