You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Latest Episodes:

Interview: Atomic Habits with James Clear Dec 08, 2018

Show notes

James Clear has a super-popular website (jamesclear.com). Millions of people visit it every month and hundreds of thousands subscribe to his email newsletter. After reading this book, I can see why. He's a great writer and distills the essence of habit formation into, well, its fundamental components—the "atomic" structure if you will—while showing us how those TINY little incremental improvements add up to MIGHTY results. I rarely say a book is a must-read but this one's as close as it gets. Big Ideas we explore include: The math behind 1% gains compounding over a year (and a decade!), navigating the Plateau of Latent Potential (ever given up on a habit? Take note!), the importance (and etymology) of our Identity (get this: it *literally* means 'repeated being ness'), The 4 Laws of Behavior Change (remember: cue + craving + response + reward and... make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, make it satisfying), and the Sorites Paradox (can a single habit change your life?).

PNTV: Atomic Habits by James Clear (#383) Dec 06, 2018

Show notes

Optimize: https://optimize.me/ (← Get Free Stuff + Free 2-Week Trial!) Optimize Coach: https://optimize.me/coach (← Join 2,000+ Optimizers from 70+ Countries!)

Here are 5 of my favorite Big Ideas from "Atomic Habits" by James Clear. Hope you enjoy!

+1: #610 The Greatest Stock Market Dec 06, 2018

Show notes

In our last +1, we met one of my heroes, Mrs. Kristie Kuehnast. I smile with joy (and in awe) every time I imagine her fifth-grade students coming back into the classroom after their mile run to sit down and watch a new +1 or PNTV. High fives, Kristie. We appreciate you. (Oh! Please walk through a cloning machine about 50 million times. Thank you.) We also briefly touched on Yuval Noah Harari's perspective on the subject of Education. Today I want to revisit some more wisdom from his new book. As we discussed, Yuval shines a spotlight on 21 of the biggest challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. With the rise of artificial intelligence, information technology and biotechnology, things are changing at an incomprehensible speed. And, it's only going to speed up, not slow down. He tells us: "The danger is that if we invest too much in developing AI and too little in developing human consciousness, the very sophisticated artificial intelligence of computers might only serve to empower the stupidity of humans." He also tells us: "To avoid such outcomes, for every dollar and every minute we invest in improving artificial intelligence, we'd be wise to invest a dollar and a minute in advancing human consciousness. Unfortunately, at present we are not doing much in the way of research into human consciousness and ways to develop it. We are researching and developing human abilities mainly according to the immediate needs of the economic and political system, rather than according to our own long-term needs as conscious beings. My boss wants me to answer emails as quickly as possible, but he has little interest in my ability to taste and appreciate the food I am eating. Consequently, I check my emails even during meals, which means I lose the ability to pay attention to my own sensations. The economic system pressures me to expand and diversify my investment portfolio, but it gives me zero incentive to expand and diversify my compassion. So I strive to understand the mysteries of the stock exchange while making far less effort to understand the deep causes of suffering." Let's focus on the end of that passage… Which are you most interested in understanding? The fluctuations in the stock market? Or the fluctuations in your own well-being, and, by extension, the well-being of those around you and the world at large? I remember a coaching session where an Optimizer and I had fun making the distinction that, rather than waking up and immediately checking the stock market, he may want to consider waking up and checking in how his ULTIMATE stock was doing—that stock being his OWN CONSCIOUSNESS, of course. Seriously. When you wake up, what do you do? Do you check in on the most precious "asset" you'll ever have? (Again, I repeat: That would be YOU and your well-being, of course!) Or, do you immediately check in on the world—whether that's the stock market or the news or your email inbox? Byron Katie comes to mind. She tells us: "The greatest stock market you can invest in is yourself. Finding this truth is better than finding a gold mine." Amen. Today's +1. How can you invest in yourself a little more today? Here's to celebrating (and tapping into!) our gold mines.

PNTV: Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*T by Steven Pressfield Dec 04, 2018

Show notes

When I first saw the title for this book I thought to myself, "Really, Steve? THIS is what you think I need to hear? That nobody wants to read my sh_t? I thought we were working on our Resistance and winning the War of Art!" Then I bought the book and embraced the tough love with a growth mindset. Big Ideas we explore include WHY people don't want to read your sh_t (or engage with your product/or listen to your talk, etc.) (hint: they're REALLY BUSY!), how to be worthy of their attention, why the hero's journey is essential for effective storytelling (the 10 main points), doing what scares you the most, and the importance of giving us your gift (mine the gold, please!!).

