OPTIMIZE with Brian Johnson | More Wisdom in Less Time

OPTIMIZE with Brian Johnson features the best Big Ideas from the best optimal living books. More wisdom in less time to help you live your greatest life. (Learn more at optimize.me.)

+1: #1047 Zeno’s Paradox 02/16/2020

+1: #1047 Zeno’s Paradox In our last couple +1s, we’ve been getting our riddles on with Ellen Langer. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/13132904

+1: #1045 What’s 1 + 1? 02/14/2020

+1: #1045 What’s 1 + 1? In our last +1, we had fun with the ultimate riddles of life—from skunks and giraffes to watches and pearls. And… The answer to pretty much all of life’s riddles? Love. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/13132865

Optimize Interview: Irresistible with Adam Alter 02/13/2020

Optimize Interview: Irresistible with Adam Alter Irresistible. That’s the perfect word to describe the growing array of addictive technologies that are capturing so much of our attention these days. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/13132790

Optimize Interview: The Psychology of Possibility with Ellen Langer 02/06/2020

Optimize Interview: The Psychology of Possibility with Ellen Langer Ellen Langer is a professor of psychology at Harvard and one of the world's leading experts on the science of wellbeing, and what she refers to as the "psychology of possibility." /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/13132775

+1: #1035 Yesterday’s Home Run 02/04/2020

+1: #1035 Yesterday’s Home Run In our last +1, we spent some time with John Maxwell and reflected on his wisdom on the pinnacle of leadership influence: Moral Authority. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/13007285

+1: #1030 Want to Make It Stick? 01/30/2020

+1: #1030 Want to Make It Stick? We’re going to consult with Barbara Oakley on this one. Barbara taught one of the most popular classes in history. Nearly 2 million people from 200 countries have taken her Coursera class called Learning How to Learn. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12907697

+1: #1025 Exercise: It’s a Well-Being Tool 01/25/2020

+1: #1025 Exercise: It’s a Well-Being Tool In our last couple +1s, we talked about a key (arguably the #1 key) predictor of our long-term health/morbidity: our visceral fat. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12868904

+1: #1020 Learning Cycles 01/20/2020

+1: #1020 Learning Cycles Today we’ll step back a bit and put in an AM Intention practice to go with that PM Reflection practice. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12789443

+1: #1015 It’s Day 1 01/15/2020

+1: #1015 It’s Day 1 In our last +1, we had fun chatting about the diploma we give to our Optimize Coaches. It so perfectly captures the underlying purpose of all of our work together that I’d like to share it again. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12639857

+1: #1010 Virtue Management 01/10/2020

+1: #1010 Virtue Management Last night as I was falling asleep, I was reflecting on the wonderful time I spent with a dear friend who came up to Ojai for a hike to chat about his next hero’s journey. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12639443

+1: #1005 Thoughts + Heartbeats 01/05/2020

+1: #1005 Thoughts + Heartbeats Emily Fletcher was a Broadway performer living the dream. Only… /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12577967

+1: #1000 The Optimize +1 Hall of Fame 12/31/2019

+1: #1000 The Optimize +1 Hall of Fame This is Optimize +1 #1,000. I don’t really know how to best start this one other than by saying: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Seriously. I am so honored to be a part of your life—whether that’s occasionally or every day. And I’m deeply grateful to have your support so I can do what I do. Thank you. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12441854

+1: #995 10 Spartan Core Virtues 12/26/2019

+1: #995 10 Spartan Core Virtues In our last +1, we hung out with my two favorite Joes: Scholar of the Hero’s Journey (and Grandpa in my spiritual family tree) Joseph Campbell, and gritty heroic exemplar (and soul brother), Joe De Sena. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12441404

+1: #990 The Passion Paradox 12/21/2019

+1: #990 The Passion Paradox Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness have written a couple great books together. First, they gave us Peak Performance. Then The Passion Paradox. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12441215

+1: #985 Operating at the Highest Level 12/16/2019

+1: #985 Operating at the Highest Level In our last +1, we did our best Boss impersonation as we reinterpreted our sweaty palms and racing hearts as a sign we’re EXCITED and READY TO GO rather than as a sign that something’s wrong. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12342029

+1: #980 The Master Fails More Times 12/11/2019

+1: #980 The Master Fails More Times A few +1s ago, we had fun chatting about the starting and finish lines of my first business, eteamz. I mentioned that it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows and we briefly discussed the fact that I’ve failed WAY MORE times than I’ve succeeded. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12318203

