Book Review by Kristen Cudd
The health and well being of our brain is of paramount importance yet we spend little time and energy on its fitness. In Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life, author Jim Kwik shows readers how to exercise one’s brain. Kwik says that his methods will make for a “flexible, strong, energized, and fit brain” that will help you live your best life.
The Four Villains
Kwik says that there are four “growing villains” that challenge modern humans to reach our full capacity. The first is the “unending flood of information” we receive that “leads to overwhelm, anxiety, and sleeplessness.” We fail to give our brains a break, which is critical to creating memories and avoiding “mental fog and fatigue.” He calls this villain “digital deluge.”
The second is our weakening ability to maintain deep focus that he calls “digital distraction.” Our brains get a little hit of dopamine every time a device sends us a notification. This physiological response is changing our brains themselves. We are training our “distraction muscles” by filling every single moment with digital stimulus.
The third villain is called “digital dementia” and refers to our atrophied memory muscles that result from an overreliance on smartphones. Our cognitive function is declining because we rely on digital technology instead of our memories or deductive abilities.
The fourth villain is “digital deduction.” Kwik says that we allow devices to think and make decisions for us. This lowers our “perception of our own intelligence and knowledge.” We start to believe that we cannot make decisions for ourselves.
Together, these villains have a “cumulative effect” that “robs us of our focus, attention, learning, and ability to truly think.” The good news is that we can reverse all of these ill effects with the intentional training presented in Kwik’s book.
The Limitless Model
People not reaching their maximum potential have limits in one of the three areas: “Mindset, Motivation, or Methods.”
Mindset: This piece of the framework helps readers “learn what is possible when you eradicate limiting beliefs.” The mindset we have around our own capabilities is shaped by the influence of both the people in our lives and the culture in which we were raised. These ingrained ways of thinking can be limiting. Kwik says that we can and must unlearn these mindsets and become “accountable for who we become.”
Motivation: “Your purpose is your power.” Kwik teaches readers how to leverage motivation “to unleash your drive and energy.” Most people believe that they have no control over their motivation but Kwik says that motivation is not something you have or lack. Rather, it is something you do and therefore, it can be controlled.
Methods: Kwik presents a proven set of processes or “tools and techniques” that will improve the way you learn. His advanced strategies in “study, speed reading, and memory improvement” lead to higher retention and faster learning speeds in any subject or area of interest.
In Limitless, Kwik teaches readers how to systematically address limits in one’s mindset, motivation, or methods. Kwik opens up about his own struggles with learning and achievement. These first-hand accounts of breaking through the limitations placed upon him from outside forces allow readers to consider their own experiences and influences that may be holding them back. His framework helps you live and learn at your “full potential,” closing the gap between where you currently are in life and where you want to be. Those ready to hit the ground running will appreciate the 10-Day Kwik Start Plan included at the end of the book.
Kwik calls himself a “personal trainer of the mind.” Practicing his Limitless Framework exercises your brain and trains you to “learn smarter, faster, and better.”
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Kristen Cudd is a Contributing Writer at Soundview. She spent seven years in publishing working with business book authors. She loves sharing her viewpoint as a contributing writer for various publications across multiple niches. Her other reviews can be found here.
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