Optimal Weight 101 (Intro) Dec 02, 2018

Show notes

Weight. It matters. A lot. Although I'm obviously not a weight-loss guy, as I prepped for Energy 101 I realized that we needed to talk about Optimizing our weight. Enter, this class—which could more accurately be called Optimal METABOLISM 101. Fact is, if our weight is off, our METABOLISM is off. Specifically, our insulin levels (which disrupts another hormone called leptin that regulates our appetite). In this class, we take a quick look at why it's so hard to Optimize our weight and how to make it easy (or at least a lot easier!).

+1: #605 Genius Is Self-Bestowed Dec 01, 2018

Show notes

A few +1s ago, we talked about Walter Russell and the sound of joy. Today I'd like to talk about another one of his powerful insights. Here it is. He tells us: "Mediocrity is self-inflicted. Genius is self-bestowed." Here's the slightly longer version: "I believe that every man has consummate genius within him. Some appear to have it more than others only because they are aware of it more than others are, and the awareness or unawareness of it is what makes each one of them into masters or holds them down to mediocrity. I believe that mediocrity is self-inflicted and that genius is self-bestowed." Today's +1 is very simple. Are you bestowing genius upon yourself or inflicting mediocrity? Well, which is it? Genius. Mediocrity. I agree with Walter (and countless other teachers). We ALL have "consummate" (Golden Buddha!) genius within ourselves. Can you see it?

PNTV: The Artist's Journey by Steven Pressfield Nov 29, 2018

Show notes

This is Steven Pressfield's 19th book. It's the 10th book of his I've read and it's the 4th book on which I've done a Note. As with all of his books, this one is written in his inimitable, pithy style. (In fact, as I consulted my dictionary for the precise definition of the word pithy, I realized just how much his style epitomizes that word. Pithy means "concise and forcefully expressive.") Big Ideas we explore include defining the artist's journey (vis-a-vis the hero's journey; note: we all live both journeys!!), our #1 job (say hello to your muse), the superconsciousness (shuttle back and forth!), destiny acorns (daimon meet genius), how to let your soul shine (hint: SHOW UP!), Jay-Z in his studio (enter: 10,000 micro hero's journeys), and: Ready or not (you're called!!).

PNTV: The Art and Science of Low-Carbohydrate Performance by Jeff Volek & Stephen Phinney Nov 27, 2018

Show notes

Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney are both academic researchers and professors who have been studying sports nutrition, ketogenic diets and peak performance for decades. To put it in perspective, Dr. Stephen Phinney (with his MD from Stanford and PhD from MIT) coined the phrase "keto-adapted" in 1980. Big Ideas we explore include: the accepted dogma (vs. compelling data), two fuel tanks (you want to go hours or days?), veto-adaptation (how to), protein (necessary but in moderation), fat (your most important fuel; the good and bad!), and the macro breakdown (here it is!).

