Heroic with Brian Johnson | Activate Your Best. Every Day.

+1: The Optimize Food Rules | The Big 3 (+1!) (#1285)

One of my favorite parts about creating our Optimize Mastery Series is that it forced me to go to the next level of clarity on the most important aspects of our Optimize philosophy.   This was true from Day 1 of the program and I found it to be especially powerful with our Eating Fundamental (which is day 200-something!) in which I integrated the wisdom from dozens of books and our Optimal Nutrition 101 and Optimal Metabolism 101 classes into what I called our Optimize Food Rules...

Welcome to the Top 3 Books Series

Here are my Top 3 BEST Books of All Time: #1: The Tools by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels #2: Deep Work by Cal Newport #3: Happy Together by Suzie and James Pawelski LISTEN for More on why + a Big-Idea from each of those books!

PNTV: Fearless by Eric Blehm (#419)

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 Fearless by Eric Blehm. Hope you enjoy! I got this book after my friend, retired Navy SEAL Captain Bob Schoultz, recommended it to me. It’s ASTONISHINGLY good. As per the sub-title, this book is about "The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brow...

+1: How to Be a Success | Wisdom from Two World-Class Coaches Named Phil (#1280)

In our last +1, we drew some Venn circles with my Yoda and had fun high fiving God by giving ALL we’ve got.   Today I want to chat about what we talked about at the VERY end of our time together on August 10th, 2020.    After recapping the importance of showing up moment to moment to moment to keep my Soul Force powered by Divine Energy, Phil said—almost in a mantra-kinda way:    “APPLY THIS!!!” “APPLY THIS!!!” “APPLY THIS!!!”   It was one of those goosebumpy kinda...

PNTV: Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink (#417)

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 Discipline Equals Freedom by Jocko Willink. Hope you enjoy! Jocko Willink is a retired Navy SEAL. He was commander of Task Unit Bruiser―the most decorated Special Operations Unit of the Iraq War. I really enjoyed Jocko’s first book Extreme Ownership and I knew this one would be good but...

PNTV: Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins (#416)

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 Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins. Hope you enjoy! David Goggins is a former Navy SEAL (and Army Ranger) who used to hold a Guinness World Record for completing 4,030 pull-ups in 17 hours. These days he’s setting records as an ultra-endurance athlete. But he wasn’t always Mr. Superhero. In...

#1: Optimize Press + Buy 1, Get 1 + (#57)

Quick creative update Today. Good times at Optimize!

#1: Optimizing Soul Force (via E x F x WIN + Emerson's virtue art + Top 3 coming soon + ...) (#56)

#1: Today I kinda go off on a ton of stuff: From HRV/RHR ice-bath spikes to Soul Force and Deep Work and the Handbook. Hope you enjoy. Let’s do this. Together. TODAY. As always: Get instant (free) access to all 600+ PhilosophersNotes AND all 50 Optimal Living 101 classes AND 1,000+ Optimize +1s as part of our free 2-week trial: http://optimize.me/

PNTV: Discover the Power Within You by Eric Butterworth (#415)

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 Discover the Power Within You by Eric Butterworth. Hope you enjoy! Eric Butterworth was a prolific author and Unity minister—one of the great spiritual teachers of the 20th century. We featured another one of his books called Spiritual Economics. That one transformed my consciousness ar...

#1: Quick Monday afternoon edition: Thanks for the Handbook love! (#55)

Thanks for all your Handbook love! Here's the Optimize Handbook link I mention: https://optimizehq.typeform.com/to/sFx8AlU1 Quick edition as it's time for shutdown complete/meditation and Deep Love!! LOVE!!

#1: Project: Strength for 2 + Handbook + Nextcitement + ... (#54)

In this Sunday edition, we talk about doubling my basic training protocol (it's the 200 burpees and 20k steps a day that provide the best challenge!) and some iterative creative progress on the book.   As always: Get instant (free) access to all 600+ PhilosophersNotes AND all 50 Optimal Living 101 classes AND 1,000+ Optimize +1s as part of our free 2-week trial: http://optimize.me/

#1: Tour: Outdoor office: "Before" view (#53)

Weekend edition: Today we take a quick trip to the back of the property for a "Before" look at what (Deo Volente) will soon be an awesome outdoor office. Fun. :)

PNTV: Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo (#414)

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 Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo. Hope you enjoy! 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...

