Optimize With Brian Johnson | More Wisdom In Less Time

This morning I was doing my normal thing. In the process, I came up with a little insight I’m excited to share.    First, the quick recap of what led to the insight.   Of course, my day started yesterday when I shutdown early the day before (4:00 PM; right after my every-Monday coaching call), hung out with the fam then went to bed super early (7:30 PM) and deliberately spent 10 hours in bed (getting 9 hours of sleep including 1 hour 24 min of REM sleep and 2 hours 23 min of deep sleep). Then I was up at 5:30 AM (I’m sleeping in these days, folks! lol) with an Oura readiness score of 95 (having fun gaming it). 20-min Meditation, 5-min Movement then AM1 Deep Work.   I started the Deep Work with our quick “Carpe Diem” journaling session—noting my Identities + Virtues + Behaviors for Energy + Work + Love. (Note: This practice is a cornerstone of our Mastery Series/Optimize Coach program. Aspiring Coaches need to log 200 days of Optimize Carpe Diem journaling as one of the requirements to get ce

In our last +1, we talked about the Fundies and how (ahem) fundamental they are to our Optimizing and Actualizing.    Eat! Move! Sleep! Breathe! Be Present! Prosper!   As I said, if I could whisper one thing in my younger self’s ear, I think it would be to MASTER those guys as I’m firmly convinced that when we get our PHYSIOLOGY properly Optimized, the rest tends to follow pretty smoothly via the super-strong connection we’ve created between our “normal” selves and our eudaimonic, Optimus-best selves.   Today I want to talk about another Idea from the Big Picture lecture on the subject.   Remember the Spinny Fingers we talked about back in the day?   Basic recap: Find a safe place to spin around and get yourself dizzy. Then do one of two things.    First: After getting yourself nice and dizzy, stop spinning and start looking aimlessly around the room. Up over there. Down there. All around.   What happens when you have no central point to ground yourself? You get DIZZIER.   Shake that of

In our last +1, we talked about lint on the projector’s lens and the fact that, as per Byron Katie, “every perceived problem appearing ‘out there’ is really nothing more than a misperception within your own thinking.”    As I imagined us all busting out a nice little cloth to clean up our own lens rather than trying to change things “out there,” I thought of another great spiritual teacher.   He lived a couple thousand years ago. In the land of Galilea. His name was Jesus.   You know what he said?   Well, in our Note on The Jefferson Bible, we flip open to the Bible, Matthew 7:3 where we find this eternally epic wisdom gem: “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerst not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite! First cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”

Continuing our series on how to build a bonFIRE, today we’re going to chat about The Big 3 of creating Financial Independence (and Interdependence) as we win the ultimate game of life, Realizing Eudaimonia.   Let’s flip open our copies of The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins for this wisdom-love.   As we briefly discussed in our last +1, JL is a tough-love, lovable Uncle kinda guy. He originally shared his “simple path to wealth” via a series of letters he wrote for his daughter. Those letters became a blog series.     Obviously check out the book and JL’s site for the deep dive (and, I’m a lover of wisdom not a financial planner so…), but here’s The Big 3 in a tiny nutshell. 1. Avoid debt. 2. Spend (WAY) less than you make. 3. Invest the rest. That’s it. Do that. Give it time. And… Voila.    Well, obviously there’s a LOT more to it than that.   But, as they say, the NUMBERS are simple. It’s the LIFESTYLE changes that are hard.   One more time:   1. Avoid debt.    Like the plague. Seriousl

At this stage, most people have heard of Dale Carnegie’s uber-bestselling book How to Win Friends and Influence People. It was originally published in 1936 and has sold 15 million copies.    It helped kicked off the whole self-development movement and is one of the bestselling self-help book of all time. (It was #19 on Time magazines list of all-time most influential books.)   Having said that, I actually avoided reading it for over 20 years.   I just couldn’t get past what appeared to be a pretty shallow, transactional view of human relationships so…   Alas, a couple years ago I finally submitted to the pressure of countless requests to do a Note on it (hah) and really enjoyed it.   But that’s not quite the point of Today’s +1.   This is.   Did you know Dale wrote another book a dozen years later called How to Stop Worrying and Start Living? It’s true. And, it’s AWESOME.   Quick question: You ever worry?   * Insert laughter here *   Once again: Of course you do. You’re human.   Want a qu

