If You Feel LAZY, LOST & UNMOTIVATED, Watch This To CHANGE EVERYTHING In 2023 | Jim Kwik

Maybe you're not fertile cuz you're. doing too much. Maybe you feel burnt out. cuz you're doing too little. Yeah. The things that make you feel alive. The. things that really light you up. The. best-selling author and host. The number one health and wellness. podcast. On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Everyone, welcome back to On Purpose, the number one health podcast in the. world, thanks to each and every single. one of you that come back every week to. listen, learn, and grow. Now, I know. that you're here because you want to be. happy, you want to be healthy, and you. want to heal. I think that's why I'm.

here, too. When I sit down with the. guest, that's what I'm hoping to do. I'm. hoping to find moments of happiness, moments of health advice, and moments of. healing. But, one of the things I've. been discovering lately that I want to. let you in on is when I'm doing these. interviews, some of the guests that I'm. speaking to have phenomenal journeys and. stories, but some of them also I get the. opportunity to co-create with. I want to. like discover new ideas while we're in. the podcast. I want to find new insights. that we never even considered before. I. want to take a moment to really see if.

we can let down our guard, let go of. what we know, and maybe go into the. unknown in a conversation. And today's. guest is someone who's going to allow us. to do just that. He is the foremost. brain coach, he's an incredible author, and an amazing podcaster, my dear friend. Jim Kwik, the author of Limitless. If. you don't have this book, it is a. phenomenal read. I highly recommend it. And the first time Jim came on the. podcast, the book wasn't out yet, so I. couldn't tell you about it. Uh but, I. really hope that you will check it out.

Jim, welcome back to On Purpose. It's so. great to have you here. When we first. did this, and I want everyone to know. this, when we first launched the. podcast, you were I think you were one. of the guests within our first 6 months. You were in my apartment where we used. to shoot, and it was so kind and. gracious of you to come on. We were just. starting out. We were just figuring out. what On Purpose was, and you supported. us, and it means the world to me, so. I'll never forget that. But, I love we. were chatting offline before, which I. loved, and we were talking about how we. wanted this conversation to be special. I mean, that's what you asked me, how do. I make this conversation special? How do.

we make it different? And that's where. this idea came from is. when we're sitting with someone, it's. like, how can we like go back and forth. and and you know, spark something new? But you you asked me something and and. that's where I kind of want to start. because it's kind of hopefully going to. lead us down a a a random path, which I. love. I and I'll tell you the story. So, I called up someone the other day and. it's someone in my world and I said to. them, I have this idea. And I really want to do this. I think it. would be amazing. And the first thing.

they said to me was, Jay, those things. don't usually happen. Right? That's not really possible. Like. that's that's not like the most probable. likely thing that we can make happen for. you. Now, when I hear those kind of. things and we're talking about limitless. and limitations, when I hear a. limitation like that, my mind goes to. the fact that it's never been done is. why I want to do it. Like that's what. attracted to me in the first place. If.

it was already done, then why would I. want to do it again? And so, I wanted to start there with you. and go, how do we know if a limitation. is real or not? Like how do you know? Because we all have limitations. I have. I love this conversation. I think the majority of limits are are. learned. And and I could give you stories and. anecdotes around that and some some. research. I think my purpose in life because I was. labeled limited in a way. We talked.

about this. when I was on your show earlier about. having my traumatic brain injury and. being labeled the boy with the broken. brain and my learning difficulties. I. want to offer real hope and real help to. those who were told they were harboring. limited in some way. You know, and I really don't believe. that the sky is a limit. I believe our. our minds are the limit. There are all. kinds of examples every day that when we. change our mindset, some kind of form of. our motivation or the methods we're. using that we could do things that we. could redraw the borders and boundaries. of what's possible. Yeah. And then you.

you exemplify that. You embody this this. idea of becoming more limitless. Well, I. think it was for me, too, and thank you. for saying that, but I think it was the. same thing for me where I had also. subscribed to the limits I thought. society placed on me. Right. And when. you start to break one limit and you see. this like light shining through a crack. and you're like, "Oh, like this limit. can actually be broken." You then start. thinking, "Well, how many limits can we.

break?" Right? Like that's where I'm at. right now, but I wasn't always like. that. I think it's important to talk. about that. There was a time in my life. where I was living in the rules, within. the barriers. And now I'm at a place in. my life where I'm like, "Well, which. barriers can we push?". And that journey for me is been an. exciting one and a fun one. Tell me now. like what do you think is the difference. between. open-mindedness, like believing in the. limitless, versus delusion? Because. there's also a fine line on that side as.

well. Like is there a line? And how have. you thought about that? And even if we. don't have an answer, I want to figure. that out with you. Yeah. Let's do it. Yeah. I think behind any any kind of. result in our life, we need to do a new. behavior, a new behavior or a new set of. behaviors. I think in order to be able. to execute that behavior, we need a. mindset or a belief that allows that to. be possible. The one that's very famous. here in the Roger Bannister in in 1950s. who broke the 4-minute mile. And what. happened after that? Right? Other people.

started breaking it and there weren't. big advancements in shoe technology, nutritional support, training. methodologies, but there was a change in. in belief about what was possible cuz it. wasn't a real limit. Um and so even when. people are training, um he wasn't. necessarily delusional. I don't think. just because if you believe it, it. doesn't mean it's going to happen, but I. feel like if we don't believe it, it. dramatically reduces reduces the chance. of it happening, you know, because we act accordingly. Yeah. You know, and so many people and. they're shrinking what's possible to fit.

their minds and I would always say, "What if we did the opposite? What if we. expanded our minds in this situation to. fit more of what's really possible?". Yeah, yeah. I think that's a great great. answer. You're so right. It's. it's fascinating how everything is just. a thought. I was talking to. a couple of friends. a couple of nights ago. and I was talking to him about the the. hernia surgery that I just went through. And he was saying to me like, "How tough. was it?" And I had a tough version of.

