You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Latest Episodes:

+1: #950 Natural Born Heroes Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

The other day I found myself re-reading our Notes on Christopher McDougall's great book Natural Born Heroes. Although we've talked (many times) about the fact that the ancient word for hero literally meant "protector," I realized that (somehow!) I've never shared McDougall's brilliant wisdom that catalyzed my emphasis on the whole idea of all of us becoming modern heroes. So… Let's take a quick look at how McDougall so wisely puts it. He tells us: "And what Plutarch taught them is this: Heroes care. True heroism, as the ancients understood, isn't about strength, or boldness, or even courage. It's about compassion. When the Greeks created the heroic ideal, they didn't choose a word that mean 'Dies Trying' or 'Massacres Bad Guy.' They went with hērōs—'protector.' Heroes aren't perfect; with a god as one parent and a mortal as the other, they're perpetually teetering between two destinies. What tips them toward greatness is a sidekick, a human connection who helps turn the spigot on the power of compassion. Empathy, the Greeks believed, was a source of strength, not softness; the more you recognized yourself in others and connected with their distress, the more endurance, wisdom, cunning, and determination you could tap into." That's Today's +1. Heroes care. It's that simple. And… As aspiring modern heroes, we demonstrate that love and compassion by building the strength for two. So… For whom do YOU aspire to have strength? And… How will you build just a little more strength Today? Plus… How can you use the strength you have in service to the world just a little more Today? Modern Hērōs unite!! Let's do this.

+1: #945 Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Nov 06, 2019

Show notes

As we've discussed, a mantra is literally "a tool of the mind." By repeating a mantra over and over and over again (spiritual teachers say!), it takes hold in our subconscious and subtly shapes our mind. Eknath Easwaran is a huge fan and advocate of mantras. He sold me on their power years ago and I've experimented with many but I haven't really found one that stuck. Until now… I think I might have found my new go-to mantra. Here it is: "Thank you." As in: "Thank You. Thank You. Thank You." Followed by: "Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You." Followed up by: "Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You." Repeat. Especially when you find yourself triggered by something (or someone). "Thank You. Thank You. Thank You." "Thank You. Thank You. Thank You." "Thank You. Thank You. Thank You." It's kinda weird what happens when I do that. I go from feeling stressed/annoyed/whatever to feeling truly GRATEFUL. I don't even have to do anything other than kickstart the mantra. After a few reps, my mind comes up with things for which I can be grateful in the midst of whatever might be challenging me. Gratitude just kinda bubbles up. Bubbles of gratitude like: "Thank you for the challenge itself—which is giving me the opportunity to actually practice these ideas." "Thank you for all the amazing things you have done for me, o' person who is currently pushing my buttons." Etc. Etc. Etc. It's almost weird how powerful it is. Perhaps that's why Meister Eckhart once said: "If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough." That's Today's +1. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

+1: #940 Stress Curfews Nov 01, 2019

Show notes

Not too long ago, we talked about Sleep Curfews. Five of them, to be precise. One for Caffeine. Another for Exercise. Plus Eating. Plus Screens. Plus Work. As you may recall, Caffeine has a half-life of 5 to 6 hours so try to cut back on that by around noon or 2 or whatever you find works best for you. Exercise late in the day gets your core temperature all jacked up when it should be mellowing out, so aim for at least 3 hours before bedtime. (And, remember that exercise also gives you a 12-hour mood boost so might as well pop a happy pill early in the day, eh?) Eating was a fun one. The standard advice is to eat at least 2 hours before bedtime. (And def don't snack right before/in the middle of the night.) Want to go gonzo with the glymph? Eat at least 4 (FOUR!) hours before bedtime. Then we have Screens. Again, turn off the screens AT LEAST an hour before bed. More if you're feeling it. Finally, we had a Work "shut-down complete" target. We left that one up to you and I said mine was no later than 5:00 pm. So… Today I want to add a new curfew. Let's call it the "Stress Curfew." I violated this one the other day and, as I found myself wide awake (over)thinking in the middle of the night, I vowed to use the data as wisely as possible to recommit to some bright lines as I Optimized. (I almost gave myself a mistake-learner's high I was so buzzing.) (Almost.) (lol) Technically, you could say I violated BOTH my digital sunset Screen Curfew AND my shut-down complete Work Curfew when I was using Alexandra's phone to work on a (somewhat intense) business issue way past my normal 5:00 pm curfews. Now, it was only 6:45 pm when I put down the phone but that's an hour before I usually go to bed (laughing at myself; who does that?) and a couple/few hours later than I usually do that kind of work so my brain was hopping WAY (!) more than it usually is that late in the day. Enter: That poor night of sleep and a poor Oura readiness score to show for it. Good news: I rebounded from the 83 readiness score to back-to-back 95's with an even deeper appreciation for just how much the seemingly little things matter. (Marginal gains!!) The lesson for me: There are VERY few things that are that important that they can't wait until the next day to be addressed. And… I'm MUCH more likely to be able to solve them wisely when I'm well-rested. THEREFORE, honor your curfews, yo! That's Today's +1. Do YOU have a Stress Curfew? (Should you?)

