You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

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+1: #855 The Comparison Game Aug 08, 2019

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We're kinda on a roll with the whole envy-squishing theme, so why not one more? In our last +1, we talked about the fact that if we're going to compare ourselves to others (please don't! lol) we might as well do it right—recognizing the fact that EVERYONE experiences ups and downs en route to their particular flavor of awesome. That wisdom reminds me of some parallel wisdom from Alan Stein's great book Raise Your Game. Here's what he has to say about envy: "My friend Paul Bioncardi of ESPN loves to say, 'You will always lose the Comparison Game.' Why is that? Because it's rigged. It has no function besides enlarging self-doubt. I'm typing this chapter on board a flight to South Dakota. Among the 250 passengers on this plane, I can quickly find someone better looking, funnier, more successful, taller, more muscular, smarter. It won't take long to find someone who scores higher than me on almost any metric." Alan concludes: "If I use these people as my measuring stick—to determine my self-worth and value—I will always lose." The Comparison Game. Want to know who ALWAYS loses that game? You. And me. And everyone who plays it. But only every single time. (Reminds me of Byron Katie's wisdom: "When I argue with reality, I lose—but only 100% of the time.") (Also reminds me of Ralph Waldo Emerson's wisdom: "Envy is ignorance. Imitation is suicide.") That's Today's +1. Let's channel our inner Faulkner and play the Optimize Game: "Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." P.S. You know who ALWAYS wins the Optimize Game? You. And me. And everyone who plays it. But only every single time. (Remember: Simply striving to be your best is a pre-win.) +1. +1. +1. FOR THE WIN!!!

+1: #850 Aurelius on Death Aug 03, 2019

Show notes

In our last +1, we reflected on the idea that little (and big) oopses provide us with opportunities to appreciate that we're still alive as we practice gratitude that something much worse didn't happen. "At least THAT didn't happen!" For me, when I broke my arm, I was grateful I didn't break my neck. When I tripped and nearly fell the other day, I was grateful I had an abdominal strain and not a trip back to the ER for my arm. Whenever I think of this re-framing exercise, I think of a dear friend of mine we lost in a tragic speed-flying accident. One of the most beautiful, inspiring, energized people I've ever met. Went out for a flight off a mountain he'd jumped off countless times. Wings didn't open the way they should have. BAM. Gone. I have tears in my eyes as I type that. I often think how grateful he would be if he had just broken an arm or even his neck. Then I alchemize that pain into a virtual fist-bump and hug for his daimon and re-commit to savoring this one precious life of ours. All of which makes me think of our Stoic philosopher friends. For multiple reasons. Today we'll chat about their thoughts on death. We actually already talked about one of their practices in our +1 on Rehearsing Your Death. In that one, as you may recall, Seneca tells us: "Rehearse death. To say this is to tell a person to rehearse his freedom. A person who has learned how to die has unlearned how to be a slave." Today we'll let Marcus Aurelius add his perspective. Here's how he puts it: "Were you to live three thousand years, or even thirty thousand, remember that the sole life which a man can lose is that which he is living at the moment; and furthermore, that he can have no other life except the one he loses... This means that the longest life and the shortest amount to the same thing. For the passing minute is every man's equal possession, but what has once gone by is not ours." He also tells us: "Take it that you have died today, and your life's story is ended; and henceforward regard what future time may be given you as an uncovenanted surplus, and live it out in harmony with nature." That's one way to think about it, eh? And that's Today's +1. If you feel so inspired, let's actually do the exercise. Imagine this: You just died. Bam! You're gone. And... You got the good fortune to come back starting... … Now! OK. Now, let's see if we can live with a fresh appreciation that every (!) moment (!) is a gift. Here's to appreciating the "uncovenanted surplus" of moments. Today.

