Creative Problem Solving Expert: How to Think Smarter and Innovate Faster

So imagine you could take any challenge in your life, stalled project frustrating roadblock, maybe even a dream that feels just out [music] of reach and turn it into an opportunity

for rapid innovation, creativity, and greater impact. Maybe not even in years

greater impact. Maybe not even in years but in days or even hours. So what if I told you there's a set [music] proven way that you could think, you can learn

you can be able to solve problems uh so effectively that uh billion-dollar companies, world-class athletes, even Nobel Prize winning scientists have used

often without [music] even realizing it and that you could start using it today.

Welcome back, Quick Brains. I am your host and your brain coach, Jim Quick.

Today we're going to talk about how to succeed in learning and life when you have been maybe even labeled as someone

like me who isn't traditionally uh successful. Uh our guest today was a a

successful. Uh our guest today was a a puzzle for his teachers. uh maybe a misfit in a conventional academic sense

and more of an outcast uh socially. So

this definitely relates uh I could definitely relate to that. Year after

year many teachers gave up on him. One

teacher even called him a lazy con artist and another told him you will never make it in the real world. Uh from

the age of seven Dr. Jeff Karp began thinking about thinking, tapping into metacognition to transform uh an

undiagnosed ADHD uh into a catalyst for creativity uh for leadership. Uh he's a Harvard MIT professor, inventor

best-selling author, holds over 100 patents and has co-founded uh 14 companies. uh he sees obstacles as

companies. uh he sees obstacles as rocket fuel propelling him to champion neurodeiversity, mindfulness and

environmental stewardship. He speaks uh

environmental stewardship. He speaks uh I really enjoyed this book called LIT.

Uh so he speaks a lot about that. I

highly encourage everybody all our quick readers out there life ignition tools how using nature's playbook to energize your brain spark ideas and ignite

action. So, welcome to the show, Jeff.

action. So, welcome to the show, Jeff.

>> Hey,, thank, you, so, much, and, um, thank, you to everybody who's tuning into this. I'm

you know, a lot of gratitude.

>> So,, I, I, alluded, a, little, bit, to, your, uh your origin story. Um before we do that I added just a kind of question. We we

we've talked about metacognition and metalarning, you know, in our show. Um

I'm curious about I I I feel like one of a competitive advantage we have is our ability to learn, unlearn, uh relearn

apply that learning, right? Um can we talk about unlearning to learn? Meaning

many many high achievers reach a point where maybe the old playbook stops working. I'm curious just right off the

working. I'm curious just right off the bat before we go into your your story what's is there one belief or habit

uh you had to completely unlearn before you could think and innovate at the level that you that you do now.

>> Yeah,, I, love, your, question., Um, great place to start. And I think one of the ways that I really think about this um in terms of unlearning is pattern

disruption and it really just sort of tapping into how my brain as I go through my experiences in life um tends

to just learn patterns that I'm exposed to um in my environment you know whether that's at work or at home or you know wherever I am and then those patterns

start to shape my life and I start to realize over time because I've spent a lot of time trying to be hyper aware of all of these patterns and how they

impact me. Um, start to realize that

impact me. Um, start to realize that many of them actually don't serve me.

And so and and and what I mean by that is a lot of these patterns actually take me away from my core values or what I personally define as important in my

life. So if I define for example

life. So if I define for example spending time with my family or spending time with um with the two dogs that we have or you know with like close friends

and then I find myself drawn to experiences where I'm not with them. Uh

you know that's giving me an indication that maybe there's some aspect of a pattern that I've been taking on that I need to unlearn in order to learn a new

pattern that connects me with what truly is most important to me. Because I think there's a lot of algorithms or patterns or habits, you know, that we're exposed

to in our lives. And in some ways, you know, we're kind of like our brains are a little bit like computers in that we learn these algorithms and then we just repeat them at a very high efficiency

where we don't need to use much brain power. And they become so common yet it

power. And they become so common yet it is like it's taking us on a path that's not evolving us in a direction that is really true to our hearts and our souls

and what is is really the most meaningful to us. So to me that's really the key is that I've spent almost my entire life unlearning. You know it's kind of like you you can't help but

learn because your brains are wired to learn. And so every experience you have

learn. And so every experience you have you're learning and you're learning patterns. And so to me, it's always

patterns. And so to me, it's always like, okay, what patterns did I just learn and which ones are serving me?

Which ones do I need to disrupt and unlearn? Um, and so yeah, I I I feel

unlearn? Um, and so yeah, I I I feel like it's so important um in today's society because otherwise we just end up living the values and the um the

definition of someone else's someone else's definition of importance.

>> One, of, my, definitions, for, genius, is pattern recognition and uh pattern creation, pattern implementation. It's

uh for me it's always been it's not how smart you are. It's really more how are you smart?

>> And, uh, I, mentioned, that, you, and, I, have had similar uh different but the throughine of our you know our childhood. And I'm curious uh many of

childhood. And I'm curious uh many of our listeners are familiar with mine. Uh

traumatic brain injury at age five learning disabilities, took me three years longer to learn how to read.

>> Uh, teacher, called, me, the, boy, with, the broken, brain, in, front, of the, whole class. You know, losing my grandmother

class. You know, losing my grandmother to Alzheimer's at age seven. Um

>> maybe, you, could, walk, us, through, your early journey like maybe your school journey.

