LIT summary

The author Jeff Karp has long struggled to keep his distracted and over-curious brain in line. He remembers when that sort of control came relatively easily to him. After being forced to work in a study room that contained both a pinball machine and a TV, he eventually learned to shut out the noise and focus his energy on his homework. It took some training, but he describes it as a sensation, like pinching your brain, so that you could focus on tasks at hand and live a more purposeful and impactful life.

This state of heightened awareness and deep engagement is what being in a lit mind state is all about. It's when you feel ignited, fired up; just think about moments when you’ve experienced awe, love, or intense focus.

More likely than not, you know what it feels like when you’re energized and firing on all cylinders. Feeling energized is a very real physiological condition, and it’s one that fuels creativity and productivity. Every reaction we have, whether to our environment or our thoughts, affects our energy levels and the LIT tools are designed to keep you in the lit zone.

The first two things to help turn the lights on are: 1) to beware of low-energy mode and 2) to recognize that the brain has an incredible ability to change. 

Neuroscience has coined the term plasticity, and it’s this characteristic that allows the brain to forge new pathways that lead to better habits. What prevents this from happening is another mental state known as low-energy brain, or LEB mode. This is the state we enter when we’re on autopilot and fall into routine patterns. When we’re stuck in LEB, we lose the capacity for creative and purposeful action.

So, the first thing we want to do is to “flip the switch.” This happens by recognizing the impact habits have on our lives and the decisions we make on a day-to-day basis. We want to look at the habits that are keeping us in LEB and create new habits that will put us in a lit mind state.

In his book, The Power of Habit, the author Charles Duhigg describes the so-called habit loop: cue, routine, and reward. When it comes to creating new and better habits, consider these four steps: minimize resistance, maximize rewards, leverage momentum, and pace yourself.

This requires some introspection. So ask yourself: What are the biggest sources of resistance in your life? What are the obstacles that generally stand in the way of you feeling energized and engaged?

While you’re at it, consider related questions: What makes me feel more energized and excited? What kind of rewards might make me feel more motivated to push away the comforts of low-energy mode?

For example, maybe you’re a naturally shy person, and your hesitancy to engage socially keeps you from making connections and collaborations that could help your career. The first step might be to make a plan to say hello or good morning to at least one person on the way to work.

Starting small like this can allow you to create momentum at a comfortable pace, which will have the effect of lowering your resistance to this new habit.

Likewise, when you wake up in the morning, you might choose to start the day with an hour of quiet awareness instead of constant media consumption. When you start your morning with a lit habit, it can really set a positive tone for the rest of the day. 

The goal isn't to be perfect but to take small steps toward a more engaged and purposeful life, letting those actions build momentum and guide you naturally.