it. We were just talking about it. Some. people wake up and in the next 24 hours. they're fine. It's taken me 4 weeks to. feel 50% again, right? Like that's how I. feel, maybe 50-60% again. And I know. people have gone through for 12 months. and they're still healing through it. Yeah, people are still going through it. And so he said to me, he was just like, "Do you like how did you not let. yourself get depressed?" Cuz like the. first week I couldn't walk. Uh and I had something called. atelectasis, which is like a partial. collapse of the lungs, so I couldn't.

breathe every three breaths almost. And. then my wife rushed me to the hospital. uh to ER like one morning at 3:00 a.m. because they thought I might have blood. clots and I didn't thankfully. And then the second week when I started. to walk, it was still like on and off. pain. It was very uncertain. I then. ended up getting back pain cuz I was on. my back for so long. I couldn't lie on. either side cuz I had it on both sides. And so then my back was like so I was. waking up at 3:00 a.m. every day for 3. weeks because I couldn't sleep anymore. cuz my back was hurting. So I was. walking around at 3:00 a.m. I couldn't.

sit to meditate. I was doing walking. meditations. And he was like, "How did you not get. depressed during that time?" And I said. to him that for me. it was the power of my mind and it was a. story. It was like I'd lost the strength. in my body, for sure. But I kept repeating to myself, "I'm. happy. I'm healthy. I'm healing. I'm. happy. I'm healthy. I'm healing." And. what I was saying to him is it's not. that because I said that I was happy, healthy, and healing. Right. It's that I had a choice of a. thought, which is what you're saying. A.

belief that I could have either believed. I'm sad, I'm hurting, and it's all over, or I'm happy, I'm healthy, and and I'm. healing. And as just as you said, it's. not that that belief or that thought. made me better, but it's just that if I. didn't have that thought, it would have. been way harder to get through that. pain. And so I love that to see that in. practice what you just said for me was. huge. You know, in in Limitless I talk. about seven lies to learning. Cuz my my. my wheelhouse is teaching accelerated. learning, teach people to read faster,

learn languages, remember people's. names, improve their memory, focus. And uh lie for me is as stands for. unlimited idea entertained. Mhm. Unlimited idea entertained. So good. It's getting us to self-reflect. on, you know, is it really that you're. too old or you're not smart enough? People come to me at events after they. see me do these memory demonstrations, or maybe I'll remember people's names or. do something, and they'll say, "Jim, I'm. just not smart enough. I have a horrible. memory." And I will say, "Stop. If you. fight for your limitations, you get to. keep them." Oh, yeah.

Fight for your limits, they're yours. And often we don't know the you know, the power of our mind, you know, it's I. mentioned this last time, but it's like. your brain is this incredible. supercomputer, and your self-talk, your. thoughts are the program that will run. So if you tell yourself, "I'm not good. at remembering people's names," you. won't remember the name of the next. person you meet because you programmed. your supercomputer not to. So how do you. transcend these lies? How do you end the. trance? Because these lies, these were. learned, right? This idea that genius is. born, this uh this idea that we're only. using, you know, a small fraction of our.

our brain, Mhm. 10% or something like. that. And you can unravel these lies. There's a And you you a very key word. Um put a quote in the book from a French. philosopher and he says that life is the. C between B and D. Life is the letter C. between B and D. B stands for birth, D. stands for death, life C. And you said. it, choice. That I I really do believe that our. lives are the sum total of all the. choices we've made up to this point. You. know, what are we going to eat? What are. we going to feed our minds? Who are we. going to spend time with? Where are we. going to live? You know, all the all you.

know, what are we going to believe? Yeah. What are we going to think and say to. ourselves on a regular basis? And I. believe that these difficult times, they. can diminish us. These difficult times, they can distract us, which a lot of. people feel distracted. Or these. difficult times, they can develop us. Yeah. Ultimately, we always decide. So. the power of choice, you may you may you. made the choice in terms of what you. choose to be able to believe. And with. that choice, you know, comes a lot of. responsibility and with that. responsibility comes a lot of power. I I. love what you clarified there, though,

because the choice can be harder. Like I. didn't go through a life-threatening. surgery. If someone went through that, it's the choice becomes harder and. harder to make. If your stakes are. higher and higher. But the choice brings power with it. And. and so it's like we need that power to. come with it, right? Like and that's. what you were making clear for us. I'm. One of the things that I'm thinking. about when we talk about limitations, limitations almost make us feel safe. I. think people don't often connect the. two, but they do. Like if you aim low,

chances are you'll get there and so you. won't experience disappointment. Mhm. Right? If you place a limitation on. yourself and say, "Well, I can't do. that." Then when you can't do it, it. doesn't it makes you feel good. Like, "Oh, at least I knew.". And you're validated. And you're. validated, exactly. It's like you you're. looking for that. So, how is a feeling. that makes us feel safe actually. sometimes the thing that's blocking us. from feeling great? Yeah. I think a lot. of us will want to. you know, where our nervous system is. not necessarily set up for growth. I.

think in the beginning it is until we've. had some kind of uh pain or trauma, then. and we want to be able to survive and. keep ourselves safe. Um there's this. idea that. let's say negativity or pessimists are. accurate more because they maybe they. set that standard or that belief a. little bit um more achievable. Uh but optimists maybe are succeeding. more. because of it because they have that. kind of moonshot idea or or or thinking. Um the brain really wants to keep you.

keep you alive, right? And it doesn't. want to change takes effort. It takes. energy to be able to achieve their. goals. You know, there's this thing I. saw on Twitter the other day saying life. is hard for one of two reasons, either. because you're leaving your comfort. zone, life can be very hard, or because. you're staying in your comfort zone. Mhm. If people thought about change, which ultimately, you know, most people. want if they're healthy some area of. their life, relationships, health, career, something, um and they're looking outside and they. want to achieve something else, it's a. lot safer to be able to say to keep.

something realistic without a doubt. And. I'm I'm like that way also. Yeah, of. course of course yeah. too, you know, in terms of my book. deadlines, what would be coming. realistic is even possible to get it. done in x amount of time. And I also. find that part of getting results is. reaching and then, you know, and then. stabilize like you stretch and then you. stabilize and then you stretch and you. stabilize. You can't be I don't feel. like we could be stretching all the. time. Agreed. That you could reach reach reach, but. you have to recover, you have to. replenish, you have to you have to be. able to rest. Yeah.

