You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Latest Episodes:

+1: #1075 What Went Well? (And Why?!) Mar 15, 2020

Show notes

Gratitude. Yes, we've been chatting about it quite a bit recently. That's deliberate. You know how we recently established the (scientifically-validated) Top 2 virtues as Zest + Hope? Well… Positive psychologists arm wrestle a bit about those top two virtues. While Ryan Niemiec (via The Power of Character Strengths) tells us that Zest + Hope are our Top 2, Robert Emmons tells us that Gratitude is even more predictive of well-being than Hope. We'll leave the arm-wrestling debate on the precise order of those Top 2 to our academic friends but let's shine a BRIGHT LIGHT on the Big 3 Virtues: Zest + Hope + Gratitude. As I've been thinking about it, I actually like the order: Zest + Gratitude + Hope. We're Optimizing our Energy-Zest so we can give our best to our Work + Love. (Zest is still the undisputed #1 Virtue—although I'd say it's technically achieved as a by-product of Wisdom + Self-Mastery/Discipline on the the fundamentals.) Then… We practice Gratitude for the fact that we're alive and for everything in our lives. (INCLUDING all the challenges, of course.) Then… We practice Hope as we see a better future via a specific goal that inspires us, know we can make it happen and make a plan to make it so. Zest + Gratitude + Hope. (Note: Throw in Love + Curiosity for the Top 5.) I love coming back to that and I'm constantly spinning those virtues around in my mind, trying to think about how to help us operationalize them more consistently in our lives. But… That's not quite what I want to talk about Today. Today I want to talk about that "What Went Well and Why?" gratitude exercise I referenced not too long ago. It's one of Robert Emmons' top recommended practices. Here's how Martin Seligman puts it in Flourish: "Every night for the next week, set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep. Write down three things that went well today and why they went well. You may use a journal or your computer to write about events, but it is important that you have a physical record of what you wrote. The three things need not be earthshaking in importance ('My husband picked up my favorite ice cream for dessert on the way home from work today'), but they can be important ('My sister just gave birth to a healthy baby boy'). Next to each positive event, answer the question 'Why did this happen?' For example, if you wrote that your husband picked up ice cream, write "because my husband is really thoughtful sometimes' or 'because I remembered to call him from work and remind him to stop by the grocery store.' Or if you write, 'My sister gave birth to a healthy baby boy,' you might pick as the cause 'God was looking out for her' or 'She did everything right during her pregnancy.' Writing about why the positive events in your life happened may seem awkward at first, but please stick with it for one week. It will get easier. The odds are that you will be less depressed, happier, and addicted to this exercise six months from now." Today's +1. Here's to celebrating many more awesome moments (and clarity on how they came about!) between here and our next +1! +1. +1. +1.

Interview: The Power of Purpose and Ideals with William Damon Mar 12, 2020

Show notes

William Damon is one of the world's leading scholars on human development. As the Director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence, Professor of Education at Stanford University, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Damon's research explores how people develop purpose and integrity in their work, family, and civic life. In his most recent book, The Power of Ideals, Professor Damon shares how we all have the power to cultivate more noble, moral possibilities in our lives.