Everything Is Figureoutable by Marie Forleo (#414)

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 (!) fav...

#1: Stepping into the (re-)new(ed) identity: Philosopher + CEO + Handbook WINs +... (#52)

Today we have fun with my (re-)new(ed) identity: Philosopher + CEO and some Handbook +1s. As always: Get instant (free) access to all 600+ PhilosophersNotes AND all 50 Optimal Living 101 classes AND 1,000+ Optimize +1s as part of our free 2-week trial: http://optimize.me/

#1: Good bad nights via sleep algorithms (+ v1 OPTIMIZE Handbook cover!) #51

Today we take a sneak peek at v1 of the OPTIMIZE Handbook cover and look at some Oura data on a good bad night saved by an algorithm! As always: Get instant (free) access to all 600+ PhilosophersNotes AND all 50 Optimal Living 101 classes AND 1,000+ Optimize +1s as part of our free 2-week trial: http://optimize.me/

#1: Target Practice with Apollo and Handbook scaffolding project COMPLETE! (Yay!) (#50)

Today we chat about missing the ol' mark on the 3:00 last-input target. And simply recommitting. And... Finished Phase I of the Handbook construction process. Scaffolding is in place. Fired up. (Just noticed this is #50. Time flies when you're having fun!) As always: Get instant (free) access to all 600+ PhilosophersNotes AND all 50 Optimal Living 101 classes AND 1,000+ Optimize +1s as part of our free 2-week trial: http://optimize.me/

#1: 101 days left in 2020 = LET'S GOOOOO! (What're your wildly important targets?) (#48)

Did you know there are 101 days left in 2020. Yep. Time to finish strong. I share a little on how I'm going to do that with the Handbook, etc. How about YOU?

#1: Drucker + Pressfield on creativity (aka showing up & doing the work) (#49)

Afternoon edition of our #1 post 6 hours of DEEP Work on the Handbook. We chat about some creative systems and do the quick Oura review.

PNTV: The Healthy Deviant by Pilar Gerasimo (#412)

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 The Healthy Deviant by Pilar Gerasimo. Hope you enjoy! I’ve been eagerly awaiting for my dear friend Pilar Gerasimo to write a book that captures her wisdom on how to Optimize our lives and give the world all we’ve got. And... The wait is over! Pilar is one of the wisest people I know. ...

+1: Want to Be the Best? | Godin Says: You Really Can’t Try to Do Everything (#1265)

In our last +1, we got our inner Freak on as we spent some time with Dav!d Rendall and learned to embrace constraints as we reminded ourselves to approach this whole game of life as Optimalists rather than Perfectionists—using our ideals as GUIDING STARS not distant shores.   We explored the value of constraints on a high level.    I promised to talk about the idea in a little more detail in terms of choosing what we want to do with our lives AND in the day-to-day of actually m...

PNTV: Food Fix by Mark Hyman, MD (#411)

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 Food Fix by Mark Hyman, MD. Hope you enjoy! Mark Hyman, MD, is head of strategy for the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine and board president for the Institute for Functional Medicine. He is also the bestselling author of a number of books, including Eat Fat, Get Thin. Thi...

#1: A Handbook for the Modern Hero + Surveillance Capitalism + Roman Masterpiece Days (#47)

Today we tap into some insights after a good night of sleep, chat briefly about Surveillance Capitalism (and Digital Minimalism) before I share the first steps in my new book: OPTIMIZE - A Handbook for the Modern Hero.

PNTV: Breath by James Nestor (#410)

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 Breath by James Nestor. Hope you enjoy! Breath. It’s the missing pillar in health. We’ve been talking about this for years and we’ve included breathing among our fundamentals since I first read Patrick McKeown’s The Oxygen Advantage. And, I just LOVE the way James captures the importanc...

#1: Friends, meet Optimize Compass. Compass, Friends. (#46)

Today we have fun meeting the new Optimize (Hero) (Virtue) Compass and I share some interesting HRV and RHR data over last three days looking at effects of last meal, ice baths, etc.