+1: #840 Happy Artists Jul 24, 2019

Show notes

This morning on the Trail I was thinking about Mister Rogers and his challenges creating (recall our "tortures of the damned"!) along with Dr. Seuss and all his creative challenges. Then I was thinking about all the challenges I (and we all) face as I (and we all) strive to do my (and our) life's work. (And… I was thinking about that gap that pretty much *always* exists between what we see in our mind's eye and what winds up on our proverbial canvases.) I thought to myself, "Are there any artists truly happy with their work?" At precisely the moment I finished framing that question in my head I glanced down and saw a snail a few feet ahead of me. And I smiled. It was a just a normal, mid-size snail. The kind we see all the time and usually just kinda take for granted and ignore. But this morning I could see just how elegantly perfectly his (or was it her?) shell was designed. I mean, it was a piece of art!!! And then it hit me… The "Guy" (or was it "Gal"? Or was it…?) who created THAT piece of art? He/She/It was definitely happy with His/Her/Its creation. Then I looked around and saw all the other imperfectly perfect art on display—from the trees to the dirt to the rocks and the weeds and the shrubs and the sky and, well, everything. It was kind of an epiphanal moment for me. That's Today's +1. Let's celebrate all the art in our lives. And try to emulate the satisfaction of the ultimate Creator as we diligently, patiently, persistently, humbly and JOYFULLY strive to make our lives (and all its creations in it) a masterpiece!

+1: #835 Got Watch? Jul 19, 2019

Show notes

Continuing our trip through Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky's brilliant brains and equally brilliant book Make Time, Today we're going to have fun with a little history lesson combined with a super-simple way to start chipping away at all those twitchy smartphone touches. (I still can't believe the average person touches their phones 2,617 times per day!!!) Jake and JZ give us a ton of great tactics to rock their four-step process. (Recall: Highlight + Laser + Energize + Reflect! btw: You know YOUR Highlight for Today?) In fact, they share 87 tips and tricks to Optimize! In the "Laser" section, after teaching us how to create a "distraction-free phone" (hint: clear your home screen, remove email apps, social media and unnecessary notifications) they encourage us to consider getting a simple watch—you know, those things that just tell time. Here's the little history lesson. They tell us: "In 1714, the British government offered a £20,000 prize (that's $5 million in 2018 money), to anyone who could invent a portable clock that could be used aboard ships. It took nearly fifty years and dozens of prototypes until finally, in 1761, John Harrison created the first 'chronometer.' It was a technological marvel that changed the world even though it was barely portable—the clock had to be mounted in a special cabinet and stowed belowdecks for its maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the HMS Deptford." Isn't that awesome?! They continue: "Today you can buy a portable clock—that is, a digital quartz wristwatch—for ten bucks. It's always accurate. It's lightweight and waterproof. It can wake you up after a nap or remind you to take dinner out of the oven. It's an amazing piece of technology." That's Today's +1. Want a super-simple and equally powerful way to reduce our compulsive smartphone usage? Consider getting a portable clock. And… Let's salute the crew of the HMS Deptford on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic as we appreciate that miraculous moving time piece we can put on our wrist as we remember to appreciate just how awesome our modern lives are—ESPECIALLY when we Optimize how we choose to use all the amazing technology!

+1: #830 Swimming with Mister Rogers Jul 14, 2019

Show notes

A couple +1s ago, we hung out with Mister Rogers in his barrelful of songs. Today I want to hop in the pool with him and then do something extra special. First, some more wisdom from The World According to Mister Rogers. Fred tells us: "I like to swim, but there are some days I just don't feel much like doing it—but I do it anyway! I know it's good for me and I like to keep my promises. That's one of my disciplines. And it's a good feeling after you've tried and done something well. Inside you think, 'I've kept at this and I've really learned it—not by magic, but by my own work.'" Of course, I LOVE the fact that Fred swims every day. Whether he (insert whiney voice) feels like it or not. He knows it's good for him and he likes to keep his promises. So… *splash* See ya in the pool! But it's not his discipline to swim every day that I want to talk about Today. It's what he does AFTER he gets out of the pool. He steps on the scale. And what does it say? "143." When did it say that? Basically EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! of his adult life. Do you know WHY he was so enamored with his scale saying "143"? Well, "I" has 1 letter, "L-O-V-E" has 4 letters and "Y-O-U" has 3 letters. 1-4-3. His ENTIRE LIFE—all the way down to his weight!!—was one big expression of "I love you." Today's +1. Makes me wonder: What are YOU committed to? Is there a way to have fun connecting your weight to that mojo? +1. +4. +3. P.S. Fred was 6 feet tall. So am I. I weigh a little more than Fred but not that much. Although I'm currently in the 150's, I've been playing around with different potential combos for my weight. When/if it's in the 140's again, I'm thinking 149 might be cool. 1 is for our "I' and 4 is for "L-O-V-E." What about the 9? Let's go with: "E-U-D-A-I-M-O-N-S." I love YOU and YOUR eudaimon. Yes, I do.

