You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

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PNTV: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman (#358) Dec 15, 2017

Show notes

This book combines two of my favorite things: Stoicism + Ryan Holiday's wisdom. Stoicism was one of the most influential philosophy of the Roman world and has continued to influence many of history's greatest minds. As Ryan says: It's time to bring it back as a powerful tool "in the pursuit of self-mastery, perseverance, and wisdom." This is one of the my favorite books ever. Big Ideas we explore: the #1 thing to know about Stoicism, how to create tranquility, a good answer to "What's the latest and greatest?!," the 2 essential tasks in life and the art of acquiescence (aka amor fati).

+1 #145: Opportunities to Move Dec 14, 2017

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Continuing our movement-is-good for you theme, let's talk about how Michelle Segar looks at this. You may recall that Michelle is one of the world's leading researchers on the science of actually DOING the things you know are good for you. In her book No Sweat she tells us that we need to find "opportunities to move" throughout the day. Her clients like to shorten that to OTMs. OTMs. Opportunities to Move. Little things. They exist all day, every day. And, if we want to make our TRILLIONS (!) of cells happy so we can shine with a deeper level of radiant, energized enthusiasm, we'd be wise to look for more OTMs throughout our day. Simple stuff. So mundane, unsexy and seemingly unimportant that we can easily overlook them. You know, like parking as far away from the store (or gym or whatever) as possible so you get a few more steps in. Or, even better, just walking to the store and leaving your car at home. Or, once you're in the store, using a hand-held shopping basket rather than a cart. Tiny little opportunities to move more = good. Or… If you really want to go all in and be like one of the 100 Fittest People of All Time like Dean Karnazes, you can go from finding Opportunities to MOVE all day to basically working out all day every day. In our interview, The Ultramarathon Man Dean told me that's how he likes to roll. Apparently, right before our chat he banged out a quick (12- or 14-min) high intensity interval training workout. And, he planned to do another mini-workout right after our chat. Simple sequence of burpees, pull-ups and sit-ups. All day. Every day. That focus on moving his body has allowed him to do the seemingly impossible like run 350 miles at once and run 50 marathons in 50 US states in 50 days. (Wow.) So, Today's +1: Whether you're looking for Opportunities to Move (OTMs!!) or Opportunities to Workout (OTWs!!), let's move a little more today. And tomorrow. And the day after that… +1. +1. +1.

PNTV: The Way of the SEAL by Mark Divine Dec 13, 2017

Show notes

A former U.S. Navy SEAL Commander, Mark Divine integrates the ancient warrior traditions with grounded, practical virtue and 21st century get-it-done effectiveness in a way that I find incredibly inspiring. Big Ideas we cover include the power of front-sight focus, how to DIRECT your mind, going Yoda on your commitments and creating micro goals when things are tough.

+1 #140: Stop Stopping Dec 12, 2017

Show notes

Men's Health says that Dean Karnazes is one of the 100 Fittest Men of ALL Time. He's done crazy things—like running 350 miles at once. Plus running a marathon to the South Pole in negative 40 degrees. Then there was the time he ran 50 marathons in all 50 US states in 50 days—finishing with the NYC Marathon which he banged out in 3 hours flat. (Nice!) In our interview about his great book The Road to Sparta, I asked him what ONE piece of wisdom he would share with someone looking to Optimize their lives so they could make a positive difference in the world. His response? He quoted the ancient Chinese proverb: "Be not afraid of going slowly. Be afraid only of stopping." Going slowly? Not a problem. Stopping? Eek. That's when we get in trouble. Whether it's writing a book or running a marathon or doing whatever challenging thing worthy of our attention, KEEP GOING!!! Steve Chandler has a great line for this. He says we need to "Stop stopping." All of which leads us to today's +1 Questions: What epic quest are you on right now? What's your next baby step? Keep moving!! No matter how slowly. And… What's the habit you just KNOW would most benefit you? That keystone habit that, when in place, will most help you Optimize? The one that, when you do it, you feel GREAT!! Yes. THAT ONE. KEEP DOING IT!!! It's OK to suck. But it's not OK to skip. (https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/how-to-avoid-habit-suicide/) Remember: STOP STOPPING! +1. +1. +1.

PNTV: The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown Dec 11, 2017

Show notes

Patrick McKeown is one of the world's leading teachers of the Buteyko Breathing Method which was created in the 1950s by a Russian doctor named Dr. Konstantin Buteyko. McKeown suffered from asthma for decades until he found the Buteyko Method. At which point, he reversed his asthma symptoms and then dedicated his life to helping others optimize their breathing. In this book, he extends the Buteyko Method into an approach he calls the Oxygen Advantage. Big Ideas we cover include the #1 obstacle to optimal breathing, Oxygen Delivery 101, the #1 breathing tip, and how to dial in your sleep.