PNTV: Life's Great Question by Tom Rath (#409)

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 Life's Great Question by Tom Rath. Hope you enjoy! I’m a big fan of Tom Rath and his work. And... I’m not alone. His 10 books have sold over 10 million copies. Dan Pink (author of Drive and When) calls him “One of the most successful nonfiction writers of his generation.” We featured tw...

PNTV: The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth (#408)

#1: "I'm back." (Missed you + The Social Dilemma + Wonderfully bad data +) (#45)

After a very brief retirement, I'm back. lol. Missed you. Let's goooo! As always: Get instant (free) access to all 600+ PhilosophersNotes AND all 50 Optimal Living 101

PNTV: The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth (#408)

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 The Practicing Stoic by Ward Farnsworth. Hope you enjoy! Ward Farnsworth is the Dean of the University of Texas School of Law. As you can imagine, he brings a logical precision to his discussion of Stoicism that is distinct and powerful. (Seriously. It’s actually ASTONISHINGLY powerful....

+1: The Flat Tire | And the Ultimate Question: What Do You Want? (#1261)

In our last couple +1s, we’ve been chatting about Trevor Moawad’s wisdom on what he calls “neutral thinking.”   We started by hanging out with Russell Wilson en route to winning a Super Bowl. Then we visited the Johnson Ranch to discuss my relationship with our new chickens and their poop.   (Yes, I can’t get enough of those emojis…)   So…   The morning after that chat I had with Emerson about how to approach the chicken situation either negatively, positively, or neut...

#1: Pause button, foolish consistency and WIN!! (#44)

Today we hit the pause button on the ol' #1s as it's taking a little more Energy + Focus than I'm willing to give it vis-a-vis my truly What's Important Now targets. I think I'll be back with these near the end of the year to make sure we're wrapping up 2020 with antifragile ferocity and getting ready to make 2021 THE Greatest Year of our Lives. In the meantime, PNTVs every day thru end of year. And Top 3 kicking off October 1st. LET'S! DO!! THIS!!! As always: Get instant (free) access t...

+1: Your Stinkin’ Thinkin’ | Chickens, Poop, and Neutral Thinking (#1260)

In our last +1, we spent some more time with Trevor Moawad and explored some more wisdom from his great book, It Takes What It Takes.   As you may recall, we chatted about neutral thinking.   As Trevor says: “No matter where I work, the same truth keeps emerging. Neutral thinking is the key to unlocking a set of behaviors that can turn also-rans into champions and champions into legends.”   Today I want to bring that wisdom to life with a little personal example from the ...

PNTV: Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven (#406)

Admiral William H. McRaven is a Retired U.S. Navy SEAL who served for thirty-seven years and commanded at every level. As a Four-Star Admiral, his final assignment was as Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces. (During this time, he oversaw the covert mission that killed Osama bin Laden.) In 2014, he gave the commencement address to the graduates of the University of Texas at Austin. Millions of people wound up watching his speech on ten lessons he learned from his Navy SEAL trainin...

PNTV: Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven (#406)

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 Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven. Hope you enjoy! Admiral William H. McRaven is a Retired U.S. Navy SEAL who served for thirty-seven years and commanded at every level. As a Four-Star Admiral, his final assignment was as Commander of all U.S. Special Operations Forces. (Durin...

#1: Friends, meet books. Books, friends! (#43)

Today we visit the barn-studio to hang out with 500+ of my favorite books as we check out the studio set up for the upcoming Top 3 Most Life-Changing Book series! :)

My Top 3 favorite teachers (and why!)

As I was prepping for our upcoming Top 3 Most Life-Changing Books series, I realized I could create a little video on my Top 3 favorite teachers. Here it is!

+1: Neutral Thinking | vs. Positive and Negative Thinking (#1259)

A couple +1s ago, we had some fun hanging out with Trevor Moawad and discussed some wisdom from his great book: It Takes What It Takes.    As you may recall, we chatted about his distinction that the highest level of achievement comes when we reach “Conscious Competence.”    In this state, we’re consciously aware of the things we do that help us consistently (key word: consistently!) perform at our best.    That Self-Awareness paired with Self-Mastery is what makes t...