+1: #1070 Taking Things FOR GRANTED vs. AS GRANTED Mar 10, 2020

Show notes

In our last couple +1s, we talked about the science of gratitude and explored some tips on Robert Emmons' #1 practice: Gratitude Journaling. Today I want to chat about one of the distinctions I most loved from his book Gratitude Works! He tells us: "Think about and then write down those aspects of your life that you are prone to take for granted. Instead, take them as granted." I just LOVE that distinction. Ungrateful people tend to take things (and people!) for granted. For example, we take for granted all of the astonishing modern benefits that make our lives possible: like a warm house, a car, a smartphone, the Internet and all the other magical marvels of modern life. Robert tells us we'd be wise to move from taking people and things FOR GRANTED to seeing them AS GRANTED. Let's think about that for a moment longer. We can take the amazing people and goodness in our lives FOR GRANTED or AS GRANTED. It may not seem like a big deal, but it's a REALLY big distinction. Science says: We'd be wise to remember that NONE of it is guaranteed. Making the shift to see that it's ALL one big GIFT is at the heart of gratitude. In fact, it's so important that we're going to spend another moment on it tomorrow as we talk about the #1 obstacle to gratitude. For now… Let's think of three things we normally take for granted and see if we can shift to seeing them "as granted." Here are three things pop up immediately for me… #1: The computer on which I'm typing this. It's easy for me to take this for granted (and get frustrated when it inevitably doesn't work perfectly). But MY GOODNESS!!! It's a MIRACLE. I can type on little black pieces of plastic and somehow (!) create letters that somehow (!) show up on the screen and on a website (Dropbox Paper) that I can edit and share with our team who can share it with you and with other Optimizers around the world. MIND BOGGLING. I hereby commit to, for this moment, seeing all of this AS GRANTED to me (via countless people over countless iterations over countless generations…). Grateful wow. #2: The house in which I'm typing this. As I looked up from the screen out my office window at the mountain I hike every morning I thought of how easy it is to take the fact that I live in a safe, climate controlled house FOR GRANTED. That's crazy. I'm so blessed (by so many people—including YOU) that it's not even funny. I shall now, for this moment, see it AS GRANTED to me. Thank you. #3: The bottle from which I'm drinking fresh water. I drink from a water bottle all day every day. Of course, it's very easy to take that FOR GRANTED. But… Again… MY GOODNESS. That's a miracle. Countless people around the world don't have fresh water (gah) and ALL of us used to have to trek long distances to get our daily water (when we could find it). I hereby, for this moment, commit to seeing this gift AS GRANTED. And, for that I am grateful. Of course, we can go on all day every day on this. And STILL barely scratch the surface of all the benefits we receive. THAT'S THE POINT. And, that's Today's +1. What three things can you shift from taking FOR GRANTED to AS GRANTED?

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Optimize Interview: The End of Alzheimers with Dr. Dale Bredesen Mar 05, 2020

Show notes

Alzheimer's. Even just thinking about that dreaded disease freaks you out a bit, eh? Over 5 million people in the US alone have Alzheimer's. 1 in 9 people over 65. We're told that there's little we can do to prevent it and even less (make that: nothing) we can do to reverse it. Well... What if we could put an End to Alzheimer's? In his great book, The End of Alzheimers, and in this conversation, Dale Bredeson, MD shares how Alzheimer's disease can be prevented, and in many cases its associated decline can be reversed.

+1: #1065 A Quick Ticket to Ick Mar 05, 2020

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about how to sidestep depression and anxiety. I still can't believe that scientists have identified a threshold for our step counts under which we make ourselves more vulnerable for anxiety and depression. As Kelly McGonigal tells us in The Joy of Movement: "The average daily step count required to induce feelings of anxiety and depression and decrease satisfaction with life is 5,649. The typical American takes 4,774 steps per day. Across the globe, the average is 4,961." Right before those step count thresholds, she tells us: "Other experiments in the U.S. and UK have forced moderately active adults to become sedentary for a period of time, only to watch their well-being wither. Regular exercisers who replace physical activity with a sedentary activity for two weeks become more anxious, tired, and hostile. When adults are randomly assigned to reduce their daily step count, 88 percent become more depressed. Within one week of becoming more sedentary, they report a 31 percent decline in life satisfaction." Those stats are nuts as well. Take a regular exerciser, force them to become more sedentary and VOILA! Their "well-being withers." 88% (EIGHTY-EIGHT PERCENT!!!) become more depressed. Within ONE WEEK of becoming more sedentary, they report a 31% (!!!) decline in life satisfaction. Kinda makes you want to move, eh? It's funny, because, having been a non-exercising and much more "anxious, tired, hostile and depressed" version of myself, I've often jokingly said that you couldn't PAY me to NOT exercise. As it turns out, the researchers conducting studies like that often ran into challenges finding people willing to not exercise! (Apparently, I'm not alone.) So... One more time. Back to you. How can you move a little more? TODAY!!!

