You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

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+1: #520 The $7 Trillion Mind-Hacking Industry Sep 07, 2018

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A couple +1s ago, while celebrating Yuval Noah Harari's lack of a smartphone, I mentioned the fact that we don't need to become smashing Luddites in response to the tsunami of technology that hammers us all day every day. But… We ALSO want to make sure we don't become addicted users. The best solution? Be an Optimizite. Let's make the best use of technology to sculpt the best possible version of yourself. (Recall that Optimize comes from the Latin optimus which literally means "the best.") That's the central theme of Conquering Digital Addiction 101—which might be my favorite master class so far. Here's the deal. You know how Facebook and Instagram and Google make money? By, essentially, hacking and then selling your attention. They work REALLY REALLY REALLY (!!!) hard to make sure you spend MORE and MORE and MORE time on their sites and apps. Then they SELL your attention to (literally) the highest bidder. Now, of course, there's nothing inherently evil about this per se. These companies often provide astonishingly cool and equally valuable services. But the way they've set up their business model essentially REQUIRES them to, as this must-see 60 Minutes exposé called "Brain Hacking" puts it: HACK your mind. Now, we often say we watch stuff like that for "free" but, technically, we typically pay for it via xx seconds of your attention (which is sold to a sponsor who shows us their ad). Alternatively, you can upgrade your YouTube account and NOT watch ads—which is a really compelling alternative business model that doesn't require a company to focus so much on mining your attention. Saving the bigger picture business model discussion for another time, get this: That whole economy is called the "attention economy" (and could be called the "mind-hacking economy"). You know how much money is made hacking your mind every year? Some researchers put the number at $7 TRILLION dollars. S E V E N. T R I L L I O N. D O L L A R S. $7,000,000,000,000!!! That's a lot of zeroes. (12 in fact.) And… That's a lot of hacking. And… A lot of addicted users. Which brings us to another point of the class and of this +1. Technologists refer to their customers as "users." You know who else refers to their customers as "users"? Drug dealers. (Hah. And d'oh.) Seeing that our smartphones and emails and apps light up the same addiction centers of our brains as cocaine and alcohol and other drugs, it's a fitting parallel. It's also why Bill Maher refers to "social media tycoons" as "tobacco farmers in t-shirts." Only, he says, the tobacco guys only wanted your lungs. Tech titans want your SOUL. Again. I'm NOT saying we should all go smashing our phones and computers Luddite style. But I AM saying that you've gotta wonder why Steve Jobs wouldn't even let his own kids use the iPad he was so excited about. And why so many tech execs follow his lead and RADICALLY limit their kids' use of the very products they build. As Adam Alter says in Irresistible: "It seemed as if the people producing tech products were following the cardinal rule of drug dealing: never get high on your own supply. This is unsettling. Why are the world's greatest public technocrats also its greatest private technophobes? Can you imagine the outcry if religious leaders refused to let their children practice religion?" All of which leads us to the practical point of Today's +1. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "Not at all! I'm 100% Optimizite, baby!" and 10 being "Oh… yikes! I'm a 10 Addicted User!" where are you on the addicted-user spectrum? 1 ----------------------------------------- 10 And… Most importantly: How can you take a step or three toward the Optimizite side of that spectrum today? Here's to wisely unplugging from the $7 trillion mind-hacking economy long enough to become all that we're capable of being!