PNTV: The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins (#405)

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 The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. Hope you enjoy! Mel Robbins is funny, witty and wise. Her TEDx Talk (called How to stop screwing yourself over) is one of the most popular of all time, with more than 18 million views. This book is also super popular—with over 1,000 Amazon reviews. It’s...

#1: Ice baths, my Top 3 teachers ever, bullying, and TGIM! (#42)

Get instant (free) access to all 600+ PhilosophersNotes AND all 50 Optimal Living 101 classes AND 1,000+ Optimize +1s as part of our free 2-week trial: http://optimize.me/

PNTV: Musonius Rufus by Musonius Rufus (#403)

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 Musonius Rufus by Musonius Rufus. Hope you enjoy! Musonius Rufus was one of the four great Roman Stoics. In fact, he was known as the “Roman Socrates.” To put him in historical context with the other three great Roman Stoics: He was born in AD 30, about 34 years after Seneca. He taught ...

#1: A quick look at my creative process (via Top 3 books project!) (#41)

PNTV: Stillness Is The Key by Ryan Holiday (#401)

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 Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday. Hope you enjoy! This is our fourth Note on one of Ryan Holiday’s books. Ryan is one of my absolute favorite writers. One of the testimonials in the front of the book perfectly captures my sentiment. Screenwriter and director Brian Koppelman (Rounder...

PNTV: The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. (#400)

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 The Joy of Movement by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D.. Hope you enjoy! I’m a big fan of Kelly McGonigal and her ability to help us apply scientific wisdom to our lives. We’ve covered two of her earlier books: The Willpower Instinct and The Upside of Stress. So... When I got this book, knew I’d ...

#1: My Top 10 favorite books ever (#39)

Get instant (free) access to my Notes on those Top 10 books AND 600+ other ones AND all 50 Optimal Living 101 classes AND 1,000+ Optimize +1s as part of our free 2-week trial: http://optimize.me/

+1: The Jonah Complex | Quit Running from Your Destiny (#1255)

Scott Barry Kaufman is one of the world’s leading positive psychologists.   We featured one of his earlier books called Wired to Create. So, when a bunch of our Optimizers recommended his new book called Transcend I was eager to get it. (Thank you!! Keep ‘em coming, please!)   It’s FANTASTIC.   In short, it’s an update on Abraham Maslow’s thinking—moving us beyond self-actualizing into the ULTIMATE realm of “transcending” ourselves in service to the world. Or, as Scot...

#1: Feeling wobbly Energy-wise? Train your recovery! (#38)

Larry King + James Pawelski interview link: https://the.positivevoices.com/live-audience-yes Optimize: https://optimize.me/ (Get Free Stuff + Free 2-Week Trial!) Optimize Coach: https://optimize.me/coach (Join 2,000+ Optimizers from 70+ Countries!)

#1: "Ugly but effective" + How to play poorly well (Hint: RUN THE ALGORITHMS!) (#37)

From Notes on Jim Afremow's Champion's Mind: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/the-champions-mind-jim-afremow/https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-... “Take a minute right now to think about your performance when you did not believe a good or respectable outcome was possible but you still found a way to make it happen. There is beauty in being ugly but effective (UBE) or having a good bad day (GBD) while you are not at your finest. Keep your head in the game and grind it out.” T...

#1: "Thank you, Stoic gods! Appreciate the chance to practice my Philosophy!" (#36)

PNTV: Happy Together by Suzann Pileggi Pawelski and James Pawelski (#398)

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 Happy Together by Suzann Pileggi Pawelski and James Pawelski. Hope you enjoy! Suzie and James Pawelski are two of the world's leading positive psychologists. James cofounded the Master of Applied Positive Psychology program at the University of Pennsylvania with Martin Seligman while Su...

PNTV: The Courage Quotient by Robert Biswas-Diener (#397)

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 The Courage Quotient by Robert Biswas-Diener. Hope you enjoy! Robert Biswas-Diener is known as the “Indiana Jones of positive psychology.” As per his bio, “his research has taken him to such far-flung places as Greenland, India, Kenya and Israel.” And, important note: “He is afraid of q...