Also as well. Yeah, I'm trying to I'm. trying to add to that cuz I know we both. like alliteration, but it's like. stretch, stabilize, and then forego. Like there's also. what's a sacrifice, I guess, like but in. a positive sense. Wait, is it surrender? Surrender, yeah, because I I found that. I definitely I'm shocked at my capacity. with the amount of things I do today. that I didn't know were ever possible. So if someone told me 10 years ago, Jay, one day you're going to do this, this, this, this, this." I would have said,

"No way. I can just do one thing.". And we did exactly what you said. So, every year I would stretch myself every. year. And you're right, you can't just. stretch, stretch, stretch, stretch, stretch every month. But every year I'd. add one thing. So, like first we started. creating videos. And then after we. started creating videos, we did the. podcast. And then we did the podcast, we. did our courses and programming. And. then we did our Then I wrote my book. And then after that, I wrote You know, so we stretched ourselves a little and I. stretched myself a little every year. But then we stabilized. But I've also. found that I've also had to let go of.

some things, sacrifice some things that. once upon a time were really important. to me, but today they're not as. important. And in order to stretch and. stabilize, I had to learn to sacrifice, too. And I think that's something we. struggle with. Like I think. one of our biggest limitations. is. wanting to hold on to stuff. Yeah. Right? Like it's like there's no space. to. shift away and hold on to something else. if we're holding on to this. If I'm.

like, "No, no, no, I want this to be. there for the rest of my life." I'm. missing out. Like what about that kind. of limitation where it's not a. limitation that I think about myself? It's actually a limitation because I. want something to be there if that makes. sense. Yeah, there is. Well, we're. talking about change or or even. transformation, the symbol for me is. that of a. like many people, butterfly. Mhm. And. while the beauty is in the butterfly, the growth is happening usually in that. cocoon. Mhm. And that chrysalis. And. it's one of those things where. there's a story where there's this kid.

playing in the backyard and his parents. are in the house and he comes across a. caterpillar. And he did He wasn't. allowed any pets, but he wanted to make. this caterpillar his pet. So, he runs. in, talks to his parents saying, "Can I. keep it? Can I keep it?" And the mother. says, "Yes, but you have to take care of. it. You have to be able to feed it and. everything." And. she gives him a mason jar, puts a little. hole in it. And then he goes there and. he opens it up and he puts like leaves. in there for the for the caterpillar to. eat and a little tree branch for it to. climb. And then uh and one day, as you.

can imagine, it spins this cocoon. And. you know, the boy is enthralled, is. bewildered at this process of life. And. but he gets a little impatient cuz he. knows what's coming, right? That it's. going to emerge as a butterfly. And uh. and then one day. lo and behold, there's you can see a. little crack open up. And uh and then he. gets impatient cuz it's taking too long. So he runs inside his house and he grabs. scissors and he uh he walks back outside. cuz he knows he's not supposed to run. with those scissors. But he he clips it.

um that hole open to be able to allow it. um to be able to get free. But an. interesting thing happened. When this. creature came out, it didn't look like a. butterfly. It kind of looked like a. butterfly, but it didn't really. Um it the the wings were very shriveled, the the body was very swollen, and um. and it didn't fly. You know, the thing he was looking. forward to. And he cries to his parents. and the parents ask what happened. And. he was explaining how he cut it open and. um and they explained to him because he. was trying to make it easy for that. creature that that creature didn't have.

to develop the strength, right? And the. actually when it pushes through that. hole is when it takes the the the the. fluids inside of its body and it. nourishes and goes out to the wings and. then it could become that butterfly and. soar to new heights. And uh and I guess. I bring this up because I feel like even. the past few years people feel like. maybe they were cocooning. You know, and they were in this place. and they were alone, alone with their. thoughts, alone with um. you know, their fears. They might be. even feeling alone and you and I have. talked at many conversations about. mental health and uh how it you know,

it's how our brain health is affecting. our mental health. And uh and I would say that um through. struggles sometimes there is there's. strength. You know, my my struggles. growing up were learning um. it was public speaking. You know, you. know, life has a sense of humor cuz. that's all I do is public speak on this. thing called learning. But, you know, disadvantage within the word. disadvantage, there's that word. advantage, right? And I always feel like. there's some kind of advantage within. within every disadvantage. Yeah. Yeah, and it's hard to it's hard to see that. when you're in it. When you're inside.

the jar. Yeah, inside the cocoon, it's so hard to see. it, but I think looking back at previous. cocoons Mhm. and seeing how you emerged. is often the best bet you have. It's. almost like I know I remember when I was. at school, I'd always be like, "Well, last year I did well in my exams, so how. do I do well this year? Let me remember. what I did last year." And that's a very. small example, but even now it's like. when I went through this surgery, the. last surgery I had was when I lost my.

voice and I had polyps in my throat, which was around 10 years ago. And so for like I remember that time for. months on end I was drinking out of a. straw and like I couldn't speak and I. had a white board where I'd write things. to my parents and my my sister and my. mom who were taking care of me. And I was like, "Okay, well, I got. through that surgery. Like what what. mindset did I need? Like what can I do. now? Or what did I not do that time that. I should get right now?" And so I find. like reflection is such a great tool to. overcome limitations. And I think reflecting on your own life.

and this is the part that I think I want. to I want to talk about this with you. because I I don't know the answer and I. don't think we've talked about this. before, but we get so fascinated. reflecting on other people's lives, right? What is the news? What is pop. culture news? What is mainstream media. doing? You're spending your whole day. reflecting on someone else's life. So-and-so cheated on someone. So-and-so. messed up the world record, like didn't. make it. Uh so-and-so, like, you know,

they they fell off stage when they were. performing their song or whatever it is, right? Like there's there's like this. negative reflection on everyone else's. life. But rarely do we carve out the time to. reflect on our own life. Why do you think that is? And And where. does that come from? And I just want to. hear your thoughts on that because. reflection is something we all know how. to do. We just don't necessarily do it. inward. I I think it could be an incredible. advantage, also, reflection. I mean, when you reflect on something, you're. harnessing the power of your memory.

