You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Latest Episodes:

+1: #680 The Moment of Decision Feb 14, 2019

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In our last +1, we took a quick trip to Michelangelo's studio and saw the Optimus You sitting there in the uncarved marble. Then we did a little chiseling at some behaviors that might be getting in the way. Today's +1 is another super-quick one. Pop quiz: You know what moment Michelangelo decided to capture when he carved David? Hint: It wasn't his moment of celebration right after he "officially" became a hero by defeating Goliath. It was his moment of DECISION. It was the moment he DECIDED to step up and do his best to serve profoundly and, ultimately, heroically. That (and I have goosebumps as I type this) was what Michelangelo (rightly) considered the most heroic moment of David's life—the moment he DECIDED to step up and strive to be a hero. Guess what? (Echo!!) We get to make those micro-decisions all day every day. Here's to choosing wisely, David.

+1: #675 Meet My New Sweatband: Leonidas Feb 09, 2019

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In our last +1, we met Joe De Sena's kettlebell named Leo. (I laugh as I type that.) As you may recall, little Leonidas goes everywhere Joe goes. Traveling around the world? Mr. Leo gets checked in. Heading to the office in the morning. Leo's going, too. All day every day. Joe and his 44-pound cast-iron little Leo are BFFs. Now, as I was preparing for Greatest Year Ever 2019, I was reflecting on that epic love story and thinking about the importance of having symbols to capture our most important intentions. For Joe, that kettlebell represents his commitment to obstacle immunity and to honoring the pledge he's made to help 100 million people Optimize their lives via his Spartan Races—which I find to be SUPER inspiring. I wondered: What symbol can I create for myself that will capture my commitment to stepping up and into the next-best version of myself as a social entrepreneur and leader—doing my part to help 100 million (!!) people Optimize their lives by combining the power of Wisdom + Community + Virtue? For about 5 seconds, I considered taking Joe's lead and carrying around my own 44-pound kettlebell. But, a) that's crazy (even by my standards—lol) and b) that's Joe's thing. So… I scratched that idea and simply placed my 44-pound kettlebell a few feet from my wall calendar so I nearly trip over it every time I capture a micro "That's like me!!" WIN. Then it hit me. I'll wear the little Spartan sweatband you get when you do a Spartan Race with the competitive folks. Yep. That's it. I used to keep it on the corner of my desk as a reminder but I picked it up and put it on. Obnoxiously obvious = perfect. So… I hereby formally introduce you to my own little Leo. You met my Suunto Spartan Ultra watch not too long ago. Well, here's his pal. He prefers to go by his full name: Leonidas. Every time I glance down at him I think of the ancient Spartan King and of my commitment to be Spartan (and Athenian! lol) strong as I strive to cultivate my virtue and give the world all I've got. All of which leads us to Today's +1. How about YOU? What are you most committed to in this precious life of yours? What symbol can you create to capture that commitment? Note: If you're feeling particularly iconoclastically feisty: The more obnoxiously obvious (for you and everyone around you) the better.

Digital Minimalism 101 (Intro) Feb 05, 2019

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Cal Newport joins us as a guest teacher for this class! He is one of my favorite thinkers. He got his Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT and is now a Professor at Georgetown. He's also a bestselling author of a number of books. Given the fact that the fastest way to Optimize your life is to STOP doing things that are sub-optimal AND the fact that (for nearly all of us) our use of technology is the #1 thing that "Needs work!," it's SUPER important for us to figure out how to best use all the technology available to us WITHOUT becoming lost in a tsunami of inputs. Enter: Our new philosophy of technology use: Digital Minimalism.

+1: #670 Meditation's Instant ROI Feb 04, 2019

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Meditation. At this point, most of us are pretty aware of the fact that it's been proven to be pretty epic for our well-being. Congrats, high fives, curtsies, etc. if you're rockin' a meditation practice already. If you're not investing a few minutes of your day into meditation yet, what're you waiting for?! Perhaps you're telling yourself you don't have the time? Well, we know that's a pretty flimsy excuse (hah!) but if you're not meditating and you have a tough time falling asleep at night, here's some fun little data from Arianna Huffington's The Sleep Revolution that will help us quantify the IMMEDIATE time-ROI you'll get by meditating. Arianna tells us: "A 2009 Stanford study found that a six-week mindfulness meditation course helped people who have trouble sleeping fall asleep twice as quickly, in fifteen minutes instead of thirty-three minutes." Recap: If you have trouble falling asleep, learning to meditate (and doing so consistently) can help you fall asleep twice as quickly—in FIFTEEN minutes rather than THIRTY. That 15 minutes you invest this morning in meditation? You'll get it back tonight. And… You'll get all the other benefits of meditation as well. Check out Meditation 101 for more. For now, how about a one-minute meditation to get your practice going starting today? Sit up nice and straight. With "dignity" as Jon Kabat-Zinn would say. Pull that thread your head. Chest up. Chin down. Relax. Smile. Breathe in through your nose, down into your belly. Exhale slowly through your nose. Repeat. Five times. Congrats! You're a meditator! Here's to your calm confidence and energized tranquility today AND tonight—as we remember the instant ROI from a simple meditation practice.

