The 7 Lies of Learning By Jim Kwik

Labeled as “learning disabled” or the one with the “broken brain” after suffering head injuries and trauma at age five, Jim Kwik was resigned to living a life accepting the belief that he would never be as bright as his peers.

Today, he is the world’s #1 Brain Coach teaching the world’s best and best-known how to expand self-limiting beliefs and unravel the mental superpowers which lie dormant in all of us.

He didn’t think he would be capable of excelling to any degree beyond the lowest of averages. However, for the past 25 years, things are far different. He’s achieved what was considered unachievable.

In his book “Limitless” he talks about 7 lies of learning we have believed about our brains which when we unlearn can actually help us learn to learn anything faster and unlock our exceptional potential.

# 1: INTELLIGENCE IS FIXED

We have been made to believe that each of us come with certain level of intelligence and that we can’t outgrow it. Believing that intelligence is fixed restricts our decisions in different ways and we trust there is no space for us to improve it. This makes accomplishing even the smallest things in life very difficult, even if they are the easiest things in life. Your intelligence can grow if you believe it can grow and put effort in it.

Carol Dweck, a psychology Professor at Stanford University, differentiates between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. She explains that in a fixed mindset, people believe that their intelligence cannot be enhanced and try to look smart all the time. But in a growth mindset, a person always strives to become better than he was yesterday, giving rise to a positive approach towards life.

For people who believe that their intelligence is fixed, they do not put much thought into things; rather follow the same patterns which were set by their predecessors.

# 2: WE ONLY USE 10 PERCENT OF OUR BRAINS

The truth is that we don’t just use a small percentage of our brain; we use all of our brain. Some people use it more efficiently since they trained it to do so and it is a feat achievable by everyone. Scientifically brain scans have revealed that every part of our brain is active when we are awake and even when we sleep, they show activity. While at a given moment, all of the regions may not be concurrently firing, researchers have used imaging technology to show that just like our body muscles; the different brain regions are continually active over the 24 hours of the day. Neurologist, Barry Gordon from John Hopkins School of Medicine believes that people view their own shortcomings as evidence of the existence of untapped gray matter, which however is untrue.

# 3: MISTAKES ARE FAILURES

Ever since we are young, we have always been told that by making a mistake we are exposing the vulnerable or weak parts of ourselves, allowing others to judge us. So making a mistake is one of the things that we avoid doing at all costs. However we need to change this kind of thinking. Instead of looking at our mistakes as a testimony of our failure, we must view them as a confirmation that we are trying. A failure is an opportunity to learn and the more we fail the more we learn. We are not our mistakes but we are defined by how we respond to them. Failure is a part of everyone’s success story.

 

# 4: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

“Knowledge is power,” is often used in terms of gaining information about the things around us and believing that information alone is going to give us strength. However, many people take it with the contrasting intent, as a way of withholding important facts from the other person and showing their power over them.

If we look at it in a different way we can say that knowledge is imperative, but it is “the performing of some action” that is needed to make it all too powerful. The truth is knowledge is not power—it has the potential to be power. What we need to do is apply the knowledge to turn it into power. Knowledge has the ability to become power only if we take it and use it in the real world. Nothing works unless we get to work. Things change when there is action.

# 5: LEARNING NEW THINGS IS VERY DIFFICULT

Learning can sometimes seem challenging and impossible. But ‘learning’ isn’t something that we need to be afraid of since our brain has incredible potential which when harnessed the right way can help us learn any new thing. When you learn how to learn, the challenge of learning new things can be fun, easier, and enjoyable. It may seem hard initially but is totally worth the effort. This book teaches us the art of learning.  

# 6: THE CRITICISM OF OTHER PEOPLE MATTERS

Jim Carrey once said, “I act that way because I want to give the people who are watching permission to be themselves. The biggest travesty in the world is people preventing and limiting themselves from expressing who they really are because they’re afraid of what other people think.”

Kids are the fastest learners on this planet because they never give up. They don’t care if we judge them or not but what they need to learn they will do it no matter what. For adults, that is not the case. If we see that we are failing at something, we feel embarrassed and do not try it again. We simply give too much importance to the opinions of others and feel what they have to say about us. The truth is that learning can be a scary process and people’s judgment on the smallest of the things can be hurtful. But we can never let others define us or allow their unfair critique to break us down. We must care for our own expectations for ourselves, instead of others.

# 7: GENIUS IS BORN

Genius is not born. A genius is made through deep practice. Bruce Lee was one of the greatest film stars, philosopher and martial arts fighter in the history of the world. His entire childhood was one of struggle and the inability to fit in. He moved from the US to China and back to the US just because things were hard for him back home. He was always getting into fights due to his frustration and weak academic background.

But it was his consistent effort and sincere dedication to his skills that made him into a legend that the world still remembers today. He proved with his constant struggle towards self improvement, that geniuses aren’t born, they are made through years of deep practice and unending determination.

Being a genius is a part of our innate capabilities and it can be honed. When we understand our genius type and embrace our inner strengths we will be able to push ourselves beyond the limits of what we thought we are capable of.

 

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