And, you know, as as the memory coach, I, you know, I feel like it's not just. remembering facts and figures and. foreign languages. uh or speeches or things that can make. you more productive in your performance. It's also reflecting and remembering the. things that that give you confidence and. certainty moving moving forward. That. reflection can be a superpower. That. hindsight could lead to foresight. Cuz. so many people forget about their wins. You know, they forget sometimes of the. things that they overcame. You know, I. would And so many people are scared of,

you know, someone watching this or. listening to right now could be afraid. of making a mistake and looking bad. You. know, I always tell people, "Well, if. you make a mistake, you make it old. O L. D." And everything's an acronym. O is. you you own it. You know, we don't put it outside of. ourselves. We don't become a victim. Uh we apologize if we hurt somebody. We. fix it if we can. Uh we take. responsibility for it uh because that. allows us to be able to make it better. The L is you learn from it. And that's. why we make mistakes, right? They're. stepping stones to make us a better.

person if we learn from it that there's. maybe there's no failure, maybe there's. feedback. Or maybe there's no you know, you're not failing, maybe just failing. to learn something. And so, you want to. be able to do that. But then the D is is. really where it lands. The D is don't. repeat it. Cuz so many people can learn. in the moment, but then they repeat it. They they they they repeat that mistake. in their relationships or in their. dating life. They repeat it. They forget. what that that junk food made them feel. like, you know, afterwards or staying up. late at night, you know, they did, you. know, in terms of ruining their sleep.

and hurting their peace of mind the next. day. So, don't repeat it because, you. know, insanity doing the same thing over. and over again expecting different. results. And sometimes it's not. insanity. Maybe sometimes it's just not. managing our memory. Mhm. You know, and remembering that those. moments hindsight where we made you. know, where like everyone right now can. imagine a time where they felt like. they couldn't survive. Yeah. You know, uh that they couldn't go any further. And the truth is if they're listening to. this, they did. They did survive it. You.

know, and to be able to acknowledge it, part of self-care is. and self-love is looking at that person. in the mirror and you know, that person. who's been through so much but but is. still standing. You know, and and. reflecting on that. um in terms of how far we've come. Yeah, memory is such a tricky thing like in. the sense of. not just like remembering something. What I mean by that is. we all know that there's a song from our. past that it clicks on and almost all of. a sudden you're feeling nostalgia.

And you're like remembering that moment. when you were at college or whatever it. was or right, you can go back to that. place. So, memory works in that way. But memory also works in the opposite. way. Like I was thinking to myself that, you know, just a few weeks ago I. couldn't walk. And I was walking really slowly. I was. like really dealing with the pain. I was. like, "Okay, I never, you know, I want. to be so mindful." And then And then as. soon as you start to feel better, it's. so easy to just forget all of that. Yeah. And just start walking normally. again and being not mindful. And it's. almost like that where it's like pain.

makes you really present and conscious. and there. And then all of a sudden when. pain goes away, you're not present. anymore and you kind of just get on with. your life. And so I find it weird that. sometimes our memory is so strong and. sometimes it's so weak. Also, when. people have had a really painful trauma. in the past, that pain stays with us. And that we. almost don't let go of enough. But then. sometimes when we've had certain pains, we let them go too quick. It's. it's almost like how long pain stays. with you is all pleasure stays with you.

is such a weird. concept and I guess what you're saying. is that. there are certain types of pain that we. have to learn to let go. There are. certain types of pain that. we need to remember in order to not. repeat Right. the same mistake. And it's. like. how do you know which one's which? Like, you know, or or how do you process it? And even in relationship, love we had a. lot of emotional pain, uh mental anguish in relationships. sometimes. And you know, it's even when. you're thinking about forgiving someone, you could forgive them and but not. forget in terms of the lesson that they.

taught you. And even adversity, I mean, do you feel part of it is in hindsight I. think about what's the meaning of this? Right? That's a choice that we can make. at any given time. Do you think that what you went through. most recently with your surgery, do you. think it's do you look at it in any way. as what is this teaching me? Yeah, yeah, always. I think for me, I mean, there's. a lot of lessons in it. One thing is I I. consider myself to be quite a mindful. healthy individual. I try to eat. healthy, I work out, I sleep healthy,

I've good rhythms and routines. I. definitely push the optimal performance. button. Like, I'm like definitely always. trying to figure that out. And I think. things like this are very humbling. Uh. and and that's how I That's the biggest. meaning I take away from all of this. stuff is you're not the controller, you're not Superman, you're not you. haven't figured everything out. Like, they're very humbling. They They make. you realize you're still in. a human body and you have to deal with. the ups and downs of it. Uh the second. thing I think I took away from this. whole journey was.

uh how much I've enjoyed being slow. Hm. Like, it's I I consider myself like I. want to say slow I mean like I consider. myself to be present mentally, but I. think I'm quite. fast physically and I live a fast life. physically. And mental presence is a beautiful thing. when you live fast, but having. physical presence also which this. surgery made me have for the first time. in a long time, probably since I was a. kid. Like, I can't remember I've. literally felt like there were times. when I was teaching myself how to slowly.

walk again and I put pressure on my. feet. And I was like, wait a minute, it's really nice living life this slow. Like, this is actually really special. Like, I hope I can hold on to elements. of this. And yesterday, it was funny. because I was with my friends in New. York City and we were on a walk and. usually we looked at it and it was like. 20 minutes to get somewhere and the. store was going to close in 30 minutes. And I know that if I was walking that. path like. 5 months ago, I'd have been like, we can. do that in 10. Like, that's what I would. have said. And I said to my friend. yesterday, I was like, look, I think I'm.