+1: #825 An Enraged Mister Rogers Jul 09, 2019

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about being the change we want to see in the world. I asked: What change DO you want to see? (Well… What is it?! And… Are you being it?!) That makes me think of another 20th century icon: Mister Fred Rogers. In his great little book The World According to Mister Rogers, we get to immerse ourselves in a collection of wisdom-gems from the great man. Including this one: "The values we care about the deepest, and the movements within society that support those values, command our love. When those things that we care about so deeply become endangered, we become enraged. And what a healthy thing that is! Without it, we would never stand up and speak out for what we believe." Mister Rogers "enraged"? Yep. You want to see his fierce courage in action? Watch this 6 minute, 50 second video of him testifying before congress. Note: Please make sure you notice how he channeled that rage into pure love. Notice how pure love broke through the armor of a hitherto harsh foe. (I'll be surprised if you, like the Senator in that hearing, don't get goosebumps (and/or tears) FEELING the soul force of Fred Rogers standing up and speaking out for what he believed in and dedicated his life to.) What's fascinating for me is how similar Fred's approach is to Gandhi's. As we discussed, one of the primary themes of that book is Gandhi's evolution/transformation in which he learned to alchemize his anger into an unstoppable "soul-force." He did this via what he called "satyagraha." Satyagraha is a word he coined combining two Sanskrit words. It basically means "holding onto truth" and is the foundation of his (and MLK's) "nonviolent resistance" to evil. So... What values do YOU care about the deepest? What movements within society support those values and command your love? Are those values endangered? If so, let's become enraged and celebrate the power of that emotion as we alchemize that fierce love into noble action—standing up and speaking out for what we believe.

+1: #820 My New Job Jul 04, 2019

Show notes

Today I'd like to let you know that I officially have a new job. It's one I'm quite excited about. First, a little context. You know that Ferrari pit crew guy I've been obsessing about? You know, the one we watched in this little video. (I'm literally getting that picture framed so I can put it up in my office, btw.) As you may recall, his sole job is to yank off the right-front tire while his 21 buddies play their roles as well as they can as they create some poetry in motion. Well, that's my new job. Only YOU are the Race Car Driver. Imagine me poised and ready to yank off your front-right tire so you can get back on track Optimized and ready to rock every day. Because that's what I'll be doing for as long as I'm lucky enough to serve in your crew. That's Today's +1. Have a great Race Day, my friend. Oh! P.S. Two quick little things.

What's the most important thing for you to do in your Race Today?
How will YOU swap out someone's front-right tire Today?

That is all. That and LET'S DO THIS!!!

+1: #815 Archeological Reading Jun 29, 2019

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about Twyla Tharp's thoughts on reading and thinking. Recall her comment that: "If I stopped reading, I'd stop thinking. It's that simple." (Amen!) Today I'd like to talk about HOW she reads. I really like her perspective because it's pretty much EXACTLY how I read. And, well, people are always asking me how I read a book so let's go with this wisdom as a perfect proxy to my process. Twyla tells us: "When I'm reading archeologically, I'm not reading for pleasure. I read the way I scratch for an idea, digging down deep so I can get something out of it and use it in my work. I read transactionally: How can I use this? It's not enough for me to read a book. I have to 'own' it. I scribble in the margins. I circle sentences I like and connect them with arrows to other useful sentences. I draw stars and exclamation points on every good page, to the point where the book is almost unreadable. By writing all over the pages, I transform the author's work into my book—and mine alone." That's Today's +1. Here's a nice bold pen for your archeological reading-digging!

