A series of events led me to pick up this gem again after many years. Some might call events like these random, but I call them divine intervention. The universe really is guiding me to my highest good if I only pay attention and follow the breadcrumbs!

In “The Big Leap”, Gay Hendricks offers simple strategies to overcoming what he calls our Upper Limit Problem. As you can see, this book is well-loved, and each rereading reveals deeper insights.

He describes a sort of thermostat that we all have for the upper limits of our ability to experience success, love, and creativity. When we pass that limit, it creates cognitive dissonance- the inability to hold two conflicting ideas- which causes inner conflict. Getting promoted while thinking that I don’t deserve success would be a common example. He goes on to say that we have two options- to shift the belief or tank the success and return to the comfortable thermostat setting.

Without awareness of this phenomenon, we default to the latter. Only by shining the light on the beliefs that hold us back can we move beyond this frustrating tendency to yank on the reigns when the going gets good.

He’s pointing to four limiting beliefs that lay the foundation for the Upper Limit Problem and boy, do they ring true! While it’s always easier for me to see patterns in people around me than in myself, his coaching is so gentle and nonjudgmental that I could see the remnants of beliefs in me that I thought I had cleared ages ago. As the themes of “stuck” and “self-sabotage” seem to be up for so many around me, I wanted to share this incredibly helpful tool for creating change.

Two thumbs up for “The Big Leap”!