going to do it in probably like 23. minutes cuz I'm slower right now. Right. And so, we're only going to get 7. minutes of the store. So, if you guys. want to go ahead, you guys go ahead and. I'm going to walk at my pace. And we walked there, we got there in 23. minutes and it was absolutely fine, but. it was even just me having that shift. I. was like, wow, I'm really appreciating. walking at this pace, even though I. could get more done before. There's. there's a certain joy in moving at this. pace. So, I fully agree with you. I. think there's so much meaning, so many. lessons. And that is the only way to. live. I mean, you know, if you don't.

live that way, it just ends up being. another inconvenience. Well, we certainly all everybody could. have you know, we have this shared. adversity, right? It comes in different. forms. You know, I mentioned my s-. challenges with learning public speaking. as an adult. I had severe sleep issues. from sleep apnea, obstructive, and I. would s- I would for 5 years I slept 90. minutes a night. And it was really it. was just tearing my mind apart. That's crazy. Yeah, this is one of the things and it. wasn't straight. It was very. interrupted. I would stop breathing. It. was more of a genetic thing. And I would.

stop breathing 240 times a night. And. each time was like 10 seconds. And I did. a series of surgeries and I know how how. humbling that could be. You know, and sometimes being reminded. um. that we aren't always the the the. superman or woman or or girl, um. you know, it there's there's a there's a. great foundation for for curiosity. So, what can I learn from this? A great appreciation to cultivate. gratitude. Yeah. You know, I think what. you appreciate tends to appreciate.

Yeah. You know, in our life for for. sure. And gratitude rewires our nervous. system for greater productivity, for. greater performance, and certainly. greater peace. Mhm. You know, and I. think peace of mind is high currency. today. Totally. Without a doubt. With my sleep though, you know, and that was a very painful. surgery. It was different than when. you're a kid and taking they took out my. tonsils and uvula and my soft palate. And I was, you know, for for weeks. couldn't breathe, couldn't eat, couldn't. do anything. Um but I think what I. learned from my sleep issues, you know, there there was a gift in it. You know,

when I would be able to read and. remember and focus and you know, so I. got to. you know, live what I teach and practice. what I preach. That's what it is. Yeah, that's what it. is. That's a big thing. Yeah. And then. the other part of it is I found out that. you know, everything I did was, you. know, for a reason. Like there's nowhere. else I'd rather be right now. Right? I. would always say, you know, heck yes or. heck no. Um Cuz I think a lot of people. get tired and because they have too many. tabs open. Or maybe some people are. watching right now feel burnt out. because they're doing too much. Maybe. you're not burnt out cuz you're doing. too much. Maybe you feel burnt out cuz.

you're doing too little. Yeah. things that make you feel alive. The the. things that really light you up. And you. know, being in that cocoon, part of it is. you could get clarity. You know, I think. solitude when we choose to slow down and. have, you know, get space from noise. Um. and when you say yes to somebody or. something thing you're not saying no to. yourself. Mhm. And I think clarity, using time just even 5, 10 minutes a day. to just clarify what's Sometimes when. you're going 100 miles an hour, Yeah. you're not thinking about, oh, am.

I going in the right direction? Yeah. Right? And asking yourself a simple. question like, what's what's most. important to me, you know, in my life? Yeah. What's most important to me in this. moment? In my relationships, in my. career. And then asking yourself on the. other side, are my actions today aligned. with those values? Yes. Because. sometimes, uh you know, we might be. doing something that's It's not just. about time management for productivity, it's about mind management, and it's. about priority management. You know, the. most important thing is to keep the most. important thing the most important.

thing. And, you know, that will allow. you while you're cocooning, you know, that clarity as well as doing so doing. things like care and contribution. I. could alliterate all the C's. Yeah, yeah, no. It makes It makes a difference. to come out of this stronger to be able. to soar to new heights as we're going. through this transformation. Yeah, I. think if if someone's listening to this. right now and like. really feeling limited in. you know, the sense of how they feel. about themselves, they're limited by how. many options. I think options is an. interesting thing like you know, and and.

it is different for different people. I. remember that when I was. in the corporate world and when I was. employed and yeah, I didn't do what was. meaningful to me. I wasn't passionate. about what I did. It was just what I. needed to do to pay the bills and and. take care of things. What gave me more confidence was that. I always would know if I had other. options of what I could do. Right. And I would have to entertain options in. order to realize that I wasn't as. limited as I thought I was. Because.

there was a part of me that believed I. was like, "Well, this is all I can do. This is the only qualification I have. Like, no one else will give me a job.". Yeah. And then there was a part of me. that was like, "Well, that's not true, actually. I could change and shift and. do this and do that." I think often we. limit the number of options we think we. have. It's It's almost like going back. to that uh Edison quote of like, "I. didn't fail 10,000 times. I just found. 9,999. ways not to do it." And I think there's. a there's a deeper thought from him that.

I loved when he said. and this is something I always hold on. to. and Edison said, "When you think you've. exhausted all options, remember this, you haven't." Right. And and I've always. loved that because sometimes I feel like. that. Like sometimes I'm trying to make. something happen, right? Maybe you're. trying to get a book deal. Maybe. someone's trying to get a podcast deal. Maybe someone's trying to. raise a million dollars to to save, you. know, a group of people from something. that they're struggling with. And you try everything and then none of. them work and you think, "Oh well, it's. just not meant to happen." But Edison's.

take is, "Well, there's another How do. you kind of. live for that one more?" Yeah. It. doesn't make sense, yeah. It does It. does It does. They they say that the. problem is rarely the problem. The. problem is our attitude about the. problem. Yeah. You know, with with. options, it's they've they've shown. where it's one of those things where. if you're if you're limited to one. option or two options, you don't really. have a whole lot of choice. But also, if. you have too many options, you might not. actually do anything because you you. struggle with decision fatigue, right?

