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No Limits: The Art and Science of High Performance — by Mukesh Bansal

Tech entrepreneur Mukesh Bansal has been a lifelong student of human performance optimization. He has studied the science behind it, and worked closely with high performers across business, sports and entertainment, to understand what it takes to transcend apparent limitations and achieve true potential.

Through his entrepreneurial experience and studying the field of health and fitness, Bansal came to understand the enormous power of plasticity: the ability of the human brain to rewire itself at will as we develop new skills. He also realized that high performers across domains rely on common tools that were embraced by ancient wisdom and are validated by modern science. Knowing that high performance is not a matter of genetics or luck is highly empowering.

No Limits distills Bansal’s findings on talent, deliberate practice, mindset, habit, willpower and learning. It is a guide to maximising one’s potential with well-defined strategies. So, no matter what you do, you can be a superior version of yourself, performing at increasingly better levels, constantly reaching higher.

About the author:

Mukesh Bansal is a computer science engineer from IIT Kanpur and a technology entrepreneur. He founded India’s largest fashion retailer Myntra and headed the ecommerce division for Flipkart after a highly successful acquisition. He is the co-founder of Cure Fit Healthcare Pvt Ltd. where he is involved in building a next-generation health platform that makes holistic health easy and accessible for everyone. He has over twenty years of experience in multiple early-stage start- ups in the Silicon Valley (NexTag, eWanted, Centrata, newScale) where he held various senior management positions in Product Management and Marketing.

My take on the book:

Ever wondered if some of us are born to be champions, and endowed with special talent that makes few extremely successful in their respective careers? Is there a secret ingredient of success for athletes especially those who win like they are born to be champions? Whatever age or stage of life you may be in, if you aspire to make your dreams come true, then this book is meant for you — as the name suggests No Limits, for excellence. The book is an attempt by the author to clear the general myths around high performance and how it can be achieved through simple techniques practiced over an extended period of time.

The book is divided into four parts — as the author slowly builds the momentum with each chapter. The first part is dedicated to setting the context of the book, the second part explaining the science behind building talent, the third part explains the tools needed and the fourth part on how to put these tools to action. The author makes the narrative interesting by adding useful references and citations to real life examples of famous personalities. The performance hacks provided in between are good tips which are highlighted in boxes so that the reader can go back a later point and again refer to them.

Self help books need an open mind by the reader to read, understand and implement ideas and hence this book is ideal for such readers, as the book is easy to follow even for a beginner. If understanding the human psyche intrigues you, then this is a must read, as the book is bound to change your approach towards talent and performance; and the author points that a human being need not necessarily be born with them, but can be trained to excel in a chosen field.

My rating:

5/5.