Interview: Digital Minimalism with Cal Newport Feb 02, 2019

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+1: #665 Turning on the Light Jan 30, 2019

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In our last +1, we talked about the Optimize Master's program (aka Optimize Coach!) and had fun with some wisdom on moving from theory to practice—reminding ourselves that the theory (although important!) is just the rudimentary stuff. The ADVANCED work is the actual PRACTICE. Here's what was kinda weird. As I was drafting that +1, I was doing some quick key word searches on my Mac to find the quotes I wanted to pull. I grabbed one from Ernest Holmes's Creative Mind and Success and one from Vernon Howard's The Power of Your Supermind. But before I found the right quote from Holmes, I opened up another one of our Notes on another one of his great books The Art of Life. (Fun note: I went through a phase where I was REALLY into understanding what all the old-school New Thought guys thought and read basically all their stuff.) Anyway… As I did that little searching and opened up a few PDFs, I noticed that the first Big Idea from both The Art of Life and from The Power of Your Supermind (books written by two different teachers fifty years apart), said almost EXACTLY the same thing. Big Idea #1 in our Notes on The Art of Life by Ernest Holmes: "You are using the Law of Life every time you think. No matter how long you may have been using It wrongly in your ignorance, the very day, that hour, yes the very moment, you begin to use this Power rightly, the effect of having used It wrongly will pass from your experience. Does it make any difference how long a room has been dark when you introduce a light; how long the earth has been parched when refreshing rain comes to bring new life, a new seed time and a new harvest to the fields?" Big Idea #1 in our Notes on The Power of Your Supermind by Vernon Howard: "It is a mistake for anyone to think he has lived too long in his old, unsatisfactory ways to make the great change. If you switch on the light in a dark room, it makes no difference how long it was dark because the light will still shine. Be teachable. That is the whole secret." So… There ya go. That's Today's +1. Flip on the light. When? Today. (Then reflip it every time it goes off, of course!!)

+1: #660 How Clark Kent Becomes Superman in 11 Seconds Jan 25, 2019

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about our inaugural Optimize Coach program (there's still a little more time to sign up and join hundreds of other passionate Optimizers in making this the greatest year of our lives while helping others in our lives do the same, btw). Specifically, we discussed the very first email we send out with the very first micro-exercise to invite Optimus Us to the party. It goes like this: Stand up. Expand. Relax. Pull the thread thru your head. Take a deep breath (in thru the nose, down into the belly, etc.). Chest up. Chin down. Relax a little more. Expand a little more. Smile. "Hi, Optimus!!" We're going to start (and end) every single one of our 43 weekly sessions together with that exercise. CONSTANTLY remembering to physically flip the switch from the not-quite-Optimus version of ourselves to the "Let's do this!!!" Optimus version of Us. As I wrapped my brain around the importance of this little exercise and how to integrate it in our lives, I was thinking that it's kinda like our Presence phone booth—the one Clark Kent pops into to change from his meek self into his Heroic Superman identity. Which led me to Google. Google: "I'd like some love on 'Clark Kent to Superman transformation,' please." You'll notice that he goes from a hunched over, apologetic, squeaky-voiced sub-Optimus version of himself to, well, Superman. It's almost as if the script said: "Stand up. Expand. Relax. Pull the thread thru your head. Take a deep breath (in thru the nose, down into the belly, etc.). Chest up. Chin down. Relax a little more. Expand a little more. Smile." (Side note: At 45 seconds you may notice some room for coaching with that mouth breathing. "Love it, Clark! Well done on standing up nice and tall, expanding while relaxing and smiling knowing you've got it going on. Tiny little thing: Let's keep that breath coming in (and out) through the nose. Nice, light, deep into the diaphragm, slightly longer exhale with a smile! Yep. That's it. SUPERMAN's in the house!!" lol) That's Today's +1. Let's remember Amy Cuddy's wisdom on the power of Presence and Richard Wiseman's wisdom on The As If Principle as we practice flipping (and reflipping/ducktaping!) the superhero identity switch—living as the new version of you 24/7/365… sending the old you on permanent vacation. One more time… "Stand up. Expand. Relax. Pull the thread thru your head. Take a deep breath (in thru the nose, down into the belly, etc.). Chest up. Chin down. Relax a little more. Expand a little more. Smile." "Hi, Optimus!!"

