Limitless - Jim Kwik Page 0,25

come from, how they imprison you, and what you can do about it. And keep asking yourself this question: How many of my perceived constraints are nothing more than LIEs and BS? I think you’re going to be stunned with the answers, and that these answers are going to be liberating.

A quick story before we get going. One of the most cherished friendships of my life was the one I shared with Stan Lee. As you know, Stan’s Marvel creations helped me through some of the biggest challenges of my life when I was younger, and they continue to be a nonstop source of inspiration to this day. My conversations with Stan were always engaging and very often illuminating.

I remember one such conversation when we were in a car together on our way to a dinner. Stan looked resplendent in his suit with a bold Spiderman tie, and I was inspired to ask him something I’d always wanted to ask.

“Stan, you’ve created so many great characters over the years, like the Avengers and X-Men,” I said. “Who’s your favorite character?”

He didn’t even hesitate a second.

“Iron Man,” he said. “And who’s yours?”

I pointed to his tie. “That would be Spiderman.”

Stan nodded and said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”

“That’s so true, Stan. And the opposite is also true: with great responsibility comes great power.”

He seemed to like that, which tickled me to no end. But while I’d never phrased it that way before, I realized that I was voicing one of the key tenets of the limitless mindset. When we take responsibility for something, we are imbued with great power to make things better.

That’s what a limitless mindset is all about. Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we must be accountable for who we become. It’s about understanding that we are responsible for our assumptions and attitudes. And when you accept that all of your potential is entirely within your control, then the power of that potential grows dramatically.

So, superhero, let’s get started on unlimiting your mindset. As Stan would say, “Excelsior!”

5

THE SPELL OF BELIEF SYSTEMS

Why do your beliefs have such an effect on your life?

Why do limiting beliefs keep you from your goals?

How do you reject limiting beliefs?

Grab some imaginary popcorn, because we’re going to take a quick side trip to the movies. The scene goes like this:

A bridge is about to collapse because a supervillain has weakened the supports to the point where the entire thing is going to go crumbling into the river. As the bridge creaks and teeters, our superhero learns about the crisis and races to the scene. She’s the only person with the strength to avert catastrophe and save hundreds of lives.

Our superhero is less than 10 seconds from the bridge now. But as she gets closer, a voice in her head reminds her of the time she face-planted while doing a somersault in elementary school. A couple of seconds later, she recalls her father telling her that it would be best if she set her sights low for her future. With the bridge in sight, another vision emerges in front of her: her former best friend ridiculing her for her delusions of grandeur.

Rubble from the bridge topples into the water. The creaking gets louder. The screams of dozens and dozens fill the air.

And our superhero, overwhelmed with doubt, sits down by the side of the road, covers her face with her hands, and drowns in self-pity.

Wait . . . what?

You’ve never seen that scene in a superhero movie, right? There are some reasons for that. One is that it would be a terrible story. Another is that, regardless of the darkness in their pasts or the moral conflicts they might be facing, superheroes don’t become true superheroes by giving in to limiting beliefs. Superman doesn’t think that, maybe on a good day, he might be able to leap a tall building or, maybe, you know, a couple of stories at least. Tony Stark doesn’t think, “This Iron Man suit is probably going to fail me at the worst possible time because I’m inherently a screw-up.” Captain Marvel doesn’t break through our atmosphere and suddenly start thinking, “I’m not sure I have the emotional capacity to fly solo through space.” They have superpowers, and any sense of restriction be damned.

And you know what? You have superpowers too. How do you realize them? You begin with your mindset.

FINDING MY ROGER BANNISTER

When I was a kid, maybe 9 or 10 years old,