Source: The Big Leap by ‣, 2009, p. 29, 31, 33, 24; ‣ p. 190; see ‣.

Source: The Big Leap by ‣, 2009, p. 29, 31, 33, 24; ‣ p. 190; see ‣.

Gay Hendricks, research psychologist and the author of The Big Leap, believes that all successful people eventually struggle with what he calls the “Upper Limit Problem.” The Upper Limit Problem is what holds us back from “achieving our true potential,” and “if you don’t clear the Upper Limit Problem… it will be a drag on you until the day you die.”

Often the Upper Limit Problem manifests once we’ve shifted into our “Zone of Genius,” or achieved something incredible, like finally getting married to the “right” person, finally making the money we wanted to make, getting that job at that company you’ve always wanted to work at, and so on. And it manifests as bad decision making, physical ailments, and more.

Hendricks splits his book into two main sections: (1) understanding the four zones we spend our time in and how to spend more time in our zone of genius, and (2) how to avoid the four “hidden barriers”—ways the upper limit problem manifests—from kicking us out of our zone of genius.

The Four Zones

From Chapter 1 of The Big Leap.

  1. Zone of Genius: Things that you are uniquely suited to do. Few others are as good at as you, and you love doing them.
  2. Zone of Excellence: Things you do extremely well, but a “deep, sacred part of you will wither and die if you stay” here.
  3. Zone of Competence: Things you're fine at, but others are as good as you. Things you’re competent at, but somebody else can do the things here just as well.
  4. Zone of Incompetence: Things other people are better at, you don’t enjoy them, and you should delegate or outsource them.

<aside> <img src="/icons/flash_gray.svg" alt="/icons/flash_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Exercise

If you’re interested in learning how to identify your zone of genius, see Zone of Genius Email Exercise.

</aside>

The Four Hidden Barriers

From Chapter 2 of The Big Leap.

  1. Feeling Fundamentally Flawed
    1. Mantra: “I cannot expand to my full creative genius because something is fundamentally wrong with me.”
  2. Disloyalty and Abandonment:
    1. Mantra: “I cannot expand to my full success because it would cause me to end up alone, be disloyal to my roots, and leave behind people from my past.”
    2. Questions:
      1. Did I break the family’s spoken or unspoken rules to get where I am?
      2. Even though I am successful, did I fail to meet the expectations my parents had of me?
  3. Believing that More Success Brings a Bigger Burden:
    1. Mantra: “I can’t expand to my highest potential because I’d be an even bigger burden than I am now.”
  4. The Crime of Outshining:
    1. Mantra: “I must not expand to my full success, because if I did I’ would outshine _______________ and make him or her look or feel bad.”

Upper Limit Behaviors

From Chapter 3 of The Big Leap.

Hendricks believes that most of these behaviors, thoughts, or feelings, have nothing to do with reality. They usually come up for us because we’ve hit our “Upper Limit” and are trying to interrupt the flow of positive energy.

  1. Worry: We often worry about things we have no control over. So the first thing to do when you notice you’re worrying, is to ask yourself, “Is this a real possibility?” and “Is there any action I can take right now to make a positive difference?”

    <aside> <img src="/icons/sword_gray.svg" alt="/icons/sword_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Countering Worry

  2. Criticism & Blame: John Gottman, one of the world’s foremost researchers on couples, calls criticism one of the “four horsemen” of marriages that lead to divorce. Hendricks calls criticism and blame “addictions.” Don’t believe him? He challenges readers to stop blaming and criticizing for a day. “If it’s not an addiction, you’ll be able to stop right away.” And remember, self-criticism and self-blame are part of the same pattern.

  3. Deflecting: “Deflection keeps the positive energy from landing, being received, and being acknowledged… Letting yourself savor natural good feelings—feelings not induced by alcohol, sugar, and other short-term fixes—is a direct way to transcend your Upper Limit Problem.”

  4. Squabbling: “Arguments are caused by two people (or two countries) trying to occupy the victim position in a relationship.” The opposing party “has to agree he or she is the persecutor… It’s almost impossible to get the other guy to agree that it’s fault.”

    <aside> <img src="/icons/judicial-scales_gray.svg" alt="/icons/judicial-scales_gray.svg" width="40px" /> Taking 100% Responsibility for Resolving Conflict

  5. Getting Sick, Getting Hurt: Try and pull up memories of when you’ve gotten sick or injured. How many of them “came during or just after a big win in business or a period of good times in a relationship?”