+1: #805 The Alchemist Says Jun 19, 2019

Show notes

Have you ever read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho? It's amazing. I've read it a bunch of times. Guess how many copies the book has sold since Paulo wrote it over 30 years ago… 65 MILLION! (!!!) It's been translated into 80 (!!) languages (which takes the prize for the most translated book by any living author) and is widely considered one of the ten best books of the twentieth century. But you know what? Before becoming one of the best-selling books of ALL TIME, it was one of the WORST-selling books of all time. (Hah!) In fact, here's a little story Paulo shares in the foreword to the 25th Anniversary edition of the book (it's almost as good as the story itself!): "When The Alchemist was first published twenty-five years ago in my native Brazil, no one noticed. A bookseller in the northeast corner of the country told me that only one person purchased a copy the first week of its release. It took another six months for the bookseller to unload a second copy—and that was to the same person who bought the first! And who knows how long it took to sell the third. By the end of the year, it was clear to everyone that The Alchemist wasn't working. My original publisher decided to cut me loose and cancelled our contract. They wiped their hands of the project and let me take the book with me. I was forty-one and desperate." Then what? He says: "But I never lost faith in the book or ever wavered in my vision. Why? Because it was me in there, all of me, heart and soul. I was living my own metaphor. A man sets out on a journey, dreaming of a beautiful or magical place, in pursuit of some unknown treasure. At the end of his journey, the man realizes the treasure was with him the entire time. I was following my Personal Legend, and my treasure was my capacity to write. And I wanted to share this treasure with the world. As I wrote in The Alchemist, when you want something, the whole universe conspires to help you. I started knocking on the doors of other publishers. One opened, and the publisher on the other side believed in me and my book and agreed to give The Alchemist a second chance. Slowly, through word of mouth, it finally started to sell—three thousand, then six thousand, ten thousand—book by book, gradually throughout the year." Fast-forward. Eight months later an American visiting Brazil picks up a copy of The Alchemist at a local bookstore and asks if he can translate it. One thing leads to another which leads to another which leads to Bill Clinton leaving the White House with a copy of the book and Madonna and Will Smith raving about it. Then it hit the New York Times bestseller list and stayed there for more than three hundred weeks. He says: "People continue to ask me if I knew The Alchemist would be such a huge success. The answer is no. I had no idea. How could I? When I sat down to write The Alchemist, all I knew is that I wanted to write about my soul. I wanted to write about my quest to find my treasure." That's Today's +1. Two parts. First: If you're one of the 17 people on the planet into Optimizing who hasn't read The Alchemist yet, what are you waiting for? Second: What's your personal quest? What do you REALLY (!) want?! Remember: "There is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It's your mission on earth... And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

+1: #800 Building Agency: Step #3 Jun 14, 2019

Show notes

In our last couple +1s, we've had fun (at least I have!) briefly chatting about the first two steps Paul Napper and Anthony Rao encourage us to take in pursuit of cultivating our Agency such that life's challenges are just nutritious treats fueling our hero's journeys. Step 1: Control Stimuli. Step 2: Selectively Associate. Today we're going to talk about Step 3: Move. Here's how Paul and Anthony put it: "Focusing on movement, and on the nutrition and rest necessary to keep you active and in balance, increases mental and physical strength and stamina–essential building blocks to all body and mind functions." Want a strong sense of personal power? Well, as we discuss ALL.THE.TIME!!, you better ENERGIZE. Let's hear it from their perspective. They tell us: "We all know what it feels like to sit around like a slug all day, not getting outdoors and moving about. But when we get some real movement in, it is a kind of agency in itself. It primes our minds and our senses to fully engage in the world." They continue: "When we say Move, we really mean this: Pay attention to your body so that you can provide it with what it requires to be healthy and in balance, because when your body is out of balance, your mind is out of balance. To achieve this, engage in physical movements in multiple ways, rest adequately, and eat nutritious food. Your agency depends on it. Without physical health and balance in your life, everything else will wobble and decline. Flexibility, strength, and stamina are the most obvious things that begin to deteriorate when you're physically out of balance. But likewise, your motivation, your ability to pay attention, and your ability to delay gratification are adversely affected. Most important to realize, with unhealthy amounts of movement, rest, nutrition, your psychological state–your thinking skills and ability to manage your emotions– deteriorates, and along with it your personal agency." That's Today's +1. What's the one thing you know you could be doing that could most benefit your life if you did it consistently starting Today? Got it? Now forget it. (Hah.) What's one TINY (!!!) little thing you could do RIGHT NOW (!) that would be a fun way to demonstrate some mastery and build your agency? Let's do it. Together. (Mine? I'm going to take a nice, calming, deep breath in through my nose down into my belly. Then pause for a moment before smiling and exhaling back out through my nose—slightly longer than my inhale—as I relax my body and get ready to give the world some more of what I've got!)

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