+1: #600 Ballet, Anyone? Nov 26, 2018

Show notes

In our last couple +1s, we talked about the lead-up to a recent keynote talk I gave and some wisdom gleaned in the process—including practicing the "Bring it on!" and "I'm excited!" tools THE MOMENT I experienced doubt/fear/etc. and… Hanging towels over mirrors to reduce the ol' self-consciousness. Today I want to talk about being a ballet dancer. (Hah.) Well, actually, I want to talk about some of my favorite feedback from the event. I had some great conversations with the people at the event but one nice little comment really stuck. Short story: While I was holding Eleanor while Alexandra and Emerson were enjoying a quick little hot tub session at the hotel on Friday night, a woman who attended the event strolled by. We had a nice little Love 2.0 moment. She told me that she was trained in Russian ballet and that one of the first things she noticed when I started talking was my posture. She said that in her ballet training, she was taught to simultaneously go up AND go down. And that, apparently, I did that really well. She said I looked like I could be a ballet dancer. I said, "That's AWESOME. Thank you!" But, as awesome as that is (lol), that's not quite the point of Today's +1. Today I want to talk about three things: Head Threads + Power Poses + Thor's Hammer. I take my posture/gait kinda seriously. (I think it was Phil Maffetone who says that how we hold ourselves (how we stand/walk/etc.) is, essentially, the sum total of our overall well-being and communicates to everyone around us.) So… During my meditation this morning, the essence of this +1 bubbled up and I actually got up to capture the ideas (which is a very rare thing for me to do). There are three essential things I think we want to have in mind posture-wise. First, Head Threads. Quick recap: As per the Alexander Technique training I did on a tiny little island in Greece back in the day, imagine having a thread that runs from the top of your head down through your spine. Gently pull it up—lengthening (and widening) your spine. When you sit. When you stand. When you walk. All day every day. Experts in that method say that's one of the keys to grace and poise. Then we have Power Poses: I also like to think of Amy Cuddy's research on the power of our posture. As it turns out, Amy was actually a ballet dancer as well. Recall her research on how to cultivate Presence. One of her big things, of course, is to strike a power pose. Channel your inner Superman or Wonder Woman. When you sit. When you stand. When you walk. All day every day. Experts in this field of research say this is one of the most effective ways to cultivate our presence and power. Finally we have Thor's Hammer: Eric Goodman is one of the world's leading biomechanic experts. He wrote a book called True to Form. You know who wrote the foreword to his book? Thor!! Well, technically, it was Chris Helmsworth but he attributes his superpowers to Eric's wisdom. The key tip from Eric I have in my mind often throughout the day? "Chest up. Chin down." Try it. Chest up. Chin down. All day. Every day. Thor says: It does a body good. That's Today's +1. Let's (literally!) embody the idea of buoyancy by simultaneously having levity AND gravity. Remember: Head Threads. Power Poses. Thor's Hammer. Simultaneously UP and DOWN. And, most importantly: Let's dance!

+1: #595 The 1-Hour (Deep) Workday Nov 21, 2018

Show notes

We've been talking a fair amount about the idea that some of history's greatest creators didn't work all that much. To be clear, they worked hard and (very importantly!) CONSISTENTLY, but the fact is that it's really hard to put in any more than 4 to 6 hours of really high-quality work. Of course, we all have our own idiosyncratic professional responsibilities. And, in addition to Deep Work, we all have (and, for the record, all of history's greatest creators had!) some Team Work and some Monkey Work to do. (Even hermits like me can't get all that to zero—as hard as I may try! lol) But I get the fact that, for a lot of people, the idea that we can structure our lives such that we're basically hammering out four hours of deep work and then calling it a day feels a bit impossible. Fair enough. Maybe we can't currently (or ever!) wave our wands and instantly manifest our ideal Masterpiece Days. But… a) Have you actually stepped back and REALLY thought about how you COULD structure your life so you more consistently execute a pretty epically masterpiece day? b) What about just ONE hour of Deep Work hammer time per day? If four hours feels like an "impossible" stretch, can you carve out ONE hour to go DEEP on what REALLY matters most to you before jumping into the whirlwind of other people's priorities? Perhaps part of that Deep Work time can be dedicated to mapping out how you create four hours of sheer awesome such that you can consistently accumulate twenty hours of REALLY solid Deep Work per week?! (And, the "impossible" becomes "what's for breakfast" as per a recent +1?) You know how much four hours of Deep Work per day/twenty hours of Deep Work per week adds up to in a year? 1,000 hours. You know how many hours that adds up to in a decade? 10,000 hours. You know who you would be if you logged in 10,000 (!!!) hours of REALLY Deep Work? Of course you don't. That, as Ellen Langer would say, is UNKNOWABLE. But… You know what? I'm super-curious to know what it could look like. How about YOU? That's Today's +1. If you're struggling to find your Deep Work rhythms, how about an hour of awesome today? Let's run the math on that as well… You know how much one hour of Deep Work per day or five hours of Deep Work per week adds up to in a year? 250 hours. You know many hours that adds up to in a decade? 2,500 hours. You know who you would be if you logged in 2,500 (!!!) hours of REALLY Deep Work? (… Echo…) Of course you don't. That, as Ellen Langer would say, is UNKNOWABLE. But… You know what? I'm super-curious to know what it could look like. How about YOU? Here's to your 1-Hour (Deep)Workday!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected