You probably noticed the new course on Thinkific we call KeyToVision. It deals with visualization and analytical thinking as the main tool for solving personal problems. The common problems are depression, stress and traumas. JB is one of the reasons we developed these tools, so his testimony is especially important for me. My student JB is a psychologist and financial advisor, so he asked not to disclose his full name but use his initials instead. I added the headings in bold, because I see these aspects very often.
Testimony (By JB)
Failure of the education system
Before we ever met, I was obsessed with learning. I was 19 when I was diagnosed with ADHD. After that moment, a lot of my difficulties in traditional education formats made sense. Still, I knew there was more wrong with me –– I had never read a book, I could not write anything with coherency. I was wildly successful at jiu-jitsu despite my struggles with the education system and, when I was at my first college I was able to pull off 2nd in my class despite never reading the text. That gap was so enraging. How could I be so smart, yet have so many gaps in my knowledge? I was on a mission to find out.
Struggle alone
Fast forward to University of _____, I did not transition well. The lack of structure, the big campus, and my inability to pay for jiu jitsu led me to develop severe social anxiety and feel like I could not connect. That first semester and well into my second semester I fell into a deep depression. I could not get out of bed, I could not go to class, and I had no family there for support. [I have never told anyone this next part]. I was losing my mind and no one knew.
I grew up in a family where even if you are struggling you never show signs of it. You never admit how vulnerable you are. And so, I struggled with depression alone, which is the worst scenario to put yourself through. I would not talk to anyone for days. I would not leave my apartment for days. I had nothing to live for and no one I could reach out to. So, You know what I did?
Finding purpose in learning
I had one purpose for living; I had one sea of hope in my ocean of doubt. I took your superlearning course and read your blog diligently –– nowhere short of 10x a day. I stuck my flag in the ground. My sole reason for living was to learn how to learn, read, and accelerate that process for kids like me.
While I still could not get out of my apartment, I now had some tools to start studying and guess what I read about? I read about psychology (it was already my major). I read and listened to –– using methods I learned from the course –– traditional, non-traditional, and fringe ways to cure depression. After all, it was taboo to reach out to a therapist, so I studied.
Work hard and smart
This is ultimately why when you met me I was so knowledgeable about the subject. I fell in love with psychology because, without it, I was literally going to die. I took everything I had in my willpower and body left and devoted myself to curing my major depression disorder. It worked. I cured it. It was an unbelievably hard fight, but I utilized every intervention I could find in a text or a research paper and applied it to myself. I clawed my way out. Still to this day, regardless of my accomplishments, I will never win anything that I am more proud of. There was no greater feeling then regaining my mental health.
Have a role model
Let me sum this up here to get to the point: your blog, you in general, are one of the only reasons I have my mental health and possibly my life today. The gratitude I have for you runs deep in my blood, for obvious reasons.
That’s why, when working together became a possibility, I jumped at the chance. You are an idol and a man who helped bring me back to life –– whether you knew that or not. I should have not done committed to working with you. I was not ready to take on a big project, I was not ready to have to jobs that were high stress. I was naive to think I was. I simply wanted to pay you back for a debt I owed you for that you didn’t even know about. I still think about my immaturity and my inability to be honest and cringe. I guess I could not shoot straight and tell you that I could not handle it all. It is absolutely my fault.
Celebrate the success
Fast forward to today: I became a behavior interventionist, a special education teacher for severe autism, and I am now currently a financial advisor.
Now, I have a lifestyle that will allow me a considerable amount of free time, unlimited growth potential, and a way to help people achieve their financial goals (one of the biggest psychological stresses in a person’s life). I get a mix of using my analytical side and my emotional side. I love that.
Express gratitude
I could cry thinking about how far I have come because of your belief and patience with me.
Thank you so much, Lev. I am truly honored to have been in contact with someone as noble as you. I owe you my life; I will never forget that.
You can put it on your blog. I would like the name to be anonymous or do initials if you do not mind.
Analysis (by Lev)
Emails like this are the main reason I invest my time and work very hard on the KeyToStudy materials. We are here to help. Literally. This is my main motivation, and I am incredibly happy when we succeed. I get similar emails almost every week, but very few are so eloquent and touching.
Tripling the reading speed and memorization only seems to be hard. With our materials and Anna’s 1:1 help it is relatively easy and we have a 95% success rate. The hard thing is making an undeniably positive change in one’s life. This goes well beyond learning.
Fortunately learning in itself is a valuable motivator. You can use the power of learning to change yourself and deal with depression, trauma and confidence issues.
You need to sleep well, stay motivated and do something meaningful. In many ways, this is a prerequisite to successful learning and changing. Our new courses will help you achieve this. Once you handle your daemons, everything else is easy. Or you can work a bit harder and still triple your learning speed if you prefer. We are here for you.