>> How, did, it, shape, you?, What, strengths, it eventually gave you? Uh maybe some insights or lessons that you took away uh from it into adulthood, you know

when it comes to uh your own learning.

>> Absolutely., Yeah., Um, so, if, we, go, back, to the second grade, um I'm from Canada, so I'm living in a small town called Peter.

um which is uh near Toronto and uh I am just nothing is landing for me. Uh I'm

sitting at the back of the class feeling like an alien, not connecting with anybody. Um anything the teacher says

anybody. Um anything the teacher says my mind is going in different directions. I'm not able to pay

directions. I'm not able to pay attention. Uh my mom is trying um flashc

attention. Uh my mom is trying um flashc cards, qards, like all kind, you know phonics, all kinds of things. Nothing's

working. And I'm sitting there trying to figure out why is everybody getting it but I'm not getting it. And the end of the year, the teacher, Mr. Steedwell pulls my parents aside and said

actually basically says, I want Jeff to repeat the second grade. Um, so my parents negotiated um luckily that I would um if that I could go to the third

grade if I spent the summer catching up with tutors. And so all of my classmates

with tutors. And so all of my classmates went on vacation and here I am in summer school. And so something

school. And so something transformational happened transformational happened to me in between the second and third grade at this um learning center that I spent the summer, at., And, what, happened, was was

summer, at., And, what, happened, was was that I went in every day and they would you know, it was all kinds of games and things they would play and it was fun and engaging. Uh but on this one

and engaging. Uh but on this one particular day, uh the tutor read me a passage, asked me some questions, I gave answers, never really feeling like I was giving the right answers, but they were

encouraging me. So I you I kept going.

encouraging me. So I you I kept going.

But on this day, after I gave my answers, they paused and they looked me in the eye and they said, they asked "How did you think about that?"

And it was almost like a bit of a violating question, you know, because I didn't really get it. Um, and I really didn't think that much about thinking

because I was so, you know, I had undiagnosed ADHD and learning differences and and and I was really just spontaneous, erratic. I would just

say what was ever on my mind. And so in that moment, it was this light bulb moment that, you know, nothing happened like right away, but I kept reflecting on that question. There was something

about some energy associated with that question that stuck with me and I started to bring that to everything. I

started to realize that I had this power of observation that I could engage and I could observe what people were saying in different situations in the classroom and that I could try that on because I

didn't it was almost like this analogy of a computer where I felt like I had this hardware but I didn't have software that was working for me and I needed to program my own software and using an

experimental approach because I just I didn't know what to do like it it just I just I had to figure it out And so I start I started to clue into for example the power of questions that when the

teacher was teaching my brain would just be flying in different directions and I couldn't pay attention for more than a few seconds. But if I asked a question

few seconds. But if I asked a question my brain would hone in laser focus on the answer for at least a few moments and whatever was being transmitted to me

would be ingrained in my brain and I could connect it to other things that I knew and I could recall it later. And so

I started to using the power of thinking about thinking. I started to um tune

about thinking. I started to um tune into my observational powers. I started

to tune into the power of questions and figure out how I actually learned. And

so through that process, I was able to develop all kinds of tools to essentially survive in school. Um but I was a CN D student up until the seventh

grade. Um you just barely scraping by.

grade. Um you just barely scraping by.

In the seventh grade, my mom went to the schoolboard because they didn't want to do anything and demanded they look at my file. My mom had put together all of

file. My mom had put together all of these things that teachers had said about me, you know, lost cause and never going to make it. And, you know, they asked me at one point, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" And I said, "I want to be a doctor." And they said

"Well, you better set your sights lower because you just you don't have what it takes to do that." And so, in the seventh grade, my mom I got identified as having learning differences, ADHD. I

got accommodations like some extra time and space um to write tests and things and my grades went from C's and D's to straight A's because I had been developing all these tools along the way

and then finally was able to implement them.

>> Yeah,, question, questions, are, often, often the answer. the um yeah, we talk about

the answer. the um yeah, we talk about in in my book, Limitless, a dominant question, like a question we ask more often than any other question and how it

really shines a spotlight uh and really shapes our our experience.

When we're talking about um lit, maybe you could give uh a quick overview of what lit is and in your research, how does being lit aligned with what

neuroscience tells us about neuroplasticity, learning adaptability?

>> Yeah,, absolutely., So,, so, lit, lit, is, all about reensitizing our aliveness, right?

I think that in today's society, our um our curiosity is flattened, our imagination is flattened, our attention

is atomized, and we just end up being at the mercy of this very primitive biology that um that just starts to dominate our

sense of being. we start to we start to um you know the the the the large corporations that are essentially pulling the strings of um of society

start to we start to lead our lives and make decisions of what to buy and what experiences to have not based on what's true to us but to based on the definition of others um others

definition of of importance essentially.

And so to me lit is like it's tools that can disrupt those patterns. It's tools

that can help us to become aware of the patterns that we're being subjected to or the patterns that are dominating our lives and it can help us to um

invigorate our lives with fresh energy in really simple accessible ways. And

that's what lit is all about. It's it's

it's about really um going within and and really connecting with our core wisdom, with our core intentions, our core values. you know what's really most

core values. you know what's really most important to us and and I think there is this commonality with with everybody that we are all connected we are all

gravitate towards um goodness and and and you know when we connect with another human or animal it just there's this feeling we have that is just so incredible and there's so many things

like that when we encounter awe in in our lives there's just something that happens in a visceral way in our bodies that it's just you know we can't get in

any other way other than experiencing awe, right? And to me, we need tools and

awe, right? And to me, we need tools and strategies to be able to access that.