+1: #1060 Facing a Challenge? Feb 29, 2020

Show notes

In our last +1, we left Zeno the leopard gecko in his terrarium and hung out with Zeno the founder of Stoicism. As we discussed, Zeno was a wealthy merchant who arrived in Athens via shipwreck, discovered philosophy and then told his students that "he had come to value wisdom more than wealth or reputation." He valued wisdom so much that he used to say: "My most profitable journey began on the day I was shipwrecked and lost my entire fortune." Today I want to talk about another Stoic practice we can use to get a firm grip on reality so we can alchemize our apparent misfortune into our greatest fortune. Stepping back for a moment, let's remind ourselves of the fact that the Stoics took the whole idea of living with wisdom VERY seriously. They were ALL IN on playing the eudaimonia game and believed that living with virtue was THE means by which to win that game. Therefore… When a "disaster" struck, they stepped back (right there in between stimulus and response) and asked themselves, "What virtue can I put to work on this challenge?" Perhaps a little Wisdom to remind myself that setbacks are an inherent part of life? Perhaps a little Self-Mastery to actually practice my philosophy in the moment it matters? Perhaps a little Courage to step forward into growth and do needs to get done whether I feel like it or not? Or, perhaps I can practice the ultimate virtue of Love and bring kindness and presence and magnanimity to the moment? That's Today's +1. Facing any challenges? What =Virtue(s) can YOU apply to those challenges? Let's move from Theory to Practice en route to Mastery. TODAY!!! +1. +1. +1.

The Alter Ego Effect with Todd Herman Feb 27, 2020

Show notes

Virtues > Behaviors model. Big Ideas we explore include Superman + Clark Kent (who's who?), activating your Heroic Self (the science of), motivation and emotion (share a common Latin root), virtues as super powers (more on the science of), and Crossing the Threshold (Today the day?)."}" data-sheets-userformat= "{"2":769,"3":{"1":0},"11":3,"12":0}"> The Alter Ego Effect. This is one of the most fun and compelling and inspiring books I've read in a while. I REALLY (!!!) enjoyed reading it, had a ton of fun constructing and playing with some potential Alter Egos and highly recommend it. I also really enjoyed how high-performance coach and mental game strategist Todd Herman describes the science behind the power of "secret identities" to transform our lives and I loved the parallels between his perspective and our Big 3 Identities Virtues Behaviors model. Big Ideas we explore include Superman + Clark Kent (who's who?), activating your Heroic Self (the science of), motivation and emotion (share a common Latin root), virtues as superpowers (more on the science of), and Crossing the Threshold (Today the day?).