+1: #515 Running Experiments Sep 02, 2018

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about Professor Harari's two world maps—one before The Scientific Revolution that was all filled in (including areas they knew NOTHING about) and one after that had plenty of empty spaces (accounting for all they things they didn't know). Then we talked about YOUR maps. And, hopefully, we all added a good deal more empty space in our maps—especially that space outside our comfort zones that leads to the unknowable zone of our infinite potential. Today I want to chat about the importance of running our own scientific experiments. Of course, admitting our ignorance is an absolutely essential first step to gaining new knowledge. But, then we've gotta throw on our lab coats and get to work! Before we go there though, how about another quick little history lesson? So, we all know that Christopher Columbus "discovered" the continent that became known as America. But... He refused to believe it. When he landed on the Bahamas he thought he had discovered islands en route to East Asia. As Professor Harari puts it: "He called the people he found there 'Indians' because he thought he had landed in the Indies—what we now call the East Indies or the Indonesian archipelago. Columbus stuck to this error for the rest of his life. The idea that he had discovered a completely unknown continent was inconceivable for him and for many of his generation." Then, get this: America was mistakenly named by map-maker Martin Waldseemüller who thought explorer Amerigo Vespucci discovered it. As Harari says, "There is poetic justice in the fact that a quarter of the world, and two of its seven continents, are named after a little-known Italian whose sole claim to fame is that he had the courage to say, 'We don't know.'" Alright. Back to the Scientific Optimizing. Today's +1. Let's throw on our lab coats and goggles and grab our clipboards. It's time to run some experiments. In fact, let's follow Ralph Waldo Emerson's wisdom and make EVERYTHING an experiment. btw: My hunch is you're familiar with this quote: "All life is an experiment. The more experiments the better." The full passage is even better. As Ralph says: "Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better. What if they are a little coarse and you may get your coat soiled or torn? What if you do fail, and get fairly rolled in the dirt once or twice? Up again, you shall never be so afraid of a tumble." So, my dear Scientifically-Experimenting-Ignoramus-Optimizer friend: What experiments have YOU run lately? Let's measure our little (and big) tests as objectively as we can—making the connection between the mundane things like "When I eat that, my nose gets stuffy" and "When I'm online late at night I sleep poorly and that diminishes my energy and optimism which makes me grumpy which slows down my actualization" to... Whatever else you need to shine the light of ignorance on! Then, of course, we need to take that data and APPLY it to our lives. As Harari points out, it's APPLIED scientific knowledge that leads to power. We can only gain new power by moving from *theory* to PRACTICE. So, my dear Scientifically-Experimenting-Ignoramus-Optimizer friend: What data have you gotten from recent experiments and, most importantly, how will you apply that knowledge to your life TODAY? Here's to your lab coat and clipboard. And don't forget the goggles.

+1: #510 Demonstration vs. Instruction Aug 28, 2018

Show notes

Wallace D. Wattles was an old-school Philosopher-Optimizer who wrote The Science of Getting Rich. He also wrote a little book called The Science of Being Great. (Both of those titles are, of course, finalists for best titles ever.) In The Science of Being Great he has a great line that has been tattooed on my brain since I read it. He said: "The world needs demonstration more than it needs instruction." The world needs DEMONSTRATION more than it needs INSTRUCTION. Isn't that a powerful statement?! (Kinda makes you wonder what you're demonstrating, eh?) For example, we know that kids don't do what they're told or taught, they do what they SEE. So, it's pretty obvious we better model the behaviors we want to see in our kids if we want them to grow up to be great humans. All of which leads us to a little personal story—one from a couple months ago that features me in a (laughably) low moment in my parenting career. Short story: My dad cursed like a sailor. In fact, he literally WAS a sailor. (Hah.) He enlisted in the Navy when he turned 18 and his language was just astonishingly bad. (So bad he'd literally make my devout Catholic mom cry at times. I can laugh now but it wasn't funny then.) Anyway… I rarely curse and I've been committed to never cursing in front of the kids. So, I was particularly appalled at myself (laughing) when, on an evening when I was particularly tired and Emerson was acting particularly like a (tired) 5 year old, I got so annoyed by the meditation cushion (oh, the irony!) he dropped on my face when I wasn't looking as I was laying on the ground playing with Eleanor that I got up, walked out of the room and mumbled in a voice considerably louder than I intended: "You're such a little sh*t!" What happened next? Well, he was at the door and IMMEDIATELY said, "No! YOU'RE such a little s*it!" Again, I can laugh as I type this as a) It's been awhile and b) He had no idea what the word was and hasn't repeated it since and c) I got some serious mileage on the "Needs Work!" front but… It was a really powerful opportunity for me to remember that the world needs DEMONSTRATION more than it needs INSTRUCTION. All of which leads us to Today's +1. What are you demonstrating? Any behaviors that make you wince that you'd like to clean up and throw out? Let's do this!

