Limitless - Jim Kwik

INTRODUCTION

What is your one wish? Seriously, if a genie offered to grant you one wish, but only one, what would you ask for?

Limitless wishes, of course!

Now, imagine that I’m your learning genie and I can grant you one learning wish—any one subject or skill. What one thing would you want to learn? What subject or skill would be the equivalent of asking for infinite wishes?

To learn how to learn, right?

If you really knew how to learn smarter, faster, and better, then you could apply that to everything. You could learn to master your mindset or your motivation, or use the methods to pick up Mandarin, marketing, music, martial arts, mathematics—there would be no limit! You’d be a mental superhero! Anything would be possible, because you would be limitless!

My mission with this book is to grant you this wish in the pages that follow. Let’s start by saying how much I respect and admire you. By investing in this book and now reading it, you are far ahead of most of the population who simply accept their present conditions and constraints. You are part of a small group of individuals who not only want more for their lives but also are willing to do what it takes to get results. In other words, you are the hero of this story; you’ve answered the call to adventure. I believe the ultimate adventure we are all on is to reveal and realize our fullest potential and inspire others to do the same.

I have no way of knowing how your life’s journey has taken you to this book. I’m guessing that at least part of that journey is accepting the confines put upon you, either by others or by yourself: You can’t read fast enough to keep up with everything you need to know. Your mind is not agile enough to succeed at work. You’re not motivated to get things done or you lack the energy to reach your goals. And so on.

The nature of this of the book is transcending—ending the trance: the mass hypnosis and lies that we learned from our parents, programing, media, or marketing, that suggests we are limited. That, somehow, we are not enough, not capable of being, doing, having, creating, or contributing.

Belief that you are limited might be holding you back from your biggest dreams as well—at least up until now. But I promise you that none of your beliefs truly constrain who you are. We all have vast potential inside of us, untapped levels of strength, intelligence, and focus, and the key to activating these superpowers is unlimiting yourself. For more than 25 years, I’ve worked with people of all ages, nationalities, races, socioeconomic statuses, and education levels. What I’ve discovered is that no matter where you come from, no matter what challenges you face, you have incredible potential that’s just waiting to be tapped. Every person—regardless of age, background, education, gender, or personal history—can advance beyond what they believe they deserve and is possible. And that includes you. Working together, you’ll come to think of your own limitations as an outmoded concept.

Now in this book, I refer to superheroes and superpowers. Why is that? First, I am a bit of a geek that way. Because of my childhood brain injury and learning challenges, I escaped into comic books and movies to inspire me during my struggles. I realized that my favorite ones all shared the same pattern—the Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell’s classic plot structure appears in nearly all famed adventures, including The Wizard of Oz; Star Wars; Harry Potter; Eat, Pray, Love; The Hunger Games; Rocky; The Lord of the Rings; Alice in Wonderland; The Matrix, and more.

Think of your favorite story or one of the films or books I just mentioned. Does this sound familiar? The hero (for example, Harry Potter) starts out in the ordinary world, the world they’ve always known. The hero then hears the call to adventure. They have a choice—to ignore and stay in the ordinary world, where nothing will change, or heed the call and enter the new world of the unknown. If they heed the call (as Neo did with the red pill in The Matrix), they meet their guide or mentor (such as Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid), who trains and prepares them to overcome obstacles and realize new levels of fulfillment. The hero is introduced to new powers and skills, and encouraged to utilize their current abilities like never before. They transcend perceived limitations, learn a new