16-05-2021-043351Limitless-Jim -Kwik

support on this book.

Special thanks to Michael Robertson and the entire team at The Beverly Hilton for hosting me and our events.

To our brain merch team, what we see is what we take care of. Thank you for bringing brain awareness to the world, Daniel, Tom, Mitchell, Jakob, Anthony, and our entire team.

Thank you to the legends and luminaries who inspired my imagination early on this journey—Quincy Jones, Neil Gaiman, Gene Roddenberry, George Lucas, Joseph Cambell, Oprah Winfrey, Piers Anthony, JK Rowling, Napoleon Hill, Bruce Lee, Howard Garner, Tony Buzan, Harry Lorraine, Norman Vincent Peale, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Les Brown, Arianna Huffington, Sir Ken Robinson, Mister Fred Rogers, and of course Stan Lee.

To the original accountability group, Michael Fishman, Brian Kurtz, and Ryan Lee.

Thank you Vishen Lakhian, team, and all our Super Brains at Mindvalley for helping us share meta-learning with the world.

To my superhero friends and the communities they lead. Giovanni Marsico and ArchAngels. Tom & Lisa Bilyeu and your Impactivists. Ken Rutkowski and METal brothers. Elliot Bisnow and Summit. Chris Winefield & Jen Gottlieb and UAL. Chris Anderson and TED. Roman Tsunder and PTTOW & WORLDZ. Michael Fishman and CHS. Jack Canfield and TLC. JJ Virgin and Mindshare. Cole & Sanja Hatter and Thrive. Dan Fleyshman and Joel Marion and their MME 100 Group. Joe Polish and your Genius Network. Anthony Tjan and On Cue. Gareb Shamus and ACE.

To all my friends who have done everything from checking in on me to helping us share our teachings with the world: Aaron Alexander, Adam Braun, Alex Banayan, Alex & Mimi Ikonn, Alex Ortner, Amy Jo Martin, Andres Roemer, Anna Akana, Ari Meisel, Audrey Hagen, Ben Greenfield, Dr. Ben Lynch, Ben Rawitz, Benny Luo, Beth Comstock, Bing Chen, BJ Fogg, Bo & Dawn Eason, Bob Proctor, Branden Hampton, Brandon Routh, Brian Evans, Brian Florio, Brian Grasso, Brooke Burke, Carrie Campbell, Carlos Gardes, Chalene Johnson, Charles Michael Yim, Chervin, Chloe Flower, Chris & Lori Harder, Christina Rasmussen, Christopher Lee,