Optimizing Algorithms 101 (Intro) Aug 26, 2018

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+1: #505 Solvitur Ambulando Aug 23, 2018

Show notes

Today we're going to talk about walking. Walking is awesome. In fact, it's so old-school epically awesome in helping thinkers think that our ancient friends even had a Latin phrase to capture its power: Solvitur ambulando. <- "It is solved by walking." Nietzsche would agree. He said: "All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking." Kierkegaard would agree. He put it this way: "I have walked myself into my best thoughts." Then we have Immanuel Kant. He was so consistent with his daily walks that his neighbors could set their clocks to the time he passed their houses. (They even named a street after him called "Philosopher's Walk.") Then we have Charles Darwin. For nearly FORTY years he followed his schedule with "clockwork" precision. And, you know what made it on the schedule every day? His walk. He was so committed to it that he actually leased his neighbor's land just so he could do a complete loop on what became known as Sandwalk (although he preferred to call it his "thinking path"). Then there's Aristotle. He and his followers walked so much as they thought and taught and philosophized that they were known as the "peripatetics"—which literally means "walking up and down." Of course, modern scientists have proven just how powerful walking is for creativity. (Especially in nature!) So, yah. Ancient and modern philosophers agree: Walking is pretty powerful. But, pop quiz! You know what NONE of those philosophers had on their deep-thinking walks? SMARTPHONES. Of course, none of them lived in a world with such a nonstop tsunami of digital distractions but I can assure you that no self-respecting, deep-thinking lover of wisdom would bring a device that would subject them to OTHER people's thoughts on a walk intended to tap into THEIR own thoughts. … How about you? Today's +1. Go for a walk. (Ideally somewhere easy to get to yet beautiful.) And leave your smartphone at home. (Or in the car/whatever.) Say hello to your deep thoughts for me.

+1: #500 Thrown a Perfect Game Lately? Aug 18, 2018

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about the fact that batting .300 over the course of your Major League Baseball career gets you in the Hall of Fame. Today we're going to continue the baseball metaphor. Pop quiz for baseball fans: You know how many perfect games have EVER been thrown?! (For those who may not know, a perfect game is defined by Major League Baseball (via Wikipedia) as "a game in which a pitcher (or combination of pitchers) pitches for a victory [in a game] that lasts a minimum of nine innings in which no opposing player reaches base.") So… Get this: According to Wikipedia, Major League Baseball has been around for 140 years. Over 210,000 (!) games have been played. And only 23 (!) perfect games have ever been pitched. And… No player has ever thrown more than one perfect game. 140 years. 210,000 (!) games. Only 23 perfect games. And NO pitcher has ever done it twice. Yet you and I want to have perfect lives. (Hahahahahhaha!) I'm also reminded of John Wooden. He was all about GOING for perfection but only doing so KNOWING we'll never actually get it! Here's how he puts it: "Perfection is what you are striving for, but perfection is an impossibility. However, striving for perfection is not an impossibility. Do the best you can under the conditions that exist. That is what counts." (Sounds a lot like our Guiding Stars and Distant Shores, eh?) You know what else Wooden said? This: "When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. When you improve conditioning a little each day, eventually you have a big improvement in conditioning. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don't look for the big, quick improvement. Seek the small improvement one day at a time. That's the only way it happens—and when it happens, it lasts." (Sounds a lot like our Optimize +1s, eh?) And, one more Wooden gem (all of these are from his book called Wooden, btw): "Did I win? Did I lose? Those are the wrong questions. The correct question is: Did I make my best effort? That's what matters. The rest of it just gets in the way." Today's +1. Let's make our best effort. Let's "seek the small improvement one day at a time. That's the only way it happens—and when it happens, it lasts." +1. +1. +1.

