How ‘The Boy with the Broken Brain’ Became A World Leader in Learning
After an incident in kindergarten, Jim Kwik had countless learning difficulties that led him to being labeled “the boy with the broken brain.” This label left a long-lasting imprint on his self-worth, his identity, and beliefs in himself. Learning became his greatest mountain that he saw as an impossible climb.
Having made it into university after years of struggle, Jim found himself at the same place he’d always been – incapable of scholarly success. Ready to succumb to the doubts within himself, Jim planned to quit school.
It was in this time that Jim met someone who challenged the way he perceived his potential and changed his life forever. Firstly, he asked Jim to write down his aspirations on a piece of paper pulled from a journal that he had in his pocket. He then gave Jim the task to read one book per week about any great man or woman throughout history, plus personal development books – all while he was still completing his university. With the fear of failure taking over, Jim said, “I can’t do it.” This man immediately took the folded piece of paper from Jim’s hands and read his goals aloud.
“Something about hearing your dreams come from a stranger’s voice… it shook my heart, it shook my spirit, my soul, something fierce” – those goals became the motivation he needed to push himself and to finally believe in himself.
Today, Jim uses his experience of shattering those limiting beliefs to help others break through similar barriers and get their brains to reach their full potential. He shares more on his coaching and the impact it has had in Episode 3, along with other incredible stories from experts like Jon Gabriel, Dr. Libby Weaver, Marie Forleo, Vishen Lakhiani, Bruce Lipton, and more!
What belief do you have about yourself that’s holding you back? Are you ready to break through that belief and make the impossible, possible?
About the Author
The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell Now More Relevant Than Ever
Making sense of our consciousness can be difficult, and in our materialist, western world we try endlessly to objectify that experience. But over the course of the past century, there have been a number of intermediaries reminding us to reconnect with elements of the spiritual journey.
Names like Alan Watts, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Deepak Chopra have sparked a renaissance of interest in the nature of consciousness, meditation, and mindfulness. They remind us of stories and lessons learned over the course of our history, and within these, we find recurring themes of transcendent truth.
But there is one liaison between the old world and the new, who bridged these philosophies and connected the ancient esotericism of the east to the pragmatism of the scientific west, through archetypes and allegory.
Joseph Campbell defined this thirst for truth over a lifetime by examining artists, psychologists, writers, and philosophers. He referred to the lessons in their mythos as the Masks of God, and the protagonists within those stories as the Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Campbell consumed as much of their wisdom as possible, voraciously reading nine hours a day for years at a time. He absorbed the work of great western minds like Carl Jung, Pablo Picasso, James Joyce, and Sinclair Lewis. Through these lessons, he connected the dots of contemporary consciousness with the timeless teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, Greek mythology, and the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
In those years of study, he found lessons that applied to man and society at large – overarching narratives that struck a universal chord, particularly the sense that at some point in our lives, we find there is a call unanswered, a void in the spirit that must be fulfilled.
“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls. The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”
– Joseph Campbell
The Hero’s Journey
Campbell said you can never be at peace with yourself if you do not answer that call. The call to adventure that forces the hero to remove himself from the ordinary world and face whatever it is that threatens his safety, comfort, and way of life.
At first, the call is refused when fears and second thoughts arise, or the comforts of the home seem too difficult to abandon. But eventually, the hero finds a mentor who pushes them and provides the tools needed to confront their tribulation.
When one considers the “Hero’s Journey,” Luke Skywalker, Arjuna, or even Hamlet could fit the role, but these stereotypes are meant to convey a general truth about finding the fulfillment we all seek. The personal ordeals that confront us can be difficult to face, causing us to relinquish a part of ourselves and take solace in a place that feels safe, while we remain oblivious to what could be learned by challenging those fears.
For some, it may be a vice; an addiction that keeps us trapped in some behavior or lifestyle. Campbell looked to the Tibetan Book of the Dead to confront this type of ordeal, learning that the scripture taught one to strive for the opposing virtue of whatever your vice may be; to overcome what he called the “inmost cave.” By cultivating the antithesis of your vice, you will find the self-actualization that defines your being.
This sentiment has been echoed many times over the ages, and Campbell summed it up when he said, “Gods suppressed become devils, and often it is these devils whom we first encounter when we turn inward.”