Chris Pan, Claire Zammit, Collin Chung, Craig & Sarah Clemens, Craig Kielburger, Cynthia Kersey, Cynthia Pasquella, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dan Caldwell, Dandapani, Danica McKellar, Dan Schawbel, Dave Hollis, Dave Nurse, David and Lana Asprey, David Bass, David Goggins, David Meltzer, David Michail, David Wolfe, Dawn Hoang, Dean Graziosi, Derek Halpern, Derek Hough, Dhru Purohit, Donna Steinhorn, Ed Mylett, Elizabeth Gilbert, Emily Fletcher, Emily Morse, Erik Logan, Erin Matlock, Frank & Natalia Kern, Gail Kingsbury, Gary Vaynerchuk, Dr. Halland Chen, Henk Rogers, Hutch Parker, Ian Clark, IN-Q, Jack Delosa, Jack Hidary, Jacqueline Schaffer, James Altucher, James Colquhoun, Jason Stuber, Jayson Gaignard, Jay Shetty, Jeannie Mai, Jeff Krasno, Jeff Spencer, Jelena & Novak Djokovic, Jesse Itzler, Jessica Ortner, Jim Poole, Dr. Joe Mercola, Joel & Laurin Seiden, John Assaraf, John Lee, John Romaniello, Jon Benson, Jonathan Fields, Jon Fine, Jules Hough, Jon Levy, Kandis Marie, Katie Wells, Keith Ferrazzi, Ken Hertz, Kerwin Rae, Kevin & Annmarie Gianni, Kevin Pearce, Kevin Rose, Khaled Alwaleed, Kimberly Moore, Kimberly & James Van Der Beek, Kris Carr, Kute Blackson, Larry Benet, Larry & Oksana Ostrobsky, Laurel Touby, Leigh Durst, Liana Werner-Gray, Lisa Garr, Dr. Lisa Mosconi, Lisa Nichols, Liz Heller, Luke Storey, Manny Goldman, Marc Kielburger, Marie Forleo, Mariel Hemingway, Mari Smith, Mark Anthony Bates, Mark & Bonita Thompson, Mary Shenouda, Matt Mullenweg, Max Lugavere, Mel Abraham, Mel Robbins, Mia Lux, Dr. Michael Breus, Michael Gelb, Michael Lane, Mike Cline, Mike Koenigs, Mike Wang, Mikkoh Chen, Miki Agrawal, Mimi Pham, Mindpump Guys, Mona Sharma, Montel Williams, Naomi Whittel, Natalie & Glen Ledwell, Naveen Jain, Nick Kuzmich, Nicole Patrice, Nikki Sharp, Nina Sugasawa, Nusa Maal, Ocean Robbins, Oz Garcia, Paul Hoffman, Penni Thow, Pete Vargas, Peter Diamandis, Peter Hoppenfeld, Peter Nguyen, Rachel Goldstein, Radha Agrawal, Ramit Sethi, Randy Gage, Randy Garn, Rene & Akira Chan, Richard Miller, Richard & Veronica Tan, Richard Saul Wurman, Rick Barber, Rick Frishman, Robin Farmanfarmaian, Robin Sharma, Rudy Tanzi, Ryan Holiday, Ryan Kaltman, Ryan Levesque, Sabrina Kay, Sam Horn, Sandy Grigsby, Sashin Govender, Sazan & Stevie Hendrix, Scooter Braun, Scott Flansburg, Sean Croxton, Sean & Mindy Stephenson, Dr.

Seeta Narsai, Selena Soo, Shaman Durek, Shannon Elizabeth, Shannon Lee, Seth Godin, ShaoLan, Shawn & Anne Stevenson, Dr. Shefali, Simon Kinberg, Simon Mainwaring, Simon Sinek, Sonia Ricotti, Sony Mordechai, Sophie Chiche, Dr. Stephanie Estima, Stephanie McMahon, Steven Kotler, Steve Sims, Steven Tyler, Sunny Bates, Susan Cain, Tana Amen, Tara Mackey, Thomas Bahler, Tim Chang, Tim Larkin, Tim Ryan, Todd Herman, Tom Ferry, Tony Hsieh, Tracy Anderson, Trent Shelton, Tucker Max, Vani Hari, Whitney Pratt, Will Eppes, Wim Hof, Yanik Silver, Yanjaa Wintersoul, Yue-Sai Kan, Yuka Kobayashi, and so many more.

To the children’s education nonprofits we love and support (including with part of the proceeds of this book)—WE Charity, Pencils of Promise, Unstoppable Foundation and others—thank you for the schools you build and the healthcare and clean water you provide for kids in need.

To the brain health nonprofits who are changing the world funding and conducting research on Alzheimer’s—Steve Aoki and the Aoki Foundation, Maria Shriver’s Women’s Alzheimer’s Movement, Dr. Rudy Tanzi, the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Dr. Lisa Mosconi’s Women’s Brain Initiative and Alzheimer’s Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College

To all my school teachers (and teachers everywhere), having worked with so many educators and my mother recently retired in public education, I know it’s not easy. Thank you for your caring, compassion, and commitment. You are the true superheroes, we appreciate the capes you wear.

To the original geek squad—Dakota, Morris, and Dave. Thank you for comics, video games, and card play. Not only for your friendship but for all the long tutoring sessions. I wouldn’t have made it through school without you.

Sensei Rick for years of martial arts training, wisdom, and friendship. And Bryan Watanabe, you blow me away with your integrity and ability to affect those around you so positively.

Thanks, Rocky, for keeping me company all those early mornings writing, best dog ever!

To my beloved, I’m so lucky to be on this journey with you. Thank you for living through my obsession with all things brain and superheroes. Every day with you is an adventure of learning and laughter, I’m in awe of your limitless love and support. You are the greatest blessing of my life.

To our families, love flows strong and deep, leaving us lifetimes of memories to treasure and keep.

