The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level (edition 2010)

by Gay Hendricks, PhD (Author)

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347	11	74,399	(3.75)	1

mrstreme's review

The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks is a popular book for advancing entrepreneurs because it calls out what stops us from growing: Our upper limit problem.

We all have an upper limit problem. I equate it to banging your head on the ceiling. You try to ascend to your next level, but your Ego stops you – and sometimes in the most painful of ways.

Hendricks weaves in many success stories (including his own) to help illustrate his points – and the stories will sound very familiar. It’s strangely comforting to know that successful people like Bonnie Raitt dealt with upper limit problems, too.

The Big Leap breaks down why we have an upper limit problem, how to move past our mindset blocks, how to figure out what activities lie in our Zone of Genius, and how to stay in our Zone of Genius. You won’t be left wondering how to move to the next level of your life and business.

My big takeaways:

#1: I am not living in my Zone of Genius.

In Chapter One, Hendricks discusses how our activities fall into one of four main zones: The Zone of Incompetence, The Zone of Competence, The Zone of Excellence, and The Zone of Genius.

He recommends that we strive to live 70 percent of our time in our Zone of Genius.

I’ve got some property in the Incompetence and Competence Zones, but where I LOVE to be is in my Zone of Excellence. I’m making a pretty good living doing stuff in my Zone of Excellence, but I’m restless. I’m not fulfilled. And now I know why. Time for a leap!

#2: I believe success will bring more burdens.

I am working through this, but here are my limiting beliefs around success:

Being successful means I have to work all the time with too many appointments on my calendar.

People who are successful are burdened by having people rely on them for their livelihood.

Successful people spend more time managing people than doing what they love.

Ouch, it hurts to even type these limiting beliefs out. Do they resonate with you too?

How The Big Leap relates to entrepreneurs:

It’s not a bad marketing plan, or your lack of Facebook ad knowledge, or a less-than-stellar subject line that’s stopping you from growing.

It’s your mindset. It’s the crap wedged deeply in your unconscious and subconscious.

You have to address this crap to move forward and live your potential.

And that’s where books like The Big Leap come in. The Big Leap spells out exactly how to discover what’s holding you back – and how to leap forward.

It’s a book to not only read – but keep. One of my entrepreneurial friends reads it once a year. I can see why. For now, get your copy and break through your upper limit problem. The world needs you! (

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mrstreme | Oct 8, 2019 |

All member reviews

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Showing 11 of 11

Loved this book and got some great new tools and insights. (

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Johanne | Sep 25, 2023 |

Talks about the "Upper Limit Problem" which is linked to subconscious mind and limiting beliefs, and how to overcome those to fulfill your potential. You'll learn:
• What the Upper Limit Problem is, how it affects you, and the underlying fears/beliefs that contribute to it;
• About the 4 Zones that you operate in, and how to make the big leap to your Zone of Genius; and
• How to transcend your Upper Limits: to find and live in your Zone of Genius, achieve the ultimate levels of success, happiness, love, and creativity, fulfilment, and achieve your full potential.

https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-the-big-leap-gay-hendricks/ (

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AngelaLamHF | Jul 4, 2023 |

The problem I have with a lot of these new-agey business books is that they want to sell you the ONE SOLUTION that will remove all obstacles in your path, and this book was no exception. Lots of anecdotes, lots of chatty examples, lots of padding. Most of the ideas can be gleaned from just two or three chapters, and I thought the author's tone throughout was one of smug privilege.

I did enjoy his discussion about Einstein time, and not worrying so much about the clock. And I appreciate that we can be our own worst enemies, holding ourselves back through impostor syndrome or what have you. But I expected something more. (

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TheGalaxyGirl | Jun 26, 2023 |

The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level is one of those books that has been making the podcasting circuit. Dr. Gay Hendricks makes the case that there is an Upper Limit Problem, which prevents us from achieving our true potential. He noted that a lot of the upper limit problems originate from triggers we picked up when we were younger. Because a lot of people were recommending this book as a way to overcome these barriers, I thought it was important to take a look at it. I found it quite enlightening. It was one of the books I set up for my February 2018 Reading List. Read more (

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skrabut | Sep 2, 2020 |

Must read

Can be a guide to living at your best. Stories, antidotes, wisdom, and doable steps to taking a big leap.

Jolene.M | Jul 30, 2020 |

I’m not sure about this one. It really pushed at my threshold of cheesiness, but I feel as though it did have some good things to think about. (

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spinsterrevival | Mar 15, 2020 |

Being successful means I have to work all the time with too many appointments on my calendar.

People who are successful are burdened by having people rely on them for their livelihood.

Successful people spend more time managing people than doing what they love.

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mrstreme | Oct 8, 2019 |

Recipes for happiness and fulfillment - do we really need them? (

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flydodofly | Dec 5, 2018 |

So, Hendricks did make a few decent points that I was able to takeaway from the book, but I mainly felt that the book was a little overly-dramatic and over-promising, he was somewhat arrogant, and the book was tailored not to help someone in their journey but to sell as many copies as possible. I would be willing to give another book a try, but I have to say, I did struggle through this one. I have never heard him speak live; maybe I'd get more out of that. (

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dazedbybooks | Nov 23, 2017 |

Started reading a library copy of The Big Leap last summer and finished the last quarter in audiobook. Two main takeaways: The Upper Limit Problem, and living in your Zone of Genius. (

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PlanCultivateCreate | May 15, 2017 |

The book IS worth the read for a few key ideas--the main one being naming and exposing and discussing how to overcome the "upper limit problem," another being "Einstein Time," which I think requires a bit more contemplation to fully grasp. Still, it's a bit too breezy when it comes to the how-to and the nitty gritty of applying these ideas to one's life. And, really, why do the folks who write these books always throw out examples like the time doing such and such brought them a million-dollar idea. That's fine--I have nothing against million-dollar ideas--but it still turns me cold or at least forces my eyes into a roll. The ideas are solid and inspiring on their own, applicable to the gamut of life experiences and the day-to-day we can all relate to. (

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FranklynCee | Mar 17, 2014 |

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