+1: #1050 Galileo on Optimizing Feb 19, 2020

Show notes

In our last couple +1s, we've been hanging out with Emerson, playing the "I Love You!" game and taking a quick look at the story of our world. Today we're going to spend a little more time with Emerson and history. First: Quick aside. At the Optimize Coach graduation weekend, it was amazing how many of our Coaches came up to Alexandra and me and told us how much THEIR KIDS loved seeing Emerson in the +1s. (I actually got misty typing that.) They told us that the +1s with him were a great way to share the wisdom with their kids and that their kids looked forward to more +1s with the little philosopher. So… Here we are. Now… Back to The Story of the World: Volume 2: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance. After the fall of Rome, Western Europe entered what is known as the "middle ages" or the "dark ages." Then there was a "rebirth" or renewed interest in ancient ideals that fueled the Renaissance. As you know, a key player in the Renaissance was a guy named Galileo. (In addition to his creation of a super-powerful telescope that let him view the moons of Jupiter that strengthened his belief in Copernicus's theory that Earth revolved around the sun, did you know that Galileo also invented the thermometer? Might want to give ol' G a virtual fistbump of gratitude every time you check the temperature Today!) Which leads us to page 339 of The Story of the World Volume II and to the point of Today's +1. Here's the passage: "Galileo was one of the first modern scientists, because he used the experimental method to find out how the world worked. Rather than trying to decide whether or not his ideas lined up with philosophy, Galileo made theories about the world and then tested them through doing experiments. 'Measure what is measurable,' he once said, 'and if something cannot be measured, figure out how it can be.'" Now… I LOVE (!) the idea of running Optimizing experiments (but only all day every day) (N = 1!), but it's that last part that got me to fold the page over. "Measure what is measurable." … "And if something cannot be measured, figure out how it can be.'" When I read that, I immediately thought of virtue. If we believe all the ancient wisdom traditions (and modern science!), virtue is THE #1 thing that's driving our sense of flourishing and well-being. But… Are we measuring it? And… How do we measure it? Hmmm… Of course, there are an infinite number of ways to attempt to measure virtue, but I think the most important thing to do is to simply step back long enough from the hustle and bustle of daily living and all the "time management" we do and think about "virtue management" long enough to appreciate just how important it is. Which is why we encourage you (and require our Coaches!) to reflect on your virtues EVERY SINGLE MORNING—identifying who you are at your best, articulating the virtues THAT version of you embodies, and then committing to BEING that Optimus-best version of yourself TODAY. Then, for the super-serious-Optimizing scientists among us, we check in at the end of the day (channeling our inner Pythagoras) to see how we did so we can get a little better tomorrow. That's Today's +1. Virtue. Let's measure it. TODAY.

+1: #1045 What's 1 + 1? Feb 14, 2020

Show notes

In our last +1, we had fun with the ultimate riddles of life—from skunks and giraffes to watches and pearls. And… The answer to pretty much all of life's riddles? Love. After Emerson gave me that answer to the hero-virtue riddle, we went to visit the ladies in the bath to tell mommy about his answer. Which, of course, led to a whole 'nother round of riddles. Today we're going to talk about the riddle I got from Ellen Langer—the "mother of mindfulness" research and the creator of the "psychology of possibility." In our interview, she asked me this little riddle… Ellen: "What's 1 + 1?" … Before we carry on, whaddya think? What's 1 + 1? … Got it? Awesome. Now, back to the show… Ellen: "What's 1 + 1?" Me: "Uhhh…" (The quick look inside my head in that moment: "I know the answer can't be 2 but…" "Hmmmm…" Insert thought from Part X: "Well! At least we're filming this so I'll look ridiculous!" Quick reply by Optimus: "That wasn't helpful Part X. Just have fun and answer the question, B." ← Yes, all of that happened in the span of a couple seconds. lol) Me: "Uhh… 2?" Ellen: "Nope. The right answer is 'It depends.'" Then Ellen (in full Professor Langer mode) proceeded to school me on the importance of mindfully approaching life and its challenges. If you're adding two of the Arabic numeral "1"s together, she explained, the answer is 2. But… If you're putting two pieces of gum together, the answer is 1. And, as we discussed in the Joov-light powered bathroom the other night, if you're putting two "1"s right next to each other, the answer is "11." Put a sperm and an egg together and you get one baby (or maybe two!). You get the idea… And… That's Today's +1. If you feel so inspired, have fun riddling your friends and family as we remember to approach life a little more mindfully. Today.

Optimize Interview: Irresistible with Adam Alter Feb 13, 2020

Show notes

Irresistible. That's the perfect word to describe the growing array of addictive technologies that are capturing so much of our attention these days. And, it's the perfect name for Adam Alter's latest book. Alter is an associate professor of marketing at NYU's Stern School of Business, and a leading expert on, as the sub-title suggests, "The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked." In this conversation, we explore how to create a healthier relationship with our technology so . we can Optimize our lives and actualize our potential.

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