+1: #975 The Tenth of an Inch 12/06/2019

+1: #975 The Tenth of an Inch We talk a lot about the futility of arguing with reality. As Byron Katie so perfectly says, “When I argue with reality I lose. But only 100% of the time.” (Hah.) /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12300173

+1: #965 Asking for Qualities 11/26/2019

+1: #965 Asking for Qualities In our last +1, we spent some time with Todd Herman, Batman, Dora the Explorer and YOUR most heroic self. Today we’re going to connect all that goodness to wisdom from the classic peak-performance book The Inner Game of Tennis by Tim Gallwey. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12144149

+1: #960 Capturing a Richer Mindset 11/21/2019

+1: #960 Capturing a Richer Mindset In our last +1, we revisited Ellen Langer at her “Psychology of Possibility” lab at Harvard to learn that words matter. As you may recall, simply priming people with words associated with old age (via a crossword puzzle!) will cause them to walk more slowly to the elevator than those who weren’t primed with those words. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12086591

+1: #955 Falling on Your Butt 11/16/2019

+1: #955 Falling on Your Butt Geoff Colvin’s Talent Is Overrated is a great book. It falls into the “Effort Counts Twice” / Deliberate Practice bucket of how to reach our Peak via Grit, etc. It’s packed with great stories about, as per the sub-title of the book: “What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else.” /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12086534

Optimize Interview: The Alter Ego Effect with Todd Herman 11/14/2019

Optimize Interview: The Alter Ego Effect with Todd Herman The Alter Ego Effect. This is one of the most fun and compelling and inspiring books I’ve read in awhile. I REALLY (!!!) enjoyed reading it, had a ton of fun constructing and playing with some potential Alter Egos and highly recommend it. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/12086825

+1: #950 Natural Born Heroes 11/11/2019

+1: #950 Natural Born Heroes The other day I found myself re-reading our Notes on Christopher McDougall’s great book Natural Born Heroes. Although we’ve talked (many times) about the fact that the ancient word for hero literally meant “protector,” I realized that (somehow!) I’ve never shared McDougall’s brilliant wisdom that catalyzed my emphasis on the whole idea of all of us becoming modern heroes. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/11951894

Optimize Interview: The Passion Paradox with Brad Stulberg 11/07/2019

Optimize Interview: The Passion Paradox with Brad Stulberg Brad Stulberg writes, coaches, and speaks on health and human performance. Steve Magness coaches some of the world’s top distance runners and has propelled numerous athletes to Olympic trials, world championship teams, and the Olympics. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/11951747

+1: #945 Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. 11/06/2019

+1: #945 Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. As we’ve discussed, a mantra is literally “a tool of the mind.” By repeating a mantra over and over and over again (spiritual teachers say!), it takes hold in our subconscious and subtly shapes our mind. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/11951675

+1: #940 Stress Curfews 11/01/2019

+1: #940 Stress Curfews Not too long ago, we talked about Sleep Curfews. Five of them, to be precise. One for Caffeine. Another for Exercise. Plus Eating. Plus Screens. Plus Work. As you may recall, Caffeine has a half-life of 5 to 6 hours so try to cut back on that by around noon or 2 or whatever you find works best for you. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/11743286

Optimize Interview: The Power of Agency with Paul Napper & Anthony Rao 10/31/2019

Optimize Interview: The Power of Agency with Paul Napper & Anthony Rao Paul Napper and Anthony Rao are leading consultants and clinicians (who have both held academic positions at Harvard Medical School). In their great book, they define agency as “the ability to act as an effective agent for yourself—reflecting, making creative choices, and constructing a meaningful life.” /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/11904050

+1: #935 The Eternal Feast 10/27/2019

+1: #935 The Eternal Feast In our last +1, we talked about A World Without Heroes and the fact that “A hero sacrifices for the greater good. A hero is true to his or her conscience. In short, heroism means doing the right thing regardless of the consequences.” /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/11743139

Optimize Interview: Stillness is the Key with Ryan Holiday 10/25/2019

Optimize Interview: Stillness is the Key with Ryan Holiday Ryan is one of my absolute favorite writers and I'm excited to sit down with him to chat about his latest book, Stillness is the Key. /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/11834348

+1: #930 Micro Prospectus 10/22/2019

+1: #930 Micro Prospectus Not too long ago we talked about the fact that the word prosperity literally means “to go forward with hope.” /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/11641538

Optimize Interview: Everything is Figureoutable with Marie Forleo 10/18/2019

Optimize Interview: Everything is Figureoutable with Marie Forleo 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!!!” /episode/index/show/brianjohnson/id/11834324

OPTIMIZE with Brian Johnson | More Wisdom in Less Time

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