To my sister and brother, thank you for all you do and are. You inspire me as people and as parents. Love you biggest.

Thank you to my parents, my original heroes, not only for your encouragement in this book but also for believing in me from the start. Anything that I’ve ever become that is decent or done that is good is because of you. Anything less than that is on me.

And again, thank YOU, the reader. It is our honor to serve you as we work together to create a brain, a life, and a world without limits.

Jim Kwik (his real name) is a widely recognized world expert in memory improvement, brain optimization, and accelerated learning. After a childhood brain injury left him learning-challenged, Kwik created strategies to dramatically enhance his mental performance. He has since dedicated his life to helping others unleash their true genius and brainpower. For more than two decades, he has served as the brain coach to students, seniors, entrepreneurs, and educators. His work has touched a who’s who of Hollywood elite, professional athletes, political leaders, and business magnates, with corporate clients that include Google, Virgin, Nike, Zappos, SpaceX, GE, Twentieth Century Fox, Cleveland Clinic, Wordpress, and such institutions as the United Nations, Caltech, Harvard University, and Singularity University.

Through keynote speeches, he reaches in-person audiences totaling more than 200,000 every year; his online videos have garnered hundreds of millions of views. Kwik is regularly featured in media, including Forbes, HuffPost, Fast Company, Inc., and CNBC. He is the host of the acclaimed “Kwik Brain” podcast, which is consistently the top educational training show on iTunes. KwikLearni ng.com’s online courses are used by students in 195 countries.

Kwik, an advocate for brain health and global education, is also a philanthropist funding projects ranging from Alzheimer’s research to the creation of schools from Guatemala to Kenya, providing health care, clean water, and learning for children in need. His mission: No brain left behind.

Connect with Jim Kwik at:

JimKwik.com (speaking, coaching, podcast)

KwikLearning.com (online programs) Twitter: @JimKwik

Facebook: @JimKwik

Instagram: @JimKwik Text 310-299-9362

CHAPTER 2

1. “Digital Overload: Your Brain On Gadgets,” NPR, last modified August 24, 2010, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129384107.

2. Ibid.

3. Ibid; Matt Richtel, “Attached to Technology and Paying a Price,” New York Times, last modified June 7, 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/0 7brain.html.

4. Paul Waddington, “Dying for Information? A Report on the Effects of Information Overload in the UK and Worldwide,” Reuters, accessed December 11, 2019, www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/papers/bl/blri078/content/repor~13.htm.

5. “Digital Distraction,” American Psychological Association, last modified August 10, 2018, www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/08/digital-distraction.

6. Daniel J. Levitin, The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload (New York: Dutton, 2016).

7. Sean Coughlan, “Digital Dependence ‘Eroding Human Memory,’” BBC News, BBC, last modified October 7, 2015, www.bbc.com/news/education-34454264.

8. Rony Zarom, “Why Technology Is Affecting Critical Thought in the Workplace and How to Fix It,” Entrepreneur, September 21 2015, www.entrepreneur.com/ article/248925.

9. Jim Taylor, “How Technology Is Changing the Way Children Think and Focus,” Psychology Today, December 4, 2012, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the -power-prime/201212/how-technology-is-changing-the-way-children-think-and- focus.

10. Patricia M. Greenfield, “Technology and Informal Education: What Is Taught, What Is Learned,” Science, January 2 2009, https://science.sciencemag.org/co ntent/323/5910/69.full.

11. Richard Foreman, “The Pancake People, or, ‘The Gods Are Pounding My Head’,” Edge, March 8 2005, https://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/foreman05/fore man05_index.html.

2. Jan Bruce, et al., Mequilibrium: 14 Days to Cooler, Calmer, and Happier (New

York: Harmony Books, 2015), 95.

3. Jennice Vilhauer, “4 Ways to Stop Beating Yourself Up, Once and For All,” Psychology Today, March 18, 2016, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-f orward/201603/4-ways-stop-beating-yourself-once-and-all.

4. “The Power of Positive Thinking,” Johns Hopkins Medicine, www.hopkinsmedic ine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-power-of-positive-thinking.

5. Mayo Clinic Staff, “Positive Thinking: Stop Negative Self-Talk to Reduce Stress,” Mayo Clinic, last modified February 18, 2017, www.mayoclinic.org/he althy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/positive-thinking/art-20043950.