Um, and and and we need an approach in our lives where we can continually experiment with practices and rituals that can help us stay on track to really

raising our baseline fulfillment and living our best lives.

Well, you may mention uh patterns uh again a couple of times. I'm curious in your book you talk about connecting

seemingly unrelated fields. Um maybe you could give our listeners an example where this uh cross-pollonization of

ideas led to uh some breakthrough.

>> For, sure., Yeah., Yeah., So, um, so, one example of how I use lit uh in my laboratory at Harvard Medical School is

um is how I populate the lab with people from different disciplines. Um and so you know a lot of scientific labs will have you know one type of expertise in

the lab and everybody has that expertise and they're trying to get go deeper and deeper into that area. What I've tried to do is I've tried to minimize the

overlap of expertise between people. And

so we have material scientists, we have chemists, we have electrical engineers mechanical engineers, chemical engineers, we've had a gastrointestinal surgeon, a cardiac surgeon, we've even

had a dentist in the lab. Um, and so the idea is that by constant like submersing ourselves in an environment where everybody has different expertise people think differently. We've had

people from over 30 countries as well.

And when you're exposed to different education systems, you you think differently, you approach things differently. And and so by being in an

differently. And and so by being in an environment where there's so much so many um you know there's so many differences in how people are thinking

and what they know and their technical expertise but we're all focused on common on on a problem. We're all

aligned towards solving something that is really important to everybody. And to

me, that's where things just light up because now we're fully engaged, you know, high octane are are our cylinders for all cylinders for for curiosity for

um for moving towards, you know, helping patients. And my lab is based in the

patients. And my lab is based in the hospital. And so, you know, we see

hospital. And so, you know, we see patients every day. So, so we're connected to to the problem, you know that we're trying to to solve. And so

this idea of like, so I'll give you an to to your question. Um so uh one of the projects that um we've worked on we we work on many different things and many of our projects actually don't even overlap. They're completely different

overlap. They're completely different areas. Um but one of the things we

areas. Um but one of the things we wanted to to develop was um a fixation system like tissue adhesives and glues that could work inside the body um

because sutures and staples um tend to work for certain things but but have a lot of challenges associated with them.

Um, and so what we did is we brought together people as I I was mentioning kind of like a chemists and engineers and biologists and surgeons and we just

looked at this this problem and we were trying to develop an approach to seal holes inside a beating heart to help children with congenital heart defects and really tough problem. You know how

like in the heart the heart's expanding and contracting you know 60 beats per minute on average and there's you know filled with blood. It's a really harsh condition to try to seal a hole especially in a growing heart of a

child, you know, that's that's growing over time. And so what we did is through

over time. And so what we did is through this interdisciplinary team, we were able to and also turning to nature for inspiration., That's, actually, one, of the

inspiration., That's, actually, one, of the ways that we disrupt patterns is we we say, "Okay, nature, how would you solve this problem?" Or, "How have you solved

this problem?" Or, "How have you solved similar problems before?" And we often get ideas that allow us to pattern interrupt um our own thinking. And so

through that process, we were able to develop a um a system where we could seal holes inside a beating heart through mimicking adhesive um uh

mechanisms in nature from like slugs and snails and sand castle worms that sit on rocks in the sea and the waves hit them and they remain put. So we learned from that and we developed that and and we showed we could actually seal blood

vessels in in you know the the very high pressure blood vessels in the body, seal holes in the heart. We could also um use this for um intestine tissue and we um

we further um we started this company called Tissium that's based in Paris and they actually just got FDA approval a few weeks ago for using this for nerve reconstruction. So patients who have

reconstruction. So patients who have severed nerves in their fingers using this system um all the patients regain sensitivity and function uh of their fingers and so we we just gained FDA

approval for for this um adhesive system. So that's one of the examples.

system. So that's one of the examples.

>> Yeah.

>> Um, we, we, we, do, an, annual, brain performance uh conference and uh we'd love to have you in the future speak. Um

many of our we we in one of them we had somebody talking about biomimicry you know how we could learn from nature >> you, know, and, apply, it., Um, many, of, our listeners are going it's

limitlesslive.com for our listeners. uh

we we talk about you know is it the resources we have or is our resourcefulness.

So if we could do like a little um mind experiment like I I I like to get people's

imaginations going but let's say if um if if you if we took away your resources, right? If tomorrow you you

resources, right? If tomorrow you you didn't have your lab or your funding uh your incredible network but you have you have lit right you have lit mindset you

have lit you have tools how would you what's the first thing you would do to rebuild your path uh to impact

from from you know from a baseline of zero >> wow, how, would, you, approach, and, this could be an hour conversation But maybe >> the, starting, point, because, I'm, sure, a

lot of people listening >> like, you, know, for, me, when, I, started, my had my issues my parents immigrated here didn't speak the language living back on laundry mat uh you know didn't have the

education didn't have many money no network for certainly um I do believe our struggles can become strengths right and you know it's a matter of more of our resourcefulness than it is our

external resources but yeah what if if if you didn't have the lab the funding the network where would start, you know using lid as a kind of a framework.

