F*ck Your Comfort Zone: Take a Risk and Become the Lead in Your Own Life

I’ve had the pleasure of personally working with Margie; and both she and her book are game changers. Her raw honesty, openness, insight, humor, and ability to capture the human condition, behavior and break it down to a relatable level is remarkable. She is brave and daring in sharing her stories as examples to help you relate to the material both as an actor and as a person, on a personal level. I would recommend this book to actors of course; but also to anyone in any field that is reaching for a connection, a better understanding of their own behavior, and to realize, it is OKAY to be human. I finished front to back in 2 days, alifelong tool to carry with you.Thank you Margie!-Cassandra“So many beautiful surprises can fill us up in our journey when we take the chance to accept that being human means being imperfect.” -Margie Haber

...And then you're like "huh, I feel like I don't even know what that means"?Well this is what that means. Margie's simple, distilled, yet transformative insights in this book will unquestionably help you take control of your life (whatever that means for you). Margie teaches a renown acting class in LA and I'm eternally grateful for having had the chance to participate in it; and this book is the next best thing. It's not "self-help" in the traditional sense because Margie never wants you to feel that you must be this or you have to be that, she offers unique perspectives for how to look at the world and your place in it, and empowers you to do with that what you may; and that's what makes this such an excellent, must-read! (I own four copies!)

OMG, THIS BOOK IS FN AMAZING!! I am normally a very fearful flyer and do not travel much and when I do, I have a doctors note for my medication, meeting the pilots, early boarding, etc. its a whole process that sucks! After reading chapter 1 about Control, it was like I was reading about my life and how I have been living the past 30 plus years. Also reading about "Letting Go and Rerouting my life map" was the tipping point for me to book my own flight, car, etc and prepare for my trip to LA to see Margie speak in person. I was getting excited about making this journey on my own after years of control and living in my comfort zone. When I arrived, I met some of the most beautiful and positive people. I ABSOLUTELY loved my trip and HIGHLY recommend this book. THANK YOU MARGIE, meeting you in person was the most exciting part of this journey!

This is a book I'll keep going back to, as it's truly about "living the life" of an artist (actors), and as a human.Margie includes anecdotes from her life, from her students, and doles out life lessons for everyone (literally, this is a life book, not simply an acting one). If you're looking to improve your life, feel stuck, or just want the push to work on relationships, it's a no-brainer!Margie has a straightforward voice, and doesn't shy away from using her own life (and therapy!) to parallel what one can use to be a great actor (hint: work on yourself as a healthy human being). We are reminded from her celebrity clients, to her in-progress ones, that we all have the same fears at the end of the day, so how do we move past it? Tools are in the book -- a must read (aka bonus: it's a self help book too).My favorite chapters:Letting go of control (in your slices and your lives). This really applied to my life. Margie personalizes with her experiences and uses professional anecdotes from students trying to manage their careers and their relationships. At the end of the day, the expectations for others to change are what make us unhappy/complaining/etc. How do we release ourselves from this? From trying to 'control' or direct where the scene (slice) is going or how an actor is "in the room" with casting or in the creation process?She asks us: what can we derive that we can be grateful for outside the external conflict? (other people's actions cannot be controlled, stuff happens -- that's life! so how do we make lemons?)As well, I thoroughly enjoyed the little in-between quote reminders sprinkled in each chapter: "People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing" - Dale Carnegie.Margie's lessons intertwine psychology with a healthy dose of humanity to balance life, reminding us to use forgiveness on ourselves and others, and to be outside of the "victim, perpetrator, rescuer" triangle. My favorite part is on Ch. 5, where she defines the five ego states we all carry as humans: "Critical Parent, Fearful Child, Nurturing Parent, Playful Child, & the Adult"... how to be aware of ourselves (in everyday life) and perhaps the roles we interpret via these states - it's info that is invaluable.She helps actors define our roles using this system, and through anecdotes reminds us to be free from the "perfection" and enjoy the process. Breathe! Give yourself room to fail (duh!) while giving yourself the structure to know what works when you're feeling battered down. As actors, we go through the rollercoaster of working periods & seemingly DEAD periods (sigh), so these skills are important to learn and refer back to (imho they are helpful in any livelihood esp during the pandemic)! What a gift it has been to read this. Thanks for giving us some tools to guide us & to remind us that we are all flawed and live these wild lives. Forever grateful for finding this book!

This Is undoubtedly one of the most important books that I have ever read! This book takes you on a deep dive on how to handle, deal, and observe not only your emotions but also your sense of self. Margies ability to be completely transparent on her own "insecurities" or "doubts" is so beautiful because she is able to teach you exactly how to accept you. This book has taught me how to become centered, and more present which has then lead to the ability to be a better listener and much more effective communicator. No matter your career or social standing in life! You must have this book and read it over and over. This book will grow as you grow.

What a fun book to read when it comes to creating a life! I read it as an actor but I can tell you that this book is actually improving the way I live my life. It had taught me how to be kinder to myself and to also say "F it let's do it, take a chance!" There's so much valuable things in this book. F it just get it and you will learn something if not many valuable things you can apply to your day-to-day life!

It is so easy in any creative industry to get hung up on the difficulties of getting where we want to go. We spend so much time and effort trying to impress that we lose sight of why we are artists in the first place! Margie is very skillful at reminding us to live in our own personal power and to find the joy and play in our artistic expression.I also loved reading her personal life experiences and story which she tells with great honesty and vulnerability.An essential for every actors bookshelf :)

A book that makes you accept, question and recognise yourself! It is practical and can be applied to all parts of your life. For me it is and will change my life!!! Love the way Margie writes, it’s like she is here with me! A must read!

This is an excellent book. Comparable to David Mamets "True and False". Margie Haber has given us a way to apply our humanity to our roles through the ego states and move away from technicals and that's groundbreaking for me.