Optimize Interview: The Power of Agency with Paul Napper & Anthony Rao Oct 31, 2019

Show notes

Agency. It's one of my favorite words and psychological concepts (and a cornerstone of our Optimize Coach program). So, when I saw this book I immediately got it and read it and here we are. Paul Napper and Anthony Rao are leading consultants and clinicians (who have both held academic positions at Harvard Medical School). In their great book, they define agency as "the ability to act as an effective agent for yourself—reflecting, making creative choices, and constructing a meaningful life." Then they provide practical, scientifically-grounded wisdom on, as per the sub-title of the book: "The 7 Principles to Conquer Obstacles, Make Effective Decisions, and Create a Life on Your Own Terms." In this Note, we take a quick look at the 7 principles and shine a spotlight on the first 3 with a focus on how we can Optimize our agency TODAY!!

+1: #935 The Eternal Feast Oct 27, 2019

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about A World Without Heroes and the fact that "A hero sacrifices for the greater good. A hero is true to his or her conscience. In short, heroism means doing the right thing regardless of the consequences." Then we challenged ourselves to choose THIS DAY (!) to be one of them. Today we're going to talk about some more brilliant metaphorical wisdom from Brandon Mull's wonderful storytelling mind. Quick context: In Beyonders, our main characters gets transported to another world. In that world, an evil Emperor reigns. Few people have chosen to stand up to the Emperor. Those who look like they might be significant threats are harassed and, if they're lucky, get invited to a place called Harthenham to enjoy the "Eternal Feast." Basically, this is a place where you have ZERO issues. A place where you can enjoy all the most indulgent foods and pleasures you can imagine—where you have no worries at all and can literally live better than a king who has to worry about his kingdom. When presented with an invitation to Harthenham, many heroes give up their quest and cash in their ticket to the Eternal Feast—where they proceed to waste away the rest of their lives. I'll save the spoiler alert about what happens with our young hero. Today we'll focus on the brilliant metaphorical representation of OUR desires to get to a place where WE have no further toil or challenges. The Eternal Feast. (Doesn't that sound scrumptiously inviting?!) We have a word for that. Exoneration. (Thanks, Phil + Barry!) Wouldn't it be so amazing to no longer have to work so.darn.hard? No more bills to pay. Kids to feed. Laundry to fold. No more (often) overwhelming creative challenges. Or health issues. Or, well, ANY problems at all? Ahhh… Wouldn't that be SO NICE?! Insert: Laughter. Plus: More laughter. Hah. Reminder: We will NEVER (!) be exonerated from challenges. And, the sooner we get that fact (and remember it when we forget it) the faster we'll reduce the "Resistance" part of the "Suffering = Pain x Resistance" equation as we get back to practicing the ancient art of acquiescence and the modern art of loving what is. That's Today's +1. Let's reject our invitation to the Eternal Feast. And get back to serving the greater good. Heroically. Today. (And tomorrow. And…)

Optimize Interview: Stillness is the Key with Ryan Holiday Oct 25, 2019

Show notes

Ryan is one of my absolute favorite writers and I'm excited to sit down with him to chat about his latest book, Stillness is the Key. One of the testimonials in the front of the book perfectly captures my sentiment. Screenwriter and director Brian Koppelman (Rounders, Ocean's Thirteen and Billions) puts it this way: "I don't have many rules in life, but one I never break is: If Ryan Holiday writes a book, I read it as soon as I can get my hands on it."

+1: #930 Micro Prospectus Oct 22, 2019

Show notes

Not too long ago we talked about the fact that the word prosperity literally means "to go forward with hope." Then, as you may recall, I challenged us to take some time to create a prospectus that inspires us to invest in the project that is our masterpiece lives such that we consistently MOVE FORWARD WITH HOPE. Then… I realized that this is pretty much exactly what we're trying to do with our Coaches on a daily, micro-prospectus level via something we're calling "Carpe Diem" journaling. Carpe Diem. Seize the day!! How? Create a micro-prospectus. How? Well, one way is via The Big 3 (x 2): Energy + Work + Love (x Identity + Virtues + Behaviors). In (very) short: Identity: Who are you at your Optimus best Energy + Work + Love-wise? Virtues: What virtues do you embody as you express your best in each of those Identities? Behaviors: What's ONE thing that best version of you would do TODAY Energy + Work + Love-wise? That's it. #carpediem You can do the whole thing in a minute by writing 9 words. Or, you can spend a few more minutes if you feel so inspired. Super simple micro-prospectus. When? Today. Tomorrow. The day after that. Stoke the fire of hope. And… Prosper! (btw: We'll be unpacking this whole process a LOT more in our upcoming Mastery Series. For now, here's a little one-page journal sheet you can play with. And, here's Michael showing you how to rock it.)