In our last couple +1s, we talked about Seneca’s wisdom on the importance of “fortifying our pertinacity” until our will to do the right thing becomes a disposition to doing the right thing.   That’s basically EXACTLY what we talked about a little bit ago when we explored the Algorithms Module we recently went through in the Mastery portion of our Optimize Coach program.   As you may recall (bonus points and high fives if you’ve already tattooed this line on your Optimizing consciousness), I often say that it’s all about using our Willpower wisely to install Habits that run on autopilot via Algorithms.   Here’s a super-quick recap of the basic idea that I think we REALLY want to get.    (btw: I just got goosebumps as I typed that.)    (Yes, as we’ve established by this stage, I’m weird. Things like this get me that fired up.)    So…    Our basal ganglia is an ancient part of our brain. In fact, it’s 500 million (!!!) years old. All mammals have it.   Among other things, it basically fig

Skipping the longer philosophical chat about the ethics of being a conqueror, Today we’re going to chat about Alexander the Great.   More specifically, we’re going to talk about him and a knot.   The Gordion Knot.   You know the story?   Wikipedia tells us that legend has it that, once upon a time, the ancient people known as the Phrygians (who lived in what is now modern Turkey) didn’t have a king.    An oracle declared that the next man to enter their capital city driving an ox-cart would become king. (That’s one way to do it, eh? )   So… A peasant farmer drove an ox-cart into town and, lo and behold, became king.   His name was Gordias.    In gratitude, his son Midas dedicated the ox-cart to the main Phrygian god (kinda like their version of Zeus) and tied it to a post with a super-intricate knot.    As in, "good luck untying THAT knot” kinda knot.   A Roman historian described it as "several knots all so tightly entangled that it was impossible to see how they were fastened.”   Fast

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

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

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 w

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 mon

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.”   Wh

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 hither

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?   Th

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

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 s

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 eng

In our last little flurry of +1s, we had some fun with Mel Robbins’s 5 Second Rule.   Have you tried it out yet?   5… 4… 3… 2… 1… - GO!!!   That might be THE most elegantly efficient Tool we’ve discussed to help close the gap between who we’re CAPABLE of being and who we’re ACTUALLY being. (Operationalizing Areté for the win!)    Now, one of the key themes of Mel’s book and reasons why that tool is so powerful is the fact that, in addition to getting us to take action RIGHT NOW on what matters most, her 5 Second Rule also builds something that scientists call “agency.”   (Mel actually doesn’t use the word “agency” to describe it; she focuses on a parallel idea called “locus of control.” We’ll save that idea for another time.)   Agency.    It’s a beautiful word. One of my favorites in fact. Science says it’s one of the secret sauces to Optimizing.   So, when I fortuitously stumbled upon a book called The Power of Agency on Amazon, I immediately got it and read it. It’s written by Paul Nappe

In our last +1, we talked about our new Optimus launch code: "5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Now what needs to be done?”    Although I didn’t make the second part of the little launch mantra explicit, we connected Mel Robbins’s brilliant 5 Second Rule with David Reynold’s Constructive Living Rule.   It’s always awesome to see teachers from such different backgrounds say basically exactly the same thing.   As you may recall, Reynolds is a Zen therapist who wrote a great little book called Constructive Living.    He tells us: “Our behavior is controllable in a way that our feelings are not. There is a very special satisfaction for the Artist of Living who works within life’s limits to produce a fine self-portrait. The more control we develop over our actions, the more chance we have of producing a self we can be proud of.”   His mantra?    “Now what needs to be done?”   (We have a +1 on this already but it’s worth a replay.)   Don’t feel like doing something you know you need to do? No problem.    “Now what

A couple +1s ago, we hung out with a world-class Ferrari pit stop crew and took a moment to celebrate all the people in OUR pit stop crews while committing to stepping up our pit crew games for those we’re blessed to serve.   Today I want to talk about WD-40.   I’ve actually been meaning to talk about it for awhile and Today seems like a good day.    Of course, I have no idea if pit stop crews use WD-40 (I’m pretty sure the Ferrari guys don’t—lol) but it seems like a good opportunity to slip in a fun story so here we are.   WD-40.   For those who may not be familiar with the super-lubricating product, Wikipedia tells us that “WD-40 is the trademark name of a penetrating oil and water-displacing spray. The spray is manufactured by the WD-40 Company based in San Diego, California.”   But that’s not the point of Today’s +1.   I want to talk about the origin story for WD-40.   Pop quiz: Do you know how they came up with that name?   Well, on the company’s web site they tell us: “WD-40® literally sta