>> Yeah,, love, this, question., I, I, think where I would start is really I I think you know, everybody has powers and

everybody has superpowers and I think that um we often don't connect with them because it's it's just not part of the

mainstream conversation that we're we're having. And to me, where I would start

having. And to me, where I would start is really at this incredibly like, you know, powerful biology that we all have access to where we're using just a

fraction of it. You know, you talk a lot about brain potential and activating our brains and and I think that, you know we're often in in today's society, we're

using such a tiny fraction of what we have available to us. And so to me where I would start is really with the power of observation, with the power to

be able to go into experiences, whether it's go out into nature or having conversations with others and >> not, being, limited, by, my, current, beliefs

or by my sort of current knowledge, but rather going in with a a a deeply open mind and expansive approach and feeling

into what I'm observing and letting that guide me forward. Uh, and I really think that to me that's that's the path like

that's the way to really move in life towards maximizing impact is that we all have this this we tend not to feel into

things as as much as I think we could do in in our lives. we tend to use our our brains, you know, to sort of guide us and then our brains, as we sort of spoke about before, can easily be hijacked by

all of these algorithms that are out there. And so, to me, I would think if

there. And so, to me, I would think if we separate ourselves from these external algorithms as much as possible and we start tuning into um you know

our our how we getting ourselves into new experiences and feeling it, feeling like what really lights us on fire, what really excites us the most. and then we

use that to guide us forward. I think

that's the way to achieve ultimate impact with, you know, if all of our resources are taken away from us.

>> You, know,, I, I, I, was, interviewed, recently and we're talking about burnout and I uh I was telling the uh the host that sometimes I feel like we're burnt out not because we're doing too much.

Sometimes we feel burned out because we're doing too little of the things that light us up >> the, things, that, really, make, us, come alive.

>> If, somebody, um, maybe, they're, struggling, >> they, they, want, to, leverage,, right?

Because let's say you your time our time is limited, attention can be limited money, resources limited, but I think leverage is pretty limitless. If going

micro to macro, if someone listening let's really go extreme. If someone only had five minutes a day to apply um lit

the principles, processes what what action, mental exercise uh what would do you think would give them the greatest ROI?

>> Yeah.

>> In, terms, of, le, leveraging, that, and getting a a good return if they only had like five minutes.

>> Yeah.

>> I'm, being, like, very, extreme, here,, so this is not >> Yeah,, I, like, extreme., [laughter]

Yeah, I love these things. I mean, I think of these as like thought experiments, and I do them all the time because because they're just they're ways, to, break, through, and, and and, to uncover, you know, these these potential

um sparks that can just illuminate our whole lives, you know, and and and so I think if you only have five minutes a day, what I would do, and this is

something I actually do every day, which is uh I would engage in practices and rituals that you haven't tried before that could be connected to something

where you have this inner desire for possibility. So I feel like we all have

possibility. So I feel like we all have this inner desire for possibility where there's something that we want that's different or something more. We want a deeper connection with a friend or a

relative or you know a loved one or we want to we want to feel more alive. We

want to unlock our curiosity. We want to you know whatever whatever that thing may be. There's we want to we want to

may be. There's we want to we want to engage in gratitude. We want to we want to be feel more interconnected to everything. We want to feel part of the

everything. We want to feel part of the oneness, right? And there's practices

oneness, right? And there's practices and rituals that we can engage. And it

doesn't, even, a, lot, of these, don't, even take five minutes. They could be like 30 seconds. And so, for example, what I

seconds. And so, for example, what I would do and what I would actually do every day is when I'm having my breakfast, I hold this kind of bowl of of oats. Um, which by the way, I know

of oats. Um, which by the way, I know this sounds ridiculous, but my breakfast was featured in GQ um last year. I don't

really understand how that happened. um

wasn't planned, but it was actually there. Um and um and I've actually

there. Um and um and I've actually updated the breakfast, too, because now now there's other things I add. But I

hold it in my hand and I look out at the trees in front of me. I have the window open and I just I say thank you like I say, thank you to the trees and you know, whatever nature I'm and thank you

for providing this. Thank you for you know, the energy that I'm getting from this. And I think about what I'm going

this. And I think about what I'm going to do with that energy, you know, like how am I going to use that? And I think about the cycle of what's out there is going into me. What's in me is coming out. Like it's just this this cycle. So

out. Like it's just this this cycle. So

I I practice that. That's just one example. Before I eat, um I like to, you

example. Before I eat, um I like to, you know, just think about like I look at what I'm eating and I I sometimes like this is a different ritual. I'll I'll

think of the flavor of each ingredient.

And before I eat, I'll just look and I'll I'll try to imagine it. And the

more I do it, the faster I get. And and

then I'll think about the the energy of the sun and the power of photosynthesis and the farmer's hands and all the people who transported the food and the people who prepared it and then I think

now this food is going to become me, you know, like that's another ritual. It's

really simple. Or I'll walk through my neighborhood with the dogs and I'll set the intention to just connect with them you know, because too often in life I found that I made it about me rather

than about, you know, the connection.

And so when I do that, then if it's if I don't if I don't set the intention, I'm on my phone. I'm just thinking random things. I'm ruminating. But if I set the

things. I'm ruminating. But if I set the intention to connect, I'm now connecting with the the pets. Like I'm walking with them. They're looking back at me. We're

them. They're looking back at me. We're

making eye contact. We I feel this energy exchange. So that's another

energy exchange. So that's another thing. Another one is before I go to

thing. Another one is before I go to meetings or conferences, I set the intention for connection and it changes everything. like literally 30 seconds of

everything. like literally 30 seconds of like in an Uber, you know, arriving and I'm like my goal here, I'm going to connect with people. I really want to connect with people and all of a sudden I'm just connecting with everybody. Like

it's like these deep connections there.