+1: #495 Conquering Hero vs. Suffering Martyr Aug 13, 2018

Show notes

In our last +1, we talked about the science of daydreaming. Quick recap: Stay out of the "poor attention control" and "guilty-dysphoric" realms and in the "positive-constructive" mode. Here's another way to think about it. (Thanks again to Manoush Zomorodi!) When your mind is wandering and you're kinda randomly thinking about your life, do you imagine yourself as the CONQUERING HERO of your own story (positive-constructive!) or the SUFFERING MARTYR (guilty-dysphoric) of the story? It's a big distinction. We want to get REALLY (!) good at noticing when we're falling into the "woe is me" helpless Victim orientation and SHIFT it into the "Let's do this!!" Creator orientation. How? Well, again, what do you think we're doing with all these +1s? I'm basically trying to give you a super-stocked toolshed/armory of tools and weapons and tips and tricks and hacks you can use THE MOMENT you find yourself losing your connection from the best version of yourself. It all starts with mastering our fundamentals: eat! move! sleep! (Ever notice how the martyr shows up a LOT more when you're TIRED? Me, too. That's why Vince Lombardi says that "Fatigue makes cowards of us all.") Let's actually keep things simple and focus there today. Do you know your #1 Self-Care Habit? Is it eating well? Exercising? Sleeping? Meditating? Doing deep work? Helping others? …? …? What's the thing that, if you DON'T do it, pretty much guarantees a sub-optimal day? (For me it is, unquestionably, getting a good night of sleep.) You? This is my #1 Self-Care Habit: ______________. This is the #1 thing I can do to Optimize it Today: ________________. That is all. Here's to doing the things that help the Conquering Hero show up more and more consistently. And, here's to stepping back and looking at the fundamentals whenever we get a little Whiney-Martyr wobbly! +1. +1. +1.

+1: #485 The Rules of Breathing Aug 03, 2018

Show notes

In our last couple +1s, we've talked about your breathing. If you haven't checked out the full Optimal Breathing 101 master class yet, you might dig it. For now, how about a quick look at the THREE simple rules of optimal breathing? Here they are:

Breathe through your nose
Into your belly
And exhale slightly longer than you inhaled

1 + 2 + 3 = Magic. How about a quick inventory then a closer look? First, the quick inventory:

You breathing through your nose? (Most people don't. Go look around and/or in the mirror. Do you see a mouth gaping open?)
Do you breathe deeply (yet calmly) into your belly? (Most people don't—especially if you breathe through your mouth!)
And, is your exhale slightly longer than your inhale? (This is the fastest way to relax!)

Now, for the closer look: Rule #1. Breathe Through Your Nose (EXCLUSIVELY!) When? All day. Every day. (Including while sleeping and training.) Why? Well, check out the class for a full description (and/or the Notes on The Oxygen Advantage, etc.) but here's the basic idea.

First: Your nose filters, humidifies and conditions air in ways your mouth simply can't.
Second: Know that we NEVER used to breathe through our mouths except for the most extreme instances of physical exertion. (Think: Lion chasing you.)
Third: When you breathe through your mouth, you tend to "overbreathe" via short, shallow, fast breaths that disrupt the oxygen to carbon dioxide levels in your body. Although it might sound weird, it's the CARBON DIOXIDE that actually gets the oxygen out of your red blood cells and into your tissues and organs and you need to slow down your breathing (via your nose!) to get the CO2 right and, as a result, the O2 where you want it.

