You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

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+1 #10: Antifragile Oct 30, 2017

Show notes

In his great book Antifragile, Nassim Taleb walks us through the fact that there's a big difference between being fragile, being resilient, and being ANTIfragile. In short: If you're fragile and life hits you hard, you break. If you're resilient and life hits you hard, you withstand more and… eventually… you break. But… If you're ANTIFRAGILE, when life hits you hard you actually get stronger. Think about that. The more you get kicked around and challenged by life, the S T R O N G E R you get. Wouldn't that be awesome? As Nassim tells us and we would be wise to remember: "A wind extinguishes a candle but fuels a fire." Let's build a bonfire. (On that note, how about this gem from Rumi: "I am burning. If anyone lacks tinder, let him set his rubbish ablaze with my fire.")

+1 #5: 3:59.4 Oct 28, 2017

Show notes

At this point, most of us know that Roger Bannister was the first person to break the 4-minute mile. Very smart people of his era said that it was impossible. Period. End of story. He, of course, wasn't so sure. But here's what's awesome: Do you know how Roger trained to do the impossible? Hint: He broke down his goal into bite-sized pieces. Here's how: First, he trained until he could run a quarter mile in a minute. (Nice job!) Then he trained until he could run half a mile in two minutes. (Well done!) Then he trained until he could run three-quarters of a mile in three minutes. (Sweet!) Then he trained until he thought he could run the full mile in less than four minutes. And, voila!! On May 6, 1954 at Iffley Road Track in Oxford, England, the time keeper looked down and saw these magic numbers: 3:59.4. Roger achieved the impossible by breaking his "impossible" goal into little bite-size, do-able pieces—which is always a very good idea. (As Henry Ford once said, "Nothing is particularly hard if you break it into enough small pieces.") How about you? What's your jumbo-big exciting goal? You know, the thing you would do if you weren't afraid? Yah. That one. Write it down in a few words. Now, let's chunk it down and give you your next bite-size doable target. What's the very next micro-goal you need to hit en route to that big goal?! The thing that, once you achieve, will make it possible to hit the next target? Got it? Awesome. Now… What's your next baby step? And, most importantly: Is now a good time to take it?

+1: #1 - +1 or -1 = Destiny Math Oct 27, 2017

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In our last +1, we had fun applying Rumi's wisdom that God turns us from one feeling to another so we have two wings to fly and not one. Today, we'll look at another one of my favorite gems from Rumi. He tells us: "If you are irritated by every rub, how will you be polished?" Think about that. If you want to be polished (aka Optimized!!), how do you expect to get there if you're irritated by every little rub of life? Guess what? It's those "rubs" (aka challenges!) that are MAKING YOU SO SHINY!!! Rumi also tells us: "This discipline and rough treatment are a furnace to extract the silver from the dross. This testing purifies the gold by boiling the scum away." Yep. That's the ticket. We need to embrace all the little rubs antifragile-style as we step into the furnace so we can burn the scum away. That's Today's +1. Got any challenges these days? Can you see how the ONLY way you've grown in the past is by overcoming challenges? And that the challenges you're facing today are simply opportunities for you to actually APPLY all these tools to get a little shinier? Rub rub rub. +1. +1. +1.

Journaling 101: Behind the Scenes Oct 20, 2017

Show notes

Here's a quick look behind the scenes for one of our next classes: Journaling 101: How to Use a Pen and Paper to Create Clarity, Confidence, and Consistency. I hope you enjoy this overview of the class (and my process in creating it)! P.S. Optimize with us: http://optimize.me

My morning journaling and strategy thinking (+ Top 10 Books) (behind the scenes) Oct 03, 2017

Show notes

I've been thinking about how I can help you optimize (technically, I'm pretty much *always* obsessing about it) and realized I should probably do some more behind-the-scenes videos to capture my (often messy) thought process about how to take Optimize to the next level and do my life's work while serving you profoundly and creating an exemplary business that scales in the process. This video is the fruits of that. Hope you enjoy!

Optimize with us at https://optimize.me

P.S. Notes on my Top 10 favorite Books

The Tools by Barry Michels & Phil Stutz: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/the-tools-barry-michels-phil-stutz/
Deep Work by Cal Newport: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/deep-work-cal-newport/
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/the-daily-stoic-ryan-holiday-stephen-hanselman/
Rethinking Positive Thinking by Gabrielle Oettingen: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/rethinking-positive-thinking-gabriele-oettingen/
Grit by Angela Duckworth: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/grit-angela-duckworth/
Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/peak-anders-ericsson-robert-pool/
Mastery by Robert Greene: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/mastery-robert-greene/
Presence by Amy Cuddy: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/presence-amy-cuddy/
No Sweat by Michelle Segar, Ph.D.: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/no-sweat-michelle-segar/
So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/so-good-they-cant-ignore-you-cal-newport/

P.P.S. Let's do this!

Interview: The Art of Connection with Michael Gelb Sep 12, 2017

Show notes

Michael Gelb is one of the world's leading creativity teachers. He's also a qi gong and aikido master who wrote one of my favorite books: "How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci." In this book, he teaches us the art of creating connection. Big Ideas we explore include how to optimize our ability to connect (practice with the little moments!), The Pygmalion Effect (aka the self-fulfilling prophecy), the importance of centering for conflict resolution, and how our addiction to digital devices (ADD) is leading to attention deficit disorder (ADD) which is leading to troubles in connecting and what to do about it.

Interview: Coming Alive with Barry Michels Sep 02, 2017

Show notes

I'm a HUGE fan of Phil and Barry's first book, The Tools. Coming Alive is kinda like The Tools Part 2. In this book, we get four new tools to go along with the original five tools. Big Ideas we explore include how to connect to our Life Force, defeat Part X (their name for that part of each of us that gets in the way), build our confidence and learn to see problems as gifts as we live a GREAT life.

Interview: Anxiety Free with Patrick McKeown May 13, 2017

Show notes

This is a quick-reading, simple, practical guide to, as the sub-title suggests, "Stop Worrying and Quieten Your Mind—Featuring the Buteyko Breathing Method and Mindfulness." If you're looking for a general introduction to the power of Oxygen, I'd recommend you go with Patrick's more recent and more all-purpose Oxygen Advantage. If you suffer from anxiety and/or panic attacks, this might be a great place to start. Big Ideas we explore: The #1 rule of breathing, the 2 key benefits of putting your attention on your breath, why CO2 is your friend and how to play nice, avoiding rat poison and becoming a good mind gardener.

Interview: The Oxygen Advantage with Patrick McKeown May 12, 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.

Interview: Movement Matters with Katy Bowman May 11, 2017

Show notes

This book is an adaptation of a series of essays Katy created over the last five years in which she unpacks her evolving views on what she calls "movement ecology." It's not your typical "do X, Y, and Z" optimal living guidebook. It's a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at why—as you can guess by the title—Movement Matters and a challenging look at how our individual and cultural decisions have created a sedentary culture and a significant nature debt that few of us ever stop to think about. Big Ideas: Stacking your life, minimalism vs. maximalism, the tree of your life, and redefining success.

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