+1 #135: Repairing Relationships Dec 10, 2017

Show notes

In our last +1 we chatted about the difference between FALLING in love and STANDING in love. It's easy to fall in love. It's considerably more challenging to stand in love—whether we're talking about an intimate relationship with a significant other, a child or a dear friend. So, know this: We're inevitably going to run into conflict and challenges in our intimate relationships. THAT'S A GIVEN Today's +1 is a key practice for STANDING in love. Leading mindfulness and neuroscience and relationship expert Dan Siegel tells us that when something inevitably goes wrong in a relationship we want to REPAIR it as quickly as we can. One of the examples he uses to make his point is a story about a time when he, Mr. Mindfulness, "flipped his lid," turning off his prefrontal cortex and going full limbic-lame yelling at one of his kids. (Laughing as I type that as a) It's always refreshing to see a world-class teacher and practitioner humbly reminding us that no one is perfect and b) I very much know the feeling as the father of a very energetic 4-year-old. 😃) So, we have an interaction that we're not proud of. Then what? Then, you REPAIR the relationship as quickly as you can. Something like, "Wow. I got really impatient / loud / fill-in-the-blank. I flipped my lid! I'm so sorry about that and I can see what Needs work (https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/needs-work/). I just want you to know I'm sorry and that I love you and that I'm committed to getting a little better at handling those challenging moments in the future." * insert potential hug * We don't want those little micro-moments of negativity to stew into jumbo-resentments and unhealthy cauldrons of ick. Take a deep breath. Drop into your heart. Label the emotion Name It to Tame It! (https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/name-it-to-tame-it/). Practice some Active Love (https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/active-love/). Use whatever tool you need to do to regain your Equanimity (https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-equanimity-game/). And then Repair. Today's +1 Optimizing opportunity: Any Repairs waiting for you?

+1 #130: What's Your Partner's #1 Self-Care Habit? Dec 09, 2017

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about the importance of identifying and installing your #1 self-care habit. Today I want to talk about another SUPER important thing: Identifying your significant other's (or kids' or friends' or colleagues') #1 self-care habit. Fact is, great relationships are only created by two healthy people. 1 + 1. If you want to Optimize the love in your life, you'd be wise to a) start by Optimizing yourself and b) support your partner (assuming they want the support!) Optimize THEIR lives. And our #1 self-care habit is a REALLY (like, Jumbo-REALLY!!!!) good place to start. For example, my #1 is sleep. Alexandra knows this. And, she knows that she doesn't really want to be around me when I'm not meeting this fundamental need. So, we prioritize this to make sure I'm getting good sleep. (Thank you, Darling!!) Alexandra's #1 self-care habit is time alone every day to meditate/reflect/create/etc. Knowing this, we prioritize it to make sure she gets that time. So… What's YOUR #1. And… What's your PARTNER'S #1? Find out. Help them rock it. And watch your relationship flourish. +1 that 1 + 1.

PNTV: Rethinking Narcissism by Craig Malkin Dec 08, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Craig Malkin is an author, clinical psychologist, and Instructor of Psychology for Harvard Medical School. He's also one of the world's leading authorities on the science of narcissism. In this book, he shares "The bad—and surprising good—about feeling special." The short story? Narcissism is a lot more nuanced than we might have been led to believe. Big Ideas we explore: the Myth of Narcissus, the Spectrum of Narcissism, healthy narcissism (no, that isn't an oxymoron), how to bring it forth in our lives, and the passionate life (passion + compassion = magic!).

+1 #125: Follow Your Grunt Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about Scott Adams's wisdom on Wishing vs. Deciding (https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/deciding-vs-wishing/). The key difference? When we DECIDE, we get clear on what we want AND we get clear on the price we'll need to pay. Then… We get busy paying it. Scott tells us that one of the ways to reduce the price and make it more palatable is to create systems. He's ALL about systems. In fact, he tells us that "Goals are for losers." (Hah.) We obviously need goals but he says we should, at the very least, word-glue them together so we have goals-systems or systems-goals. His point is that if all we're doing is chasing a goal, we're constantly going to be "losing" because the goal is always at some far-off spot we may never reach. On the other hand, when we figure out the SYSTEMS we're constantly WINNING every single time we successfully execute the system. For example, if you're trying to lose 20 pounds, you have a goal. Eating right is a system. Trying to run a 4-hour marathon is a goal. Exercising every day is a system. As Scott says: "A system is something you do on a regular basis that increases your odds of happiness in the long run. If you do something every day, it's a system. If you're waiting to achieve it someday in the future, it's a goal." Leadership guru John Maxwell has a GREAT way to describe systems as well. He says that systems are good strategies repeated. So… What are YOUR goals? And, more importantly, what are your SYSTEMS that will get you there? Here's to Optimizing your systems-driven, perpetual-small-wins-creating machine!!

PNTV: Coaching the Mental Game by Harvey Dorfman Dec 06, 2017

Show notes

Harvey Dorfman was one of the world's leading mental training experts. Major League Baseball described him as a "pioneering sports psychologist." He earned World Series rings as the mental skills coach for both the Oakland A's and Florida Marlins. In this book, he covers the A to Z of mental discipline. Big Ideas we explore include Carpe momentum (seize the task at hand!), the peak performance cycle (approach + results + response), the blind men (and their elephant), and Percussus Resurgo ("Struck down. I rise again!").

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