Book Review: The Big Leap

I'm in the middle of the audio version of this book.  Basically it's about how we are actually comfortable living our lives in a constant state of not-feeling-so-good . . . and we actually work to keep it that way.  We are so used to feeling "just fine" that we never take "the big leap" into a higher level of being.  In fact, when we do experience a better way of life, we'll unconsciously sabotage everything in order to return to what we're used to.

I was talking to my friend Claire about this book and we agreed that a person's deserve-level has alot to do with taking the big leap into accepting that they deserve not just to be happy but happier.

We have a hard time moving into a higher, happier experience of life unless we feel like we deserve it.  For example, people who are used to making a certain income a year like to think that they would like to make more money, but year after year they make the same income because they have not learned to feel that they deserve more.  As miserable as they are bouncing checks, feeling anxious over bills, and remaining at the same income level year after year, they stay there because they're comfortable with that way of life.  Not comfortable in the sense of floating on a pink cloud - - comfortable in the sense of that's how they are accustomed to living.  Yes, they're comfortable being miserable because misery is what they're used to, misery is part of their comfort zones.

Don't believe it?  Think about the different times you were really taking care of your health.  You were exercising every day, eating really well, and feeling better mentally, physically, and emotionally than you've ever felt before.  What happened?  You pull the trigger on your efforts - almost all at once.  You pig out and stop exercising and you're back to feeling like "blah."  In the middle of feeling so great, why deliberately go back to feeling miserable?  Because your deserve level wasn't high enough.  We feel like we deserve what we are used to more than we feel like we deserve what we are not used to.

One more example.  A study was done finding that people who grow up in small, modest homes will most likely continue to reside in such homes when they grow up.  And a person who is used to living in a large, lavish home will most likely continue to live in such homes throughout his life.  One type feels like he only deserves a modest home and the other type feels like he deserves a big home.