Optimize Interview: Everything is Figureoutable with Marie Forleo Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

My wife Alexandra has been a huge fan of Marie's for a long time. I knew she was awesome. But... As I told Alexandra: "I had no idea Marie was THAT awesome!!!" My excuse: I've been in hermit-mode and have done nothing but read books for 5 years (no blogs/videos/etc.) so I wasn't able to get the full sense of Marie's heroically brilliant and grounded and HILARIOUS power until this book came out. I've read and created PhilosophersNotes on well over 500 books. This is one of my ABSOLUTE (!) favorites of all time. I HIGHLY (!!!) recommend it. It's in the same league as some of my other favorites like Deep Work Atomic Habits and The 5 Second Rule. (In fact, on my chalkboard right now, I actually have "EVERYTHING IS FIGUREOUTABLE" right above "5-4-3-2-1-GO!" -- Winning combo!) The book is PACKED (!) with Big Ideas and I'm excited to share my chat with Marie about a few of her favorites.

+1: #925 C.A.N.O.E-ing Oct 17, 2019

Show notes

One of the core themes of our work together (in these +1s and in our Coach program, etc.) is the power of constantly (!) experimenting as we find little ways to Optimize. All day. Every day. Repeat. (Again.) (And again.) (And again!) All done with a big eudaimonically joyful smile—as if we're playing the greatest game ever created. (Which, of course, we are.) So… We've called it a bunch of things. In a business environment, the whole idea of kaizen is super popular. (Kaizen is Japanese for "improvement." … Synonymous with "Optimize"?) While Tony Robbins calls it "CANI!" (As in "Constant And Never-ending Improvement.") So… I'm riffing on that basic theme during our fundies session on Sleep—reminding us all of the power of chipping away and looking for marginal gains as we have fun with the whole CANI thing. Only, I suggested we swap out the "I" for "E" and make it "Constant And Never-ending EXPERIMENTING" (rather than "Improving"). I then made the (weak) suggestion that perhaps we could pronounce it: CAN-EE! To which Michael Balchan (my right-hand guy with our Coach program) playfully suggested we call it "CANOE!" (short for "Constant And Never-ending Optimizing Experimentation") as he made some side-to-side canoeing motions. To which I said, "PERFECT!" C.A.N.O.E-ing!! Constant And Never-ending Optimizing Experimentation. That's Today's +1. What's one little experiment YOU can run Today? Let's grab our CANOEs and hop in the Optimizing River of Flexibility.

+1: #920 Borrowed Energy Oct 12, 2019

Show notes

In one of our very first Notes, we took a quick look at Brendan Brazier's The Thrive Diet. I read the book when it came out nearly a dozen years ago. Loved it. Then Brendan and I met at an event, became friends, etc. If you're looking for ideas on how to be a high-performance plant-based athlete/human, I think you'll enjoy Brenden and his work. He's a former professional endurance athlete and the formulator (and cofounder) of the Vega nutrition brand. Today we're going to chat about one of my favorite Ideas from his book. It popped into my head during the Q&A with our Coaches after our session on Sleep as we discussed having curfews on our caffeine while remembering the fact that when we routinely get less than 6 or 7 hours of sleep we DOUBLE (!) our risk for cancer. First, here's the wisdom from Brendan: "I consider coffee drinking an uncomplementary stress. I view it as a form of credit, similar to shopping with a credit card. You get energy now that you don't actually have, but you pay for it later—when the 'bill,' or fatigue, hits. (Simply drinking more coffee to put off the inevitable is like paying off one credit card with another: It will catch up with you sooner or later.) You'll most likely pay a high interest rate as well, needing more time to recover than if that energy had not been borrowed in the first place. This is the beginning of a vicious cycle." Let's call that "Borrowed Energy." Now, let's connect that to the Matthew Walker gem we keep on talking about: "Two thirds of adults throughout all developed nations fail to obtain the recommended eight hours of nightly sleep. I doubt you're surprised by this fact, but you may be surprised by the consequences. Routinely sleeping less than six or seven hours a night demolishes your immune system, more than doubling your risk of cancer." So… You know what MOST of those two-thirds of adults who aren't getting enough sleep do to make up for the fatigue they almost certainly feel most days? They (of course) BORROW ENERGY. In the form of caffeine via coffee, sodas, tea, etc. And/or sugar, etc. Now… It would be GREAT if we actually had a running tab on all the energy we've borrowed. Some super simple energy budgeting App like Mint for Energy. One glance and we can see how much more energy we borrowed Today and how high our interest rates are, etc. Unfortunately (and this is TRULY unfortunate), we don't. Instead, we go on borrowing more and more and more energy. Day in and day out. Week in and week out. Month in and month out. Year in and year out. Decade in and decade out. And then… We don't just continue to feel fatigue… Instead… We double our risk of getting cancer and make ourselves unnecessarily vulnerable to all the other chronic illnesses we don't want. And… WHAM! Our debt is due. And we run a vey high risk of paying a VERY steep price in the form of one of those dreaded chronic diseases that are currently plaguing our modern society. Let's remember that the vast majority of chronic diseases could be prevented with a few simple (fundamental!) lifestyle changes. I repeat myself (yet again): One of the biggest levers we can pull? Get a good night of sleep. Stop borrowing so much Energy. Pay down your Energy debt. Start building your Energy wealth portfolio. Today. (How will you +1 it, my Energized friend?!)

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected