Everything is Figureoutable

Everything Is Figureoutable (2019) by Marie Forleo is a bestselling self-help book that promotes a mindset of resilience, problem-solving, and personal accountability. Forleo, a renowned entrepreneur, life coach, and founder of the online business training program B-School, draws on her extensive experience in personal development to present a philosophy designed to help individuals overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. 

Blending motivational insights with practical strategies, the book encourages readers to embrace challenges as growth opportunities and reframe limiting beliefs. The book quickly became a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into 32 languages. Positioned within the broader genre of self-improvement and personal empowerment, Everything Is Figureoutable aligns with contemporary discussions on the power of mindset, similar to Carol Dweck’s work on the “growth mindset” in Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (2006). Through storytelling, research-backed principles, and interactive exercises, the book emphasizes key themes such as The Importance of Resilience and Adaptability, The Power of Mindset in Achieving Goals, and How to Overcome Self-Doubt and Fear. 

This guide refers to the 2019 Penguin Random House LLC edition. 

Summary 

Everything Is Figureoutable is a self-help book that teaches readers how to develop a problem-solving mindset, overcome self-doubt, and take action toward their goals by believing that every challenge has a solution. 

In the first two chapters, Forleo lays the groundwork for her central philosophy: that with the right mindset, any challenge can be solved. She introduces this idea through a childhood story about her mother’s resourcefulness, emphasizing that problem-solving is a skill that can be developed through persistence and creativity. Forleo argues that obstacles are often a matter of perception and that shifting one’s mindset from limitation to possibility is the key to success. To help readers internalize this philosophy, she outlines a structured approach that combines belief, action, and repetition. She also stresses the importance of community support, urging readers to engage with others who embrace a solution-oriented mindset. Through these foundational concepts, Forleo sets the stage for the rest of the book, demonstrating that resilience, adaptability, and action are the key drivers of personal and professional success.

In Chapters 3 and 4, Forleo explores the role of belief and personal accountability in overcoming challenges. She argues that belief shapes reality, sharing her story of leaving a prestigious Wall Street job and navigating various career paths before discovering coaching, a field that initially seemed out of reach. Through personal anecdotes and scientific references, such as the placebo effect, she demonstrates how deeply held beliefs influence both mindset and actions. Forleo emphasizes that beliefs are learned, often inherited from upbringing and societal norms, but they can be rewritten to discover new possibilities. Building on this, she addresses the common excuses people use to justify inaction, from lack of time and money to self-doubt and perceived limitations. She reframes excuses as choices, showing how resourcefulness and prioritization can replace feelings of helplessness. Through examples of individuals like Malala Yousafzai and Bethany Hamilton, she illustrates that real transformation begins when people take responsibility for their lives rather than externalizing blame.

In Chapters 5 and 6, Forleo explores the role of fear and clarity in achieving personal success. She reframes fear not as an obstacle to be eliminated but as a natural and often useful signal that indicates growth opportunities. Through personal experiences and psychological insights, she demonstrates that fear is ever-present and that waiting for it to disappear before taking action is a mistake. Instead, she encourages readers to act despite fear, emphasizing that confidence is built through action, not hesitation. She introduces techniques such as redefining worst-case scenarios, renaming fear to reduce its power, and distinguishing between fear and intuition. Forleo then shifts to the necessity of defining one’s dreams as a prerequisite for success. By sharing her struggle with multiple interests and societal pressure to specialize, she challenges the idea that people must fit into one mold. Instead, she advocates for experimentation, stressing that action leads to clarity. She introduces the brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS) to explain how setting a clear goal helps the mind recognize opportunities that align with that vision. She also highlights the power of writing down goals and taking immediate action to create momentum. 

In Chapters 7 and 8, Forleo focuses on overcoming hesitation and the paralyzing effects of perfectionism. She argues that waiting until one feels ready is a common trap that prevents growth and seizing opportunities. She introduces the “Ten-Year Test” as a way to evaluate decisions by considering future regret and encourages readers to take action before they feel fully prepared. In Chapter 8, she shifts her focus to perfectionism, which she describes as a destructive force that stifles creativity, fosters self-doubt, and prevents people from pursuing their goals. She distinguishes between striving for excellence and being paralyzed by unrealistic expectations, using research and personal anecdotes to illustrate how perfectionism can lead to anxiety, depression, and avoidance. Through stories of early failures—including her first workshop with only a handful of attendees and a disastrous dance audition—she shows that imperfect beginnings are necessary for long-term success. She introduces the mantra “progress, not perfection” to help readers shift their mindset and recognize that failure is a learning tool rather than a sign of inadequacy. 

In the final section, Forleo reinforces the power of persistence, embracing one’s unique contributions, and the importance of community in achieving lasting success. She argues that refusal to accept rejection is a key factor in overcoming obstacles, sharing personal and historical examples of individuals who pushed forward despite setbacks. Whether in personal relationships, career aspirations, or social activism, she emphasizes that resilience and creative problem-solving can turn any challenge into an opportunity. Additionally, she addresses imposter syndrome and the fear of inadequacy, reminding readers that their voices, ideas, and talents matter, even if similar concepts have been shared before. Through personal anecdotes and research-backed insights, she dismantles the fear of being “not good enough” and encourages taking action despite self-doubt. 

In the Epilogue, she shifts the focus from individual perseverance to the power of collective resilience. She illustrates how setbacks can be reframed as challenges to be solved rather than disasters. Highlighting research on social connections and mental well-being, she emphasizes that surrounding oneself with problem-solvers and action-takers is crucial for long-term success.