Rule #2. Breathe into Your Belly Fill up the lower part of your lungs. Flex your most underappreciated and underutilized muscle in your body. Get your diaphragm rocking!! Note: Don't take "big" breaths via your mouth into your chest. Take nice, mellow, quiet, DEEP breaths into your belly. Repeat. All day. Every day. Rule #3. Exhale Slightly Longer than You Inhale. This is the fastest way to flip the flip the vagal switch and turn on your parasympathetic nervous system and R E L A X. Whenever you think about it: Exhale longer than you inhale. (Finish strong as we like to say at the Johnson house!) Squeeze your diaphragm. Get all that air out. Why? Well, did you know that breathing is responsible for 70% (!!!) of your body's detoxification? Elimination and sweat only take care of 30%. (Kinda surprising, eh?) But, guess what? If you're not breathing right, you're not detoxifying fully. And, of course, you're not fueling your cells properly. Enter: Compromised vitality and increased potential of getting all the things you don't want. Therefore: Nose. Belly. Exhale. Practice. Practice. Practice. Today's +1. How about a nice, deep, calm breath. In through your nose… Down into your belly… Out through your nose with a nice, long exhale. Ah… Here's to your Optimal Breathing!

Conquering Digital Addiction 101 (Intro) Jul 29, 2018

Show notes

Technology is, obviously, awesome. We've been using "tech" tools for 2.5 million years since our protohuman ancestors first picked up a stone and used it as a tool. 1.8 million years ago, "we" figured out how to make an acheulean hand axe which was a pretty epic innovation at the time. So, with the advent of smartphones in what's known as the "Input Age," I'm not suggesting we should all become tech-smashing Luddites. But… (And this is a big but!), I also don't think we should underestimate just how much we play the role of addicted users caught up in the mix of a $7 TRILLION attention economics (/mind-hacking!) industry. The solution: Become Optimizites—use technology wisely to become the BEST you rather than mindlessly let your 1 million-year-old prefrontal cortex get hacked all day every day. In the class, we walk through the costs of addiction, then talk about how to conquer it so we can sculpt our ideal lives.

+1: #480 Put Your Name on a Sheet Jul 29, 2018

Show notes

Since our time with George Leonard exploring his ideas on Mastery, I've been thinking about him a lot. I realized that I forgot to share another one of my favorite Ideas from his great little book that has most changed my life. It's super simple but equally powerful. First, the context. In a section on getting energy for mastery, George tells us: "A human being is the kind of machine that wears out from lack of use. There are limits, of course, and we do need healthful rest and relaxation, but for the most part we gain energy by using energy... It might well be that all of us possess enormous stores of potential energy, more than we could ever hope to use." Of course, as we discuss often, we need to remember to oscillate and train our recovery, etc. but we've also gotta know that human beings GAIN energy by USING energy. We're the kind of machine that wears out from LACK of use. Which reminds me of super-energized Leonardo da Vinci's wisdom: "Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind. So we must stretch ourselves to the very limits of human possibility. Anything less is a sin against both God and man." (Cue choir of angels on this one: "So we must stretch ourselves to the very limits of human possibility. Anything less is a sin against both God and man.") So… George offers a few tips on how to Optimize our energy for mastery. One of them is to set priorities and make decisions. He tells us: "Indecision leads to inaction, which leads to low energy, depression, despair." Another tip is to get on the path of mastery and STAY ON IT. He says: "Much of the world's depression and discontent... can ultimately be traced to our unused energy, our untapped potential." All of which leads us to two questions and then the point of Today's +1. Question #1: Got any decisions you need to make? Question #2: Are you using your potential?! And, now to the main event: As an Aikido master, George tells us: "It's instructive to watch the immediate surge of clarity and energy during training that comes from the simplest act of writing one's name on a notice." I don't know about you, but after I've put my "name on a notice" (aka signed up for a Spartan Trifecta for the year including a 13+ mile race up and down ski slopes at elevation with bonus energy points for racing with the elite age group guys), my energy and clarity and intensity of (and consistency of!) training IMMEDIATELY shifts. How about YOU? Has that ever happened to you in the past? And, most importantly: Got any sign-up forms waiting for you? Yah? What makes you smile (and maybe makes your heart skip a beat) just imagining doing it? A 5k? A triathlon? A Spartan Race? Getting your black belt? What'll it be? That's Today's +1. If you're feeling so inspired, go put your name on a notice. Watch the immediate surge of clarity and energy during your training.

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