It's not just this surface level conversation. We're going deep. We're

conversation. We're going deep. We're

like making arrangements to connect again. Like it's, you know, like it's

again. Like it's, you know, like it's there's all these opportunities that we can engage intentionality in our lives in less than five minutes. And you know

it's like it's and it's all available to us and it's free and it's it you know it's it's just it's so accessible and there's so many possibilities that we can embrace and that to to me that's

just like and I I you know there's so many rituals that I have like another one is I cycle through my senses. So, as

I'm walking through the neighborhood I'll say sight, and I'll just look at the texture of the bark on the trees and I'll look at the shapes of the tree like the cl the clouds, you know, if you I'll look at I'll try to I'm trying to

work on becoming more imaginative right? And one way I look up at the

right? And one way I look up at the clouds and look for creatures. I look

for like, oh, what animals do I see right? Like, we can all do that. And it

right? Like, we can all do that. And it

you know, it takes like 20 seconds or a minute, you know, whatever it is. And

just doing that, I found that I'm unlocking my imagination by cycling through my senses. is, you know, if I say a sound and I hear the the birds and, you know, the rustling of the the leaves and things touch, I feel my heels

hit the ground. I'm actually doing like a bicep curl for each of my senses as I'm cycling through them. And now as I walk around me, I'm connecting more deeply. Like I look at the pattern on

deeply. Like I look at the pattern on the trees, like the bark, and I see like rivers and ocean like you just start to see things. You start to see creatures

see things. You start to see creatures in the, you know, and it to me, I don't know. It's like noticing the nuances.

know. It's like noticing the nuances.

It's it's it's just it it just unlocks.

And the reason why to me this is really important is that those five minutes or less creates a domino effect through all the other time in the day. So it

actually opens up the possibility to now bring this heightened awareness, this engaging new possibilities, accepting fresh energy into your lives. You can

now, do, that, throughout, the, rest, of your day. So the more you practice it, the

day. So the more you practice it, the the more you have access to. So it's not if that five minutes then transcends all the other minutes.

>> It's, u, Yeah,, I, got, goosebumps.

>> Our, audience, knows, I, like, I, call, it, I call them truth bumps.

>> Yeah,, it's, those, superpowers, of imagination, attention. It's it's it's

imagination, attention. It's it's it's use it or lose it. Also, you know, the more you use it, the more you flex those muscles, the easier it is and and the stronger it definitely it definitely

grows. the um and and just to comment

grows. the um and and just to comment like that being present in the moment right? Mindfulness is doesn't have to be

right? Mindfulness is doesn't have to be just meditation. It could be checking in

just meditation. It could be checking in with your senses. Like for for me, I go through if I want to get present, I I'll list five things I could see and then

four things, you know, that I could feel and three things that I could hear >> uh, that, I, could, uh, you, know,, that, taste or smell. um turning your let's say

or smell. um turning your let's say somebody listening they have a lot of ideas right which a lot ideas are pretty common um but let's say they they're

using what they learn in your book a lit and they're more creative innovative turning ideas into action right a lot of people get stuck between idea to

inspiration to implementation >> what, would, you, say, to, them, is, an effective method for turning a spark of

an idea into something uh imple implementing something impactful or something that's tangible. Let's say

they have I always like to put constraints because I feel like when you put a limit it becomes more limitless.

It focus concentration it focuses on creativity.

>> Yeah.

>> But, um, yeah, what, would, you, say, to somebody who was one goes from idea to take from idea to inspiration to implementation? They have an idea. How

implementation? They have an idea. How

do they make it tangible within 24 hours? Where would they what method

hours? Where would they what method would they use or where would they start?

>> Yeah., Um,, love, this, question., Uh,, love all your questions.

Um, I'm really big in the questions.

>> Yeah., And, I, want, to, pract, because,, you know, because I I enjoyed your book, so I want to at a meta level. I want to be practicing, you know, what I've been >> Yeah.

>> reading., Cool., Yeah., No,, so, I, would, say well, one is actually questions. So, I

think it it really the questions that we ask are the questions we don't ask. Um

and so and and and questions are they're they're our greatest technology. Uh, and

there's something that I really look at questions as a skill, you know, and so we can improve our wherever we're at, we can improve our our, you know, the the skill of asking questions. Um and so one

of the questions that I have iterated and sort of landed on that I ask in every lab meeting um to create a north star for every project which really is

exactly what you said to take figure out like which ideas we want to focus on and then how do we create an action plan to bring that forward because that's really the mission of my laboratory is every

single project we want to turn that into something that can help patients in the short term and so the question is that I ask is what's the bar that we need to

exceed to get everybody excited? You

know, it's the so what question. What's

the best result that anyone has ever achieved? And how much further do we

achieved? And how much further do we need to go in order for this to be something meaningful that we could bring to the world? Um and so just as one

example in the laboratory if we're developing a a technology to uh make an advance in cancer treatment we might say okay this very aggressive type of cancer

there's a model system and in that model system, um, maybe, [clears throat], a certain percentage of the animals you know there's it would survive for like you know three months but what if we

could extend that to six months what if we could extend that to a year what if we could increase the number of animals animal that survived to those time points, we would set that as the goal of the project. So, we want to go beyond

the project. So, we want to go beyond what anyone has done before. We want to have a very tangible way to test this.

