Learning

Today we’re going to revisit Jim Kwik’s brain and book Limitless for some of his wisdom on FASTER learning.

In our last +1, we talked about Phil Stutz’s insight that leadership entails a willingness to embrace what he calls “hatred and misunderstanding.” We connected that to Steve Chandler’s wisdom on “Pleasing vs. Serving.”

In our last +1, we talked about the research on the fact that The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking.

In our last +1, we did a gold-medal-winning layback Ina Bauer with Shizuka Arakawa.

Jim Kwik is one of the world’s leading peak performance gurus.

In our last +1, we hung out with the WD-40 chemist in his lab and then joined Thomas Edison in his lab.

Lanny Bassham won a gold medal in rifle shooting in the 1976 Olympics. But he didn’t win that gold until AFTER he kinda fell apart in the 1972 Olympics where he took home a silver.

In Learning 101, we talked about a concept scientists call “interleaving.”

As I was writing that last +1 about our two Goddesses, some sort of truck starting beeping down the street.

Emerson is learning how to read and I’m the lucky guy who gets to teach him. (btw: We’re LOVING this book: Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.)

In our last +1, we talked about Phil Stutz’ great phrase: “Endlessly evolving process.”

As all parents know, one of the most amazing things about having kids is watching them hit new milestones—when, one day, they can do what was impossible just the day before.

Did you know that one of the easiest ways to optimize any aspect of your life is to simply measure it?

We’re on a roll with the whole “embrace challenges on your epic quest!” theme so how about one more +1 on the subject?

Angela Duckworth created the science of Grit. It’s fascinating. She defines it as intense passion + intense perseverance. In short, you’re REALLY fired up about something and you’re willing to show up every day for however long it takes to make your dream a reality.

Whether you’re an athlete, entrepreneur, teacher, parent, manager, or — fill in the blank here —, what percentage of your game do you think is mental?

Imagine this: It’s your first day of art class. You signed up for an intro class on pottery. (Nice! Go you!)

Anders Ericsson is the world’s leading authority on the science of what makes great performers great. If you’ve ever heard of the “10,000-hour rule” you have him to thank. (In a future +1 we’ll talk about the fact that the 10,000 hours idea is a little more nuanced than we’ve been led to believe.)

In our last +1 we talked about Anders Ericsson and his research on the science of greatness. The most exciting discovery? The fact that we ALL have the gift of greatness: Adaptability.

We’ve talked a lot about how important it is to get out of our comfort zones.

A lot of people ask me to share more examples of how I personally apply these +1s to my life.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is one of the world’s leading researchers studying the science of well-being. He co-founded the Positive Psychology movement with Martin Seligman and has written landmark books on Creativity and Flow.

In our last +1, we talked about reducing Delay to increase Motivation.

In our last +1, we talked about the Cal Newport-inspired “Shut-down complete!”

In our last +1, we reflected on Nobel Prize-winning Herbert Simon’s wisdom that “A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”

Alexandra recently got Steven Pressfield’s newest book called The Artist’s Journey. Sub-title: The Wake of the Hero’s Journey and the Lifelong Pursuit of Meaning.

In our last +1, we talked about Twyla Tharp’s thoughts on reading and thinking.

In our last +1, we chatted about eudaimonology—the study of a good soul.

In our last +1, we talked about the PM ritual Pythagoras came up with 2,500 years ago (!) that the Stoics liked to follow:

In our last +1, we talked about the INFINITE power of Consistency.

As you know if you’ve been following along, I’m a big fan of mental toughness books—whether that’s coming from peak performers in the sports world or the Special Forces or other leadership roles.

A few +1s ago, we talked about Twyla Tharp’s Creative Habit. That led to a little dance through the minds of some pretty epically creative souls. (Thank you, Twyla, Peter and Stephen!)

Continuing our George-Leonard-Mastery theme, here’s another quick little tip we want to keep in mind as we commit to becoming Masters.

In our last +1, we had fun hanging out with my new bionic arm as we stepped into the stimulus-response gap to choose our optimal response to life’s inevitable challenges.

In our last +1, we entered our World Champion You Training Camp.

In our last +1, we talked about the awesome CEO-dads (and Harvard interns!) who are committed to mastering their Love as much as their Work. (Inspiring!!!)

In our last +1, we talked about the fact that we have a baby on the loose in the Johnson house. We also talked about how all those tiny incremental, almost-imperceptible gains can add up to making the impossible easy.

In our last +1, we took a trip down Etymology Lane and learned that the word Identity has ancient Latin roots. It literally (!) means “repeated beingness.” Who you are, your sense of your self, is largely formed by what you do. Repeatedly.

Once upon a time (1938 to be precise) there was a pistol shooter. He was incredibly good. Hoped to be the very best, in fact.

Michelle Segar, the scientist we learned about in our last +1, tells us that when we choose the Right (concrete) Why (“Feel better now!”) rather than the Wrong (fuzzy) Why (“Get healthier!”), we can turn our health behaviors like exercising and eating well into GIFTS rather than CHORES.

In our last +1, we revisited Ellen Langer at her “Psychology of Possibility” lab at Harvard to learn that words matter.

In our last +1, we did our best Boss impersonation as we reinterpreted our sweaty palms and racing hearts as a sign we’re EXCITED and READY TO GO rather than as a sign that something’s wrong.

Continuing our little series on the science of courage, how about some more wisdom from Robert Biswas-Diener?

In his classic book on Creativity, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi walks us through the science of what makes extraordinary creators so extraordinary.

In our last +1, we talked about the humble algorithm and Professor Harari’s point that it is, arguably, the single most important concept in our world today.

Jim Loehr is one of the world’s leading authorities on peak performance.