Lessons learned from “You²”: Why trying harder isn’t always the answer
Hey everyone, today I’m here to share some ideas and impressions I had after finishing the book You² by Price Pritchett. This book was a pleasant surprise in my life. Honestly, it would have been my last choice in a used bookstore. However, it found its way to me, and I dedicated myself to understanding it.
Trying harder doesn’t mean it gets better
“Trying harder isn’t necessarily the solution to achieving more. It may not offer any real promise for getting what you want out of life. Sometimes, in fact, it’s a big part of the problem.”
Have you ever thought with absolute certainty that if you just tried harder, everything would pay off? That you’d get through the struggle, get the money you want, the body you want, the job you want?
Hold your horses, young grasshopper. Life isn’t a marathon.
On many occasions, all we need to do is stop, think, and breathe. These three actions are necessary and essential for you to reflect on the right thing to do. On one occasion, I thought the answer was just to work more. I did that and… ended up with pneumonia and unable to work at all.
The overwhelming majority of the time, the answers are already with you.
Think more and try new things
“If you want to make a quantum leap, quit thinking about trying harder. More effort isn’t the answer.”
“The things that worked for you in the past very likely could, sooner or later, lose their serviceability.”
Before reading this book and going through certain experiences, I was sure that I just needed to repeat the formula from the past to achieve results. So, I tried to repeat the formula. And for what?
In 2020, we had the pandemic. And with it came a storm of new lessons. I failed, and I failed hard, but I kept my lessons close:
- Focus: It’s more about saying “no” than “yes.” It is about denying opportunities.
- Patience: If you consider yourself patient, set a one-year goal and discover that you aren’t actually that patient. This is a quality I needed and was forced to improve the hard way.
- Step-by-step: This has to do with processes. Identifying and doing one thing at a time. It’s about overcoming stages and accumulating small victories.
- Income sources: I don’t need to say much about this here. But in 2020, it became clear to me that I needed to create some kind of extra income beyond my job. Depending on a single source is challenging.
- Expansion: This was added in 2023. I used to shrink myself to fit into environments, jobs, and social circles. But growth was inevitable. I always sought improvement, and eventually, it explodes. Here, I learned that we need to be constantly expanding whatever that means to you.
Trust your intuition
“You don’t have to know how you’re going to get there, but you need to know where you want to go.”
“The answers will come to you. And when they do, you probably will find them to be simple, streamlined solutions.”
“You² is achieved through an intuitive, instinctive discovery process based on a sense of direction and pursuit. If you have the answers and structure and certainty up front, it’s not a quantum leap.”
Intuition is the ability to have an immediate perception of a truth or event without the need for logical reasoning or detailed analysis. It is a type of rapid, subconscious cognition based on accumulated knowledge and past experiences. While it can be a powerful tool, intuition can be subject to biases, so critical reflection is important.
I’ve spoken here before about how and why you should believe in your intuition. It is the bridge between you and God. Often, you will need to take that famous “leap of faith.” Surrender and trust in God and the process.
Whatever happens, at some point in your life, you will need to surrender to the process and trust that the answers will come to you.
Interpret your dreams and the signs life gives you
“A creative solution to a problem may come to you in a dream. A breakthrough idea can flash through your mind while you’re visualising your goal. Somehow, the resources you need just seem to appear by coincidence.”
“Frankly, making a quantum leap is not mere gambling. It’s not a crapshoot. You simply move on an opportunity you’ve been ignoring. You abandon your excuses. You reframe the problem. You take a completely different chance. A quantum leap is risk…”
The other day, I went to help my wife move some equipment at her store. On the way there, we had some mishaps. During the move, more mishaps. And even on the way back home, we had two more struggles. We were upset, but we overcame it. At the end of the day, talking to my wife, we asked ourselves:
What did we learn today?
In our specific case, we concluded that it was a message: we can do more than we thought we could. That is insane! Most people would just complain and talk about how crappy their life is. But we have many more reasons to be thankful than to complain.
To wrap this up…
First, I would like to invite you to get the book. It is sensational! You can buy the book [Link Here] and buy me a coffee in the form of a commission.
Secondly, I want to propose a challenge. Think about that problem you have that is currently “living rent free” in your head.
I want to invite you to follow the steps described above and then… let go. See what happens. Watch when and how the solution comes to you. Because rest assured, it will arrive. Now, it depends on you having an open mind to receive the information.
That’s it for today, see you next time!
Victoria Concordia Crescit