And then we want to make that the north star of our project. And when you land on that, when you when you tune into where the field is at and the impact

that you think you can bring, that then brings the energy to allow the idea to then advance forward towards a successful end point. So it's like

tapping into that energy. And so to me that's what it's all about. It's

accessing that energy by really having a detailed like clear understanding of the impact that you're trying to achieve.

How much further are you going beyond where things are currently at? How that

how's that going to help people? Do you

ever feel like the world's [music] moving faster than you can keep up?

Markets pivot overnight. AI drops a new feature every week and your to-do list seems to grow by the minute. But here's

the truth. The people winning right now [music] aren't working harder. They are learning and applying faster. And that speed buys

them more time, sharper decisions, and [music] an unbeatable edge. If you're

ready to upgrade your brain for this new reality, I want to invite you to join me in San Diego December 8th, 9, and 10

[music] for my 3-day in-person event called Limitless Live. This isn't

another Rah motivation fest where you leave excited and change nothing. You'll

walk away being able to shave off hours every week by mastering new skills in a fraction of the time. If you want to be

able to remember names, facts, ideas on demand, you want to be able to process faster than anyone around you. You want

to perform at peak levels all day without burning out. You want to be able to maybe leverage AI with an upgraded mind and leave your competition

wondering how you move so quickly.

You'll learn and you'll discover from world-class experts in accelerated learning, business success, health neuroscience, and artificial

intelligence while networking with other entrepreneurs coaches builders creators, thought leaders who perform at

the highest levels. Early bird tickets are live right now, but seats are limited. So, check the link below to

limited. So, check the link below to secure your spot and we'll see you in San Diego.

>> We, have, two, uh, young, children, and, that's I'm always filtering through what I'm learning um towards the next generation

and I'm another thought experiment and using the power of questions. uh you ask a question no one you know you haven't someone hasn't been asked before you get an answer probably no one you know they

haven't even thought of or um like innovation like what if you could reach this goal and have the whatever you get

a new answer if you had to teach lit to an eight-year-old uh so it stuck for life this is a tough one if you had to

teach lit thinking to an eight-year-old year-old, so it stuck with them. Um, I'm

curious, how would you how would you go about doing it, you know, or what's the first maybe exercise you'd give them, you know, something in that spirit?

>> Yeah., Uh,, well,, the, first, thing, that jumps into my mind is I would I would take them out into nature >> and, I, would,, you, know,, walk, through, the

forest or, you know, wherever it is and um and I would uh I would strategize beforehand, but I

would I would I would um essentially do everything I could to get that child to ask questions about what's happening.

happening around them. Um, so for that child to tap into their curiosity and to feel connected to what they're

experiencing around them and to feel into how this power of curiosity, this power of observation is infinite. Uh

and I think that when you start to tap into that, um, you realize that nobody can take that away from you. you realize

that you can keep coming back to that.

You can access that at any moment of your life and that there's this particular energy that just illuminates your whole being when you're doing that.

And so to me, I think once you start connecting to that um you it just it it just opens this this this path that um

in any moment, you know, regardless of what challenge you're going through, you can come back to that and you can re you know, engage and and open up new sparks that can, you know, create new

beginnings. And so to me, that's what

beginnings. And so to me, that's what it's all about is is is these like that you know, we all have this life force that's just thrming through us, throwing through everything. And it's how do we

through everything. And it's how do we you know, with that eight-year-old, how do we get them to connect with it and realize that it is part of them and that and and I think that involves feeling

that involves, you know, having this visceral reaction and and tapping into tapping into this power of observation

this biology that we all have, you know working for us that we're we're just not fully using.

Well, one of the when I'm out speaking I invariably get people asking me a question like, "Do you do you as a memory expert or or they'll ask um do you ever forget anything? Do you ever

get distracted? Do you ever feel

get distracted? Do you ever feel overloaded?" And and I'm curious um do

overloaded?" And and I'm curious um do you ever do you you personally ever feel stuck or uninspired?

And if you ever felt stuck or uninspired, how do you do like a lit reboot for yourself? Like is there

yourself? Like is there >> you, know,, how, do, you, how, do, you, get, lit again?

>> Yeah., Well,, I, think, I, think, Well,, the answer is yes. And and all the time. Um

and uh and and and I would say likely maybe the maybe even more than most people um just because I'm constantly

getting into new things and where I'm I am not the expert. I mean, that's actually one of the things in my lab is that, you know, I'm getting into new areas where I'm not really qualified to be, but because I have this desire to

learn and surround myself with people who know what needs to be known and I want to learn from them, you know, we can figure we can figure this this out

together. So I would say okay I get

together. So I would say okay I get stuck so often and um and sometimes it's it's a short period sometimes it's a

longer period of time and I realize that their patterns to getting stuck but even knowing the patterns don't necessarily prevent getting stuck. So, you know, I

might have limiting beliefs or I might get trapped in some sort of a looping you know, where my brain just won't stop sort of thinking of something in particular, you know, maybe something that I was suboptimal or some decision I

made that didn't go well, you know whatever it is. Um, and or or nothing is working. Like, we're working on this

working. Like, we're working on this project and like, oh my gosh, we've tried all these things and nothing works. Like, this is this seems like a