6. James Clear, “How Positive Thinking Builds Your Skills, Boosts Your Health, and Improves Your Work,” James Clear, accessed April 22, 2019, jamesclear.c om/positive-thinking.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.

9. Barbara L. Fredrickson, “The Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions,” National Center for Biotechnology Information, last modified August 17, 2004, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1693418/pdf/15347528.pdf.

CHAPTER 6

1. Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: the New Psychology of Success (New York: Random House, 2006).

2. Daphne Martschenko, “The IQ Test Wars: Why Screening for Intelligence Is Still so Controversial,” The Conversation, accessed August 16, 2019, https://th econversation.com/the-iq-test-wars-why-screening-for-intelligence-is-still-so-c ontroversial-81428.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. David Shenk, “The Truth About IQ,” The Atlantic, accessed August 4, 2009, htt ps://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2009/07/the-truth-about-iq/22260/.

6. Ibid.

7. Brian Roche, “Your IQ May Not Have Changed, But Are You Any Smarter?”, Psychology Today, July 15, 2014, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/iq-boot-c amp/201407/your-iq-may-not-have-changed-are-you-any-smarter.

8. David Shenk, The Genius in All Of Us (New York: Anchor Books, 2011) 117.

9. Gabrielle Torre, “The Life and Times of the 10% Neuromyth,” Knowing Neurons, last modified February 13, 2018, https://knowingneurons.com/2018/0 2/13/10-neuromyth/.

10. Eric H. Chudler, “Do We Only Use 10% of Our Brains?,” Neuroscience for

Kids, https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/tenper.html.

11. Gabrielle Torre, “The Life and Times of the 10% Neuromyth,” Knowing Neurons, last modified February 13, 2018, https://knowingneurons.com/2018/0 2/13/10-neuromyth/.

12. Eric Westervelt, “Sorry, Lucy: The Myth of the Misused Brain Is 100 Percent False,” NPR, July 27, 2014, https://www.npr.org/2014/07/27/335868132/sorry-l ucy-the-myth-of-the-misused-brain-is-100-percent-false.

13. Barry L. Beyerstein, “Whence Cometh the Myth that We Only Use 10% of our Brains?,” in Mind Myths: Exploring Popular Assumptions About the Mind and Brain, ed. Sergio Della Sala (Wiley, 1999), 3–24.

14. Ibid.

15. Robynne Boyd, “Do People Only Use 10 Percent of Their Brains?” Scientific American, last modified February 7, 2008, https://www.scientificamerican.com/ article/do-people-only-use-10-percent-of-their-brains/.

16. Thomas G. West, In the Mind’s Eye: Creative Visual Thinkers, Gifted Dyslexics, and the Rise of Visual Technologies (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2009).

17. Ibid.

18. “Einstein’s 23 Biggest Mistakes: A New Book Explores the Mistakes of the Legendary Genius,” Discover, last modified September 1, 2008, http://discover magazine.com/2008/sep/01-einsteins-23-biggest-mistakes.

19. “About Page,” Beth Comstock, https://www.bethcomstock.info/.

20. 99U, “Beth Comstock: Make Heroes Out of the Failures,” video, 12:40, September 3, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GpIlOF-UzA.

21. Thomas Hobbes, The English Works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, ed. William Molesworth (Aalen: Scientia, 1966).

22. “Carol W. Greider,” Wikipedia, accessed July 27, 2019, https://en.wikipedia.or g/wiki/Carol_W._Greider.

23. “Carol Greider, Ph.D., Director of Molecular Biology & Genetics at Johns Hopkins University,” Yale Dyslexia, http://dyslexia.yale.edu/story/carol-greider-p h-d/.

24. Mayo Clinic Staff, “Dyslexia,” Mayo Clinic, last modified July 22, 2017, https://w ww.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dyslexia/symptoms-causes/syc-203535 52.

25. Claudia Dreifus, “On Winning a Nobel Prize in Science,” The New York Times, October 12, 2009, Science section, https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/scien ce/13conv.html.

26. Jim Carrey, commencement address, Maharishi International University, Fairfield, Iowa, May 24, 2014, www.mum.edu/graduation-2014, accessed January