You have You have the menu is like 50. pages long and then it there's you have. this overwhelm. And our brain primarily. is a more of a deletion device. It's. trying to keep options out or. information out. Otherwise, we'd we'd go. become overloaded and and also. overwhelmed. And so that that's that's a. big part of it. You know, something I I. teach in everything whenever I'm working. with a client, I just look through one. framework and I call it the limitless. model. And maybe this will shed light. and we can have a conversation about. this where I believe limits are learned. in one of three areas.

And so if everybody Let's We can turn. this into a like a little exercise. Yeah. If everybody can think about area. where you feel limited, all right? So. just think of any area where you feel. like you're Limitless is for me is not. about like being perfect. Limitless is. about advancing or progressing beyond. what you currently believe or. demonstrating is possible. Mhm. And so. if everybody thinks about an area of. their health, or maybe it's a. relationship. Where do you feel like. you're stuck? Like you're not advancing. Where do you feel like you're in a box? Mhm. Now that box by definition is. three-dimensional, right? And there's.

three forces that contain that box, but. they're also three forces These are the. same three forces that will liberate you. out of that box and I'll you more. limitless. So, imagine there that. they're being represented by three. intersecting circles. Some people are. familiar with a Venn diagram. It's kind. of like Mickey Mouse, two ears, two. circles, and then a face, right? And. they and they overlap. So, the first one. is your mindset. And so, I believe that. our mindset is something like I wasn't. born with this idea that I had a broken.

brain. It was imprinted on me, right? And and our mindset comes from our. experience through external environment. Um. you know, through through other people's. expectations. And mindset I'm defining. as the your attitudes and assumptions. about something. Your attitudes. assumptions about what's possible. Your. attitudes and assumptions about what. you're capable of. Cuz you could believe. it's possible for somebody else to have. that loving relationship or build that. big business or have a 100,000. followers, but you might not believe. you're it's possible for you and you can. still be stuck in that box.

Um besides what is possible, what you. what you're capable of, what you believe. you deserve. Right? A lot of people might be stuck in. that box because they might know the. right methods and may be motivated, but. they're they don't believe that they. deserve those things. So, those are the. things that then I talk about uncovering. and unlimiting those those lies. So, if. you believe you're not smart enough, if. you believe you're a slow reader, if you. believe you're I am a procrastinator, whatever happens to be, you're stuck in. that box. The second circle that you. have to take into account besides.

mindset, and there are many. interventions by the way, like if you. feel like you could identify a lie that. you know, hey, I'm not smart enough, I. don't have the resource, whatever it is, you know, there's things that you know, people have talked about on your show, whether it's uh. emotional freedom technique, EMDR, uh. hypnosis, there's a ways of of changing. your belief systems, right? The second. circle though is just as powerful. The. second M besides mindset is motivation. You know, and motivation you could have. a limitless mindset, but not be. motivated to get out of that box. You.

might think everything is possible, I. deserve it, I'm capable, but you're not. motivated to get off the couch and do. those things. You know, for me there's a simple. formula for sustained motivation. And it's P, the letter P, times E, times. S3. And uh so if we're to do a thought. experiment and say, what do you want to. be motivated for? Maybe for some people. it's to uh read every day. You know, leaders are readers. Somebody has. decades experience like you do, you put. it into a book, Think Like a Monk, and. somebody sits down a few days and read. that book. They download decades and.

days, but they're not reading every day. Maybe they're really good at buying a. book, but they're not good at reading. that book. This is some people, right? They're very good at adding to cart and. it sits on their shelf and it becomes. shelf-help not self-help, right? Um but. but they're not motivated. And so uh. maybe their mindset is, yeah, it's good. to grow, but they're not motivated. So P. stands for purpose. And what I mean by. purpose is, and you're an expert at. this, is just not just cognitive. reasons, but how do you feel about. something? Because we know we're not.

logical. We are more emotional, right? You mentioned that if there's a song. that can take you back to when you're a. child, it's it's that emotional feeling, that mood, that got linked to that. information. It's just like a food or a. fragrance that can take you back to when. you're a kid. So purpose, allowing. yourself to feel the benefits instead of. just It has to go from your head to your. heart to your hands, right? And so allow. yourself to feel that. But even if. someone has purpose, they might not read. cuz the E stands for energy, right? A lot of some people if they if. they haven't slept because they have a.

newborn child, uh they can't focus, right? They can't have the mental. fortitude. Or maybe they ate some junk. food, and I don't think there's junk. food, there's junk and there's food, but. maybe they're they're they're in a food. coma and they don't have the energy to. study, right? So you have, you know, we. talk about the best brain foods, how to. reduce stress cuz it takes takes a lot. of energy. Your peer group can take a. lot of energy out of you also as well. But let's say you have limitless purpose. and limitless energy, the S3 are those. small simple steps. You know, those tiny little actions you. could take. So maybe it's working out.

and that's too big or going back to. reading. Maybe it's reading a chapter is. too big for someone who doesn't do that. Maybe just opening the book is a small. simple step. Reading one line is a small. simple step. Maybe working out an hour a. day is tough. Maybe getting your running. shoes on. Maybe getting yourself to the. gym is a small simple step. I think. little by little, a little becomes a. lot. You know, and so that's really the. key is consistency cuz if you're. persistent you could achieve it. But if. you're consistent you get to keep it. And it's the difference between. something being attainable and.

sustainable over time. And then finally. the last 10 are the methods. You know, once you have a limitless mindset and. you have a limitless motivation, you. could be doing old methods and still not. get to where you need to go. Old methods. of sales, old methods of learning, old. methods of health and you wonder why. you're still stuck in that box. And so. when's the last time we took time to. upgrade our knowledge, our skills, our. our abilities? You know, so those are the three M's and. people draw that out or even imagine. that, you'll notice that the three M's. overlap and they create three I's too.