works. Like, this is this seems like a dead end. I mean, that happens in every

dead end. I mean, that happens in every single project, right? And most people only see the end result. they don't see the path and all the stuckness along the way, right? Like we tend not to talk

way, right? Like we tend not to talk about that in the research papers about every single point that we got stuck right? And so to me, the the the the

right? And so to me, the the the the what's really important is is tuning into the places we've got stuck in our

past, in our history, and how we're not still stuck by those things. you know

like there's so many like in previous projects,, for example,, in, the, lab,, we were like majorly stuck, but we found ways to to get unstuck. And so to me

when I get stuck, I do feel it's not a good feeling. But I also because I've

good feeling. But I also because I've been able to to use these tools and get unstuck so many times, that thought does cross my mind every time I'm stuck that

this is not permanent, right? that this

is not forever that there are energies that we can access to get unstuck and one of the key ways that we do it is actually through connecting with other people. So we'll say for example in the

people. So we'll say for example in the lab is there somebody who has expertise in an area that we don't currently have that might be helpful and then we connect with someone and we explain to

them what happened and then they'll say oh have you tried this which often we haven't and then all of a sudden we're all excited again and so we flip from

this moment of complete stuckness to one of excitement like it's it's like that you know to get to get unstuck and so I think you know part of it also is like

being stuck. Okay. I I think All right.

being stuck. Okay. I I think All right.

I think being stuck or like experience failure or whatever you want to call it is an opportunity

where we have the greatest receptivity for insights to grow >> right?, And, and, and, so, it's, kind, of, it's

>> right?, And, and, and, so, it's, kind, of, it's kind of magical actually when we're stuck. Although it doesn't feel that

stuck. Although it doesn't feel that way. It feels the complete opposite. But

way. It feels the complete opposite. But

I think when we're stuck, we tend to we have this pain that we are experiencing and now we are motivated to become unstuck, right? Like and so we become a

unstuck, right? Like and so we become a more available like not necessarily immediately because like if when you have a rejection or something happen like a paper of ours gets rejected or a grant or whatever like it feels like

we've been punched in the face. We're

not very receptive at that moment right? But the emotions tend to subside

right? But the emotions tend to subside after a day or two, a night, good night's sleep, you know, whatever it is.

It's kind of halves and halves and halves. And then we have this like after

halves. And then we have this like after the rain moment where we have this this receptivity that we tend not to have unless we've experienced the stuckness

or the failure. And that then is where we've been able to, you know, really have the best patents for our work is is

like, you know, the the the approach changes because we got stuck. We

actually are open to insights that help us get closer to our goal because we got stuck, right? And so I feel like the

stuck, right? And so I feel like the more times you get stuck and then get out of it. And that's why it's so important to reflect back on the different times you've been stuck to journal about it, to write them down

and like to anytime you've been stuck and then you got unstuck, like write it down or like somehow record it so you can come back to it and realize that there was something you were able to access some through that receptivity

some insight, some what happened then.

And then if you can remember back to that that gives you hope in the moments of stuckness to then you know get unstuck and not only get unstuck it's not about getting unstuck it's actually

being elevated to the next dimension or level where now you have a greater chance of getting closer to your goal.

I like that insight of uh when you get stuck asking the question who like who maybe outside the industry would have a different uh perspective on this problem

this situation years ago I read this book uh the structure of scientific revolution that was just talking about how a lot of innovation comes from people outside the field because it takes somebody outside

that didn't have this traditional education with the same limiting u attitudes assumptions uh for somebody to come and say, "Hey, if I was to recreate this now, how would I go about doing

this?" Right? Um, last thought

this?" Right? Um, last thought experiment. I I promise.

experiment. I I promise.

>> I, love, them.

>> Let's, say,, imagine, it's, uh, 20,, 30,, 40 years from now and somebody has fully integrated lit into their life. Um what

would you say would be one um like measurable change that you hope to see in them that would make you say wow they

they truly lived you know lit >> wow, yeah [snorts] >> uh, I, so, I, would, say, I, mean, the, first thing that comes to my mind is just is

is is the energy that they're giving off right I I think >> being, in, the, presence, of, someone, who, is lit, someone who is really tapping into

this idea that um it's really about our approach. It's

not about, you know, we're talking about getting stuck. It's not about getting

getting stuck. It's not about getting stuck. It's it's about the approach you

stuck. It's it's about the approach you take to then, you know, what do you do with that, right? It's it's like our minds might have all these thoughts, but it's the approach of like what do we

say? Which thought do we focus on? like

say? Which thought do we focus on? like

what do we bring to a conversation? We

have a choice, right? Like so to me it's it's and and when when people start engaging in that approach where they're more intentional with, you know, which

thoughts they're anchoring to or which thoughts they're acting on or which decisions that they're making, it it it just creates this energy that emanates and you can feel it. You can feel it

when you're in the presence of someone who's who's taking that approach. And

it's not that they get stuck less often.

It's not that they are experiencing less struggles than you. It's that their approach to engaging those struggles or

that stuckness is is is one of of that that that, brings, them, forward, in, a positive way. And and we all have access

positive way. And and we all have access to that. And so to me, that's how we

to that. And so to me, that's how we would experience, you know, people who that's how we experience people who are lit.