+1: #655 Michael Phelps' Golden Gene-Inseam Jan 20, 2019

Show notes

In our last +1, we took a nice stroll down Brian's Biographical Byway—exploring the power of flipping Identity switches. (You make any distinctions? Flip any switches?) btw: That Seneca quote with which we wrapped up that +1 always knocks my socks off: "It is not because things are difficult that you do not dare. It is because you do not dare that things are difficult." Today I want to go back to Atomic Habits and explore an Idea that didn't make it into the Note. It has to do with Michael Phelps. And his genes. And how they impacted his pants inseam length. And how that affected his Olympic greatness. Get this: At this stage, we all know that Phelps is one of the greatest athletes of ALL TIME. He's won more gold medals (23!!) than anyone in the history of the Olympics. He's a case study in grit. In his autobiography No Limits, he shares the key character traits he believes led to his astonishing success. But… One of the things he doesn't mention is the fact that his body just so happens to be near-perfectly architected for absolute dominance in his chosen sport. He's 6'4. Perfect. His wingspan is considerable longer that his height. Awesome. And… His torso is crazy long. Like CRAZY long. (lol) A "normal" 6 foot 4 inch guy has a 34-inch inseam. Phelps? His inseam is 30 inches. (Which, Google says, would hover around the "petite" to "small" range if he were shopping for women's pants.) The Swimming Gods have blessed that man!! And… Of course, Effort Counts Twice and that guy put in the effort of 10 Olympians—squeezing every drop of potential out of his uniquely shaped body and dominating his sport for a very long time. But that's not quite the point of this +1. This is: James Clear tells us that if we want to achieve greatness in our lives, we need to make sure we're focusing our precious life force in a domain in which our talents and passion are a good fit. If Phelps had tried to be a runner he would have failed miserably. His dimensions are precisely the opposite of what's required there. He needed to be in a pool for us to see him shine. Today's +1. What "pool" do you belong in? Are you in it? Go take your hedgehog out for a swim or a walk or a run or whatever it is you love to do. Match your strengths to the domain in which you're building the habits to most fully express your life force. Show us what you've got. All of it. (Pretty please and thank you!)

+1: #650 Your Escort of Angels Jan 15, 2019

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about how to make yourself a quadrillion (!!!) times better. The recap there: Just let the magic of compounding 1% gains work for you. Every day. 10 years. Boom! Of course the fine print includes the fact that, although inspiring, that's (obviously) pretty much impossible as NO ONE, not even the best among us, are perfect (thanks, Maslow!) and we won't be the first. But contemplating the sheer potential force of compounding tiny gains is pretty inspiring. Now, as I wrapped my brain around that power and imagined each of us stepping into that next-best version of ourselves (then repeating the spiraling up again and again!), Ralph Waldo Emerson came to mind. In Self-Reliance, he has a great line about the fact that great human beings have an aura about them. He says that it's almost as if they have a bunch of angels escorting them. As he puts it: "The force of character is cumulative. All the foregone days of virtue work their health into this. What makes the majesty of the heroes of the senate and the field, which so fills the imagination? The consciousness of a train of great days and victories behind. They shed an united light on the advancing actor. He is attended as by a visible escort of angels." That sounds about right. And you know what "angel" is leading the rest of the angels? Our proud daimons. High fives to you and yours!

+1: #645 Boundaries or Burnout Jan 10, 2019

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about how the Peak Performance guys recommend we craft our optimal work-to-rest ratio. Pop quiz: You recall the ratio? Pop answer: 50 to 90 minutes ON. 7 to 20 minutes OFF. Making nice rhythmic waves… (More importantly: You practice it yesterday?) Today, as promised, I want to talk about the importance of creating boundaries lest we teeter into the realm of burnout and/or never leave the realm of sub-awesome performance. First, let's talk about the boundaries required to get into true, 100% ON mode. Guess what… All that multi-tasking? Flitting back and forth from one thing to another? That's NOT awesome. (Cap'n Obvious here with a friendly public service announcement.) We need to create bright-line boundaries and focus on ONE Thing—the most important thing—if we want to have a shot at operating in our upper threshold of productive performance. We all know that. (Right?) Yet… Do you still paper cut your attention and never really go deep because you're too busy multitasking? Well, as the Peak Performance guys put it: "For 99 percent of us, effective multitasking is nothing more than effective delusional thinking." So, to be ALL IN ON, we need to eliminate distractions and truly go ALL IN for our 50 to 90 minutes of peak performance work. Got it. Then what? Then we need to truly recover during that 7 to 20 minutes OFF phase. Go for a walk, meditate, take a nap. (If you're a nut like me, go throw some spears in your backyard.) But, whatever you do, don't go online and read the news and/or catch up on your social feeds or anything else that's going to blow up your brain (and nervous system and neurotransmitters) and not offer you a true recovery period. Again, boundaries. 100% On. 100% Off. Repeat. But only if you like sustainable peak performance. Remember: Boundaries or burnout. Oh! And this is even more important at the end of the day. Remember our chat about "Shut-down complete!"? Well, that's a really good boundary to make sure you properly recover via some epic sleep while also ensuring some solid Deep Love time. Boundaries = Awesome.

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