Where mindset and motivation crossover, the first I is inspiration. Right? Cuz it changes What's. inspiration? Something that changes your. mindset about what's possible and also. you're a little bit motivated. You have. some drive and purpose. But you might. not have the methods. You might not have. the instruction, right? So you're still. stuck in that box. Where mindset and. methods crossover, you believe it's. possible in your mind and you know what. to do the methods, that's the second I. which is. ideation. It just stays an idea, right? But nothing's happening cuz you're not.

motivated. And then finally where. motivation and methods crossover, you. have the third I which is. implementation. You're motivated, you. have purpose, you have energy and you. know what to do to do that get out of. that box. Um but you could still be stuck in that. box cuz you're limited by your mindset. You know, and so that's what I think. And then where through all three. connect, you have the fourth I which is. your identity, which is integration. It's just who you are. And that's really. the goal. So, my my conversation with. becoming more limitless is about.

redrawing like where where are we stuck? And I think once you can identify, oh, it's a let's say someone can't remember. names. Is it my mindset? Do I believe. I'm just too old or I have a horrible. memory? Or maybe that's not the case. Maybe it's, hey, I don't have a purpose. I don't have a reason to remember their. names. Yeah. Right? Or I'm just really tired. Or I don't have the methods. I was never. taught. There's no class on how to. remember names. And then it gives you. your your agency back. It gives It's. such a phenomenal It gives you power. back also. It's such a phenomenal. framework. It's such a fantastic.

framework and I know it's in the book. Limitless. It's. It's such a great framework and I love. the way you break things down because. like you said, I think. often we just spend too much time or we. waste too much time just trying to. figure out what the issue is. Right. And. it's one of those three. And once you. know that, then you can break it down. And I think you've just given people a. real map to say, hey, which area are you. struggling with with whatever limit they. chose. And it works for yourself and also it's. a map you could use with people around. you. Yeah. It's a it's a lens when you're. working with your kids and they're not.

doing something that they know they. should do. You know, is is it their. mindset? Do they not believe in. themselves? Do they believe they're. capable? Do they not believe they. deserve it? Or maybe they have no. purpose to clean their room or to study. these things. You know, if it's not. relevant to them, they're probably not. And so you know what to address. Maybe. they're just we have to work on. optimizing their energy cuz you don't. have energy, you do it. Right? This is. the whole idea. You take your nouns in. your life and turn them into verbs. You. don't have focus. Um people are thinking, that's my. problem, Jim. I'm watching this cuz I. don't have focus. But you don't have.

focus, you do it. There's a process for. focusing. You don't have a memory, there's a process of encoding, storing, and retrieving. You know, you don't even. have energy, there's a process for. generating energy. You know, as our. friend Brendon Burchard talks a lot. about, you know, a lot that you know, you generate this kind of energy. And. they're also it could be the methods. Sometimes it's it's simply learning. better tools. Mhm. Also as well. So you. could use it with your friends, you. could work with your team. And this. works micro and it also works macro. This works at a cultural level, it works. at at the level of community, it works. at the level of your country. There's a.

set mindset about, well, you know, what. maybe around certain issues, right? And. it's really hard to create change or get. becoming more limitless, you know, based. on certain mindset around maybe. fairness, equality, whatever it happens. to be. Yeah. Or maybe these people empower. Maybe they don't have purpose, you know, or maybe they're being incentivized to. keep things in a certain way, or maybe. they lack energy or resources, or maybe. they're using old methods for leadership. or or making change, right? So it can. happen micro or macro.

That's unbelievable. Yeah, I love I love. that. I love the framework even more. hearing it from you. It's just. I'm I'm trying to think of so many areas. in my life where I'm like, okay, which. one am I struggling with, right? Like. which which one is it where where we. haven't got it right or or we haven't. figured it out and. I think if everyone just took a few. moments today to reflect on that one. area of their life that they want to. work on and identify it. With that. process, when we start to do it, you. know, who we're around, we always have. known that. Like who we're around is. such a big deal.

Uh our friends, our family, our. community, like these things have a huge. impact on us, right? Like negativity's. contagious, like so much. so many people say that they feel. drained by the people around them or. their family or that when they share a. new big idea Right. with someone that. they love, they're often met with. resistance. Like I hear this so often. Yeah. Uh and when you think about limits, you. think about what you said, like you. didn't you weren't born with limits, you. had limits placed on you.

But we either get to choose to accept or. reject those limits. But it's really hard and I'm it's really. hard for people to reject a limit placed. on them by someone they love and trust. Walk us through that a little bit. Like. let's think out loud about that. Like. when someone has their mother or their. father or someone they really respect. place a limit on them. Right. They you. want that person to root for you. You. want that person for you to win. Yeah, we all need people to encourage us, to.

be able to challenge us, to be able to. cheerlead for us, to believe in us. And if we haven't found that person yet, then I you know, my my advice would be. to be that person. Yeah. Be that person for somebody else. Especially be that person for you for. yourself, right? Mhm. You know, we we we talked about. last time in this conversation the. difference between a thermostat and a. thermometer. A thermometer on the wall. just it's only function it reacts to the. environment. And sometimes we we we as. human beings we react to the economy. We.

react to politics. We react to how. people treat us. We react to the. weather. But we know through studies. done on people who are most successful, at least at least the ones that are. happiest and most fulfilled, they don't. react as much as. they respond, right? They're a. thermostat. A thermostat doesn't react. to the environment. It gauges. It knows. the temperature in this room. But it. also what? It sets a temperature and the. and the environment reacts to it. So. it's that agency. You know, last time you and I talked. about some of the people that I got to.

be able to spend time with and coach and. what I learned from those people. And. one of them I mentioned was Stan Lee. And it wasn't just his playfulness, you. know, and his passion for what he did. It was also responsibility. You know, I. remember I picked him up for dinner one. day. evening and I asked him like, I I need. to know this because I remember I I. couldn't read. I taught myself how to. read by reading comic books. I told him. that whole story cuz it brought the. words to life. But I said, "Who's your. favorite Who's your favorite?" And he. says, "Jim, my favorite is Iron Man.".