>> Perfect., I, love, it., Um, before, we, wrap, our podcast is at its essence is about the love of learning. And um so I always love to ask our guests um what is one

thing outside of the conversation that we had, what's one thing you're currently learning about or studying that has you lit H yeah. Uh so one of

the projects that I'm involved in uh is called Geodiversity. Uh and it's a

called Geodiversity. Uh and it's a science um nature campus in the middle of the jungle of Panama. Uh and um it

just really it's so incredible there. Um

uh Nathan Gray who was a co-founder of Oxfam America moved to Panama 25 years ago um at the request of one of the indigenous groups there. um procured

this massive amount of land that was rancher land which is terrible for the environment because you you cut the trees down, you burn them, you put cattle on it and often it's up in the mountains and the trees control the

rainfall. So you actually reduce the

rainfall. So you actually reduce the rainfall so the wetlands low, you know below get less water and all the biodiversity is impacted in a major way like death to all kinds of creatures.

And so Nathan went in and together with the indigenous um communities planted 500,000 trees and restored this rancher land to primitive jungle. And the river started to flow and and he proceeded to

build this campus in the middle of the jungle. Um where he has it it's this

jungle. Um where he has it it's this there's a pool that's fed by a river.

There's this bamboo incred almost like Taj Mahal of bamboo. Um which is it's just it's just so striking. Jane Goodall

has been four times and people are coming from all around the world to have transformational experiences to re-engage with their purpose in life to feel the oneness to connect with the

interconnectedness of of everything. Um

you know high school kids come and they're on their phones the first day like two days later there's no phones they're talking about the snake they saw in the jungle or the teacher down the road who is teaching to eight grades at

the same time or you know just all these things that they're experiencing. And to

me that's that's um I' I've been now eight times in the last year and a half um to geodiversity and uh and to me it's

I'm just learning so much about how our way of being in this world is not the healthiest or the best way that we can

be and that we have a choice to be um differently and and and so what I'm learning is through the collaborations with indigenous

peoples and through submersing myself my power of observations in the jungle and just learning about, you know, all these new snail and bird species and and

just everything, I'm learning how to access awe more in my daily life. I'm

learning to feel that oneness. I'm

learning to appreciate different ways of being and different ways of knowing. And

that's what I'm really focusing on right now.

>> Outstanding., Absolutely, outstanding., How

can people go deeper in your work or stay connected with you? They want I'm sure a lot of people you kind of you sparked a lot for them and they want to connect with you or or learn more from

you. Um I'm holding if you're watching

you. Um I'm holding if you're watching this on YouTube where we put the extended, version., I highly, recommend, you

extended, version., I highly, recommend, you join our uh 1.8 million subscribers so you could listen to. So I'm holding a copy of lit life ignition tools. So

we'll definitely put a link in our show notes uh jimquick.comnotes

but where where else can they go? Your

website or social media or >> Yeah,, my, my, website, will, be, great., Um,

and it's just my name. Uh, so

jeffcarp.com.

Karp is kp like the carfish with a k.

Um, and uh, yeah, and so you can find information about lit um, and um, bunch of things that are not in lit. Uh, and

you can subscribe to a newsletter that I have there as well. Fantastic. Are you

on social media at all?

>> I, am, on, social, media., Uh, I'm, on, uh primarily, LinkedIn, is, one, of the, ones, I use quite a bit, but also Instagram. Um

although I must admit I'm not fully knowledgeable yet about Instagram. Still

trying to figure it out. Um but I do post there from time to time.

>> Okay,, we'll, put, links, to, that, also, in the show notes. So I encourage everyone to go there. Um, I just I just want to remind everyone that your differences aren't necessarily your weaknesses

right? They can be your superpowers when

right? They can be your superpowers when you know how to use them. So, I I want to thank you, Dr. Jeff Karp. Thank you

so much for for joining us for this show.

>> Hey,, thank, you, so, much, and, thank, you, for your awesome questions. I I love them. I

love them. I want more.

>> Yes., Stay, stay, with, us., Um,, so, if everyone if your brain feels a little brighter right now, uh, I think it's because you've just been exposed to, uh

lit in action. And I just want to remind people that the biggest gap is not necessarily between what you know and what you don't know. Surely there there

exists that. It's also between what you

exists that. It's also between what you know and and what you do. Um, the ideas you just heard for me, they're like they're like sparks, but but a spark

only becomes a flame when you put it into action. So, I just want to

into action. So, I just want to challenge everybody. Uh, we always had

challenge everybody. Uh, we always had this quick challenge for this week. Pick

uh maybe one situation in your life, a problem that you're avoiding, an idea that you've been sitting on, and apply just one principle from today's episode.

put into practice uh within give yourself a constraint 24 hours uh you know it's not just the speed of learning it's really this and your speed of creating it's your speed of

implementation is really key if you want to go deeper grab a copy of Jeff's book lit uh this is not just a book about innovation it's really it's like an owner's manual or users's manual for

unlocking the way your brain was designed to solve problems and uh create the breakthroughs you desire and that you deserve serve. So, uh, make sure you subscribe on YouTube, leave a comment. I

read it because I'm a pretty fast reader. I read every single one. Your

reader. I read every single one. Your

comments are very appreciated. Take this

conversation into our private Facebook group. You can join 160,000

group. You can join 160,000 people there who are talking about the podcast and sharing ideas, uh, connect in our app to find accountability partners and so much more. And, uh

again, Jeff, thank you so much and thank you for listening. This is your brain coach, Jim Quick. Uh, until our next episode, be numberless.

[music]