Recently, we had a book club that focused on the book Everything is Figureoutable, a philosophy founded by Marie Forleo. Although this book has many practical tips for our personal lives, it shouldn’t be looked down on for its simple solutions to complex problems. I personally found this book rather inspiring for the times that we are currently in, and I did take away several tips that can help us as event professionals that I would like to share with you. So here are 10 ways in which Eventprofs can use this book to figure out the state of our industry today.

Tip #1 – Everything is Figureoutable

The Everything is Figureoutable philosophy basically is simple. There are many situations that can feel impossible to get through, right? Event professionals today might feel that today’s pandemic is getting close to impossible to get through. However, this philosophy really helps you to focus on what is possible, and focus on what only you can control. Your clarity in a situation will come from how you engage in it. Without engagement, you willl lack direction. So instead of sitting back and thinking about how impossible things are, choose a direction, and march forward.

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou

Tip #2 – Always Ask Yours These Questions

There are ways two questions that you should ask yourself when managing tough situations:

1. What can I learn from this?
2. How can this work for me?

How you approach your challenges will determine the final outcome. Instead of approaching your problems with destructive, and negative thoughts, try these two questions and have them form your road to success. I always find this one difficult for those in our field because many of us are veterans and have been through many situations. So I would say, even if you “think you know” how to approach a situation, it may help you to take pause and still ask yourself these questions. You may find that you see your intended approach differently.

Tip #3 – Be Mindful of Your Beliefs

There is so much power in your beliefs. Your beliefs form your thoughts, which determines your feelings, directs your behaviors, and directly impacts your result. Marie diagrams it in her book, like this:

Belief –> Thought –> Feeling –> Behavior –> Results

When laid out, you realize that you can backtrack your results, directly to the belief that you had. Figure out where your beliefs came from, was it a person or maybe something you watched? Sometimes we need to deconstruct our beliefs so that we can direct our thoughts, feelings, in actions on new ground. When we do this, we can have better results. This can help so much you are seeking to understand and work with others.

Tip #4 – Stop Making Excuses

How many times do we come up with excuses to prevent us from doing things that we don’t want to do? Or how many times do excuses prevent us from doing things that we should be doing? The tip here is exchange your excuses with the uncomfortable truth. Eliminate the words “can’t” and “won’t” from your speech. Marie, suggests to replace these words with “don’t”, in order to tell yourself the true story. Hearing yourself say “I don’t want to do that” makes you realize that you are choosing the route you are taking, and not making the subtle excuse for it. Make sure to eliminate your excuses and replace them with truth.

Tip #5 – Get Comfortable with the F-word

We all know what fear is. It’s that four-letter word that we all feel. Right now, we possibly are feeling more fear that ever before. Will we get our jobs back? More hours? Will we re-open the doors to our businesses? In these times we are very comfortable with fear. Although we are fearful, we have to recognize that fear isn’t our enemy. We can’t just crush the fear with pointless comebacks or paralysis. It is best to acknowledge the fear for what it is a companion. The real enemy is waiting to stop feeling afraid, and the only way to combat fear is to take action. Action dissolves your fear, because engagement gives you more clarity.

Tip #6 – Don’t Forget to Dream

When we are very busy, we usually don’t have the time to stop and dream about what could be. Most people in our field feel as though they are living their dreams. They are traveling and creating experiences for others. Many are already living out their current dreams. However, it is okay to take some time to think about where you go from here. Are you happy with where you are at in your life? Would you like to go farther? What would you prefer to be doing in 5 years? 10? Define what your dreams are. Write them down. Just make sure that you are setting your steps toward them. In short, it is important to write down what is important to you. Dare to dream.

Tip #7 – Start Before You’re Ready

“You never feel ready to do the important things you’re meant to do.” – Marie Forleo

We’ve been there before, we have a goal, want that promotion, want to plan that big event. However, there isn’t really a good time to start. Many times in our area of expertise, we have to start before we are ready. Typically we have no problem with this tip as our industry is keen at throwing new things at us to handle. Although we are used to this environment, is does bring up a great reminder. There isn’t always a perfect time for you to get that job you want, or start a new career. With that in mind, when we think about our personal objectives or even professional ones, and just set course in the direction that we want to go.

Tip #8 – Aim for Progress, Not Perfection

Eventprofs, we can be meticulous with the details. So this tip is always the hardest to take. We thrive on the details, we know that if one detail is missing, that it may be the difference between our attendees or client having a great experience or not. So even if we do aim for perfection, we can’t beat ourselves up if we miss the mark. The emotional stress and pressure that is associated with perfection, can have a severe impact on our health. Perfectionism can be lethal. So before we struggle with ourselves for not being perfect, let’s try to recognize the areas that were good. Let’s celebrate progress instead.

Tip #9 – Refuse to be Refused

This tip was a powerful one, and one that we should take heed. Your opinion and your contribution is your truth. Don’t let anyone rob you of that. Refuse to be refused, and don’t give anyone that power to control your own story and your own emotions. Make sure that you stand strong in areas where you feel strongly. There is a way to communicate your passion, yet do it with grace, and respond respectfully. Never give up on your personal truths, and push forward to ensure that they are met on the other side with acceptance and understanding.

Tip #10 – Give the World Your Gift

Everyone has their special gift to contribute to the world. Don’t back down on what you feel you have to give and how you can contribute.

“The world needs that special gift that only you have.” – Marie Forleo

If there is anything that is holding you back with your dream, figure out what they are. Because everything is figureoutable and you can do those things that you want to do.

I hope you enjoyed these 10 tips as much as I did when reading this very engaging book. Did you read Everything is Figureoutable? What did you think of the book, and what did you take away as an event professional? Please get the conversation going below. If you would like to join our book club community, click here for more information.

P.S. It is always important to take care of you during these times. Checkout this post on self-care to help.