And he says, "Jim, who's your favorite?". And he had the Spider-Man tie and I was. like, "Spider-Man." And he says without. a pause in his iconic voice. "With great. power comes great responsibility, right?" And truthfully, I I reverse a. lot of things I see, I read, I hear. Maybe because of my my brain injuries as. a child, and I heard something totally. different. I was like, "Stan, you're. right. With great power comes great. responsibility, and the opposite is also. true. With great responsibility comes. great power. When we take responsibility. for something, we have great power to. make things better. Mhm. You know, and.

the thing is, when we make excuses or we. complain, it's probably all valid. We. probably it's it's probably true, right? Um but it doesn't make anything better, Mhm. right? So, we use a lot of our. focus, our attention, our energy, when. it could be better well spent, because. we can't be upset by the results we. didn't get from the work we didn't do, Mhm. right? And so, when we take. personal responsibility, we have the. power to make thing things better. And I. would say part of responsibility is. is.

our peer group certainly affects things. I always say watch. It affects W, our. words, right? The words we start. adopting the same language patterns as. people around us, start using the same. phrases. The A, we our actions. We start doing. the same behaviors as people around us. also as well. Good and bad, what we eat. So, it's not just our neurological. networks, it's our social networks, right? And who we spend time with is who. we become. We start believing their same. standards and their all their. expectations of for us, right? The T in.

watch is we start mirroring the thoughts. of the people around us. We start. thinking the same way about ourselves as. other people think about us. And the C. is a big one, it's our character, Mhm. right? We know that people, if they have. breaks in integrity and they're around. people that are disingenuous, you know, that they're more likely to pursue, you. know, and have that same kind of. standard. I saw recently a quote that. said, "Integrity is measured by the. distance between someone's lips and. their life." Mhm. And I just like, "Wow, that's a.

nice got be the Yeah, it's powerful. Yeah, I that. I call them truth bumps, but yeah, it's the character. And. finally, the H and watch are habits. We. start adopting the same routines and the. habits of the people that we spend time. with. So, we have to stand guard to the. doors of our mind, right? And we have. these mirror neurons that's constantly. in our nervous system that are. constantly imitating the people around. us. And so, we can love our family and we can love. our friends, but when. our lives are fueled by the expectations. and beliefs and opinions of other.

people, then we're going to run out of. gas. Yeah. Right? Good, bad, and. indifferent. Part of it is owning that. agency, saying that yeah, it's yes, it's. hard, you know, when people don't. believe in you and like that that's I. was very blessed. I think I you know, I. won the lottery when it came to my. parents. They they immigrated here. They're not the most spiritual. They've. never had a green juice. You know, they. don't do yoga. They're not the most. health conscious or you know, read. personal development books, but they're. just they're really good people. They do. what they they're hard working. They're. very very kind. You know, so I feel like.

everything that's good that's come out. of you know, that I've ever done is I. credit to them. Anything that's falls. short, you know, it's all on me. You. know, so I was very I'm very blessed. And it's not so much about the resources. you have cuz we didn't have any. education. We didn't have any money. You. know, we lived in the back of a laundry. mat that my mom who you know, worked at. didn't have any connections or network. or anything, you know, back then. And. so, I would say that if there's somebody. else that has survived and even thrived, you know, in those same kind of. situations, that I do believe that.

genius in any of its form, we're not. talking about IQ, that it's built that. it's it's not born. It's built around. that we shouldn't be shrinking our lives. and our dreams to meet this current. situation. Instead, don't downgrade your. dreams to meet this current situation. What if we upgraded our mindset? What if. we upgraded our motivation? What if we. upgraded the methods we're using to be. able to meet our our destiny. Jim, that. is so powerful. I mean, that one. statement, the reframe. I've heard that. I'm a big Marvel fan as you know, and. yeah, to hear that reframe of that. statement, with great.

responsibility comes great power, that's. a universal principle. It's almost like. if you think about it, that when you. take on. a great responsibility, everything in. the universe conspires to help you with. that. And so, the amount of help you get is. about how much healing you're trying to. bring. And that's really beautiful and. powerful. I mean, that's going to stay. with me for a long time. That's a. really, really special insight. And. I want to make sure that everyone goes. out and grabs a copy, if you don't know. already, of Limitless by Jim Kwik. The 3.

M model is in this book and broken down. step-by-step, as you saw and heard, Jim. is a highly systematic, logical thinker. And so, if you want really practical. key advice on all of these ideas and. insights, then make sure you go and grab. a copy of this book. Jim, I want to. thank you for teaching us all how to be. limitless today and break through our. limitations. I want to thank you for. doing it in your own life. Thank your parents, too, for doing what. they did. That was beautiful to hear.

that. And I'm always here to support and. be right with you, whatever you're. doing. So, thank you so much, man. Yeah, I appreciate it. And thank you to your. entire community. You know, I believe. the world right now, so many people. feel like they're dimming themselves, their message, to be able to because. they don't want their life to shine in. other people's eyes. And I feel like we. need to be doing the opposite now more. than ever. You know, we we need a better, brighter. world. And I think that there's a. version of ourselves and our family is. our purpose, everything that's patiently.

waiting. And the goal is we show up. every single day until we're introduced. Well said. Well said. Jim Kwik, everyone. Make sure that you. tag me and Jim on Instagram, on Twitter, on TikTok, whatever platform you're. using. Let us know what you learned, what you took away, what you've gained. from this conversation. We're going to be back next week, of Of. with another incredible episode of On. Purpose. Thank you for all your love. Make sure you subscribe. And Jim, thank. you so much again for joining us. It's. been an honor. If you want even more. videos just like this one, make sure you.

subscribe and click on the boxes over. here. I'm also excited to let you know. that you can now get my book Think Like. a Monk from thinklikeamonkbook.com. Check below in the description to make. sure you order today.