You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Elizabeth Blackburn won the Nobel Prize for her discovery of telemorase - "the enzyme that replenishes telomeres, which protect our genetic heritage." Elissa Epel is one of the world's leading health psychology researcher. Together, they have created a great book that walks us through the best of what we know about telomeres, why they're so important and what we can do to Optimize them. If you've ever wanted to learn more about telomeres, THIS is the book to read. Big Ideas we explore include why telomeres are the secret sauce to aging well, the fact that your cells are listening to your thoughts (#1 tip? Shift from a threat response to a challenge response!), how to mind your telomeres (move from negative thinking to resilient thinking), how to eat, move, sleep your way to happy telomeres, and a challenging question: What will YOUR cellular legacy be?

Robb Wolf is a former research biochemist and is one of the leading thinkers/writers/practitioners in the Paleo or Ancestral Health movement. The essence of this book is the that while there are general principles of nutrition that work for everyone AND... Ultimately we need to figure out what works best for us as individuals if we want to rock it. Big Ideas we explore include: the fact that one size diets do NOT fit all (remember: "rough" tools vs. precision tools), discordance theory (there's a mismatch between our genes and our environment!), an anti-inflammatory diet (aka Paleo aka Phase I), personalized nutrition (aka 7-Day Carb test aka Phase II), the other pillars of health (sleep, stress, move, connection), and genetic + environmental lotteries (what to do if you lost them--lol).

A couple +1s ago, we talked about Optimizer Jessica's kind words and then had fun talking about Mr. Anonymous Troll Guy as well. Today I want to talk about a line from Jessica's little note that I didn't share before. In addition to her kind words about my commitment to sharing my own struggles and how that has helped her build resilience, she said this: "Furthermore, the partnership he and Alexandra have built is exemplary — I only wish they weren't so hard to emulate!" Now, again, I'm super touched by that and honored that we serve as potential relationship exemplars and I know Jessica wasn't saying that she thought we were perfect… AND… (Laughing as I type this…) As Maslow said and we discuss ALL THE TIME (but still nowhere near enough!), THERE ARE NO PERFECT HUMANS. And, by extension, THERE ARE NO PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS. And, as I always like to say: You and I won't be the first perfect people. Nor will we have the first perfect relationship. (At least Alexandra and I certainly won't!) Here's what's funny. The morning after we received that note (LITERALLY the morning after!), Alexandra and I got into a nice little argument. Now, to be clear, we weren't crazy yelling at each other or anything, but it was a nice little testy one. (Laughing.) About what? Well, that's the best part. Basically about the proper way to Optimize and build sustainable habits. (Laughing.) I won't bore you with the details but the point I want to make is that, and I know this is obvious but I want make sure we're all on the same page, WE AREN'T PERFECT. Individually or together. NOT EVEN CLOSE!!! Again, I realize that's obvious, but I want to make it jumbo explicit. Why do you think I work so hard on this stuff? And why do you think I come back to the same themes again and again and again? BECAUSE I NEED IT!!! (More laughter.) Ahem. So, yah. There ya go. btw: In a chat with Cal Newport not too long ago (we're actually chatting in a couple hours—which I'm really looking forward to), we talked about my Big 3: Energy + Work + Love. He was breaking it down with his "I-have-a-Ph.D.-from-MIT brain" when I shared my Wildly Important Goal for "Love." It's always evolving but, basically, it's to celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary with Alexandra and be best friends with my adult kids. I told him that no one sets a goal like that unless not hitting it is a possibility. (Laughing yet again.) In other words, Alexandra and I being married in another 39 years isn't a foregone conclusion. We have challenges like everyone else. And, we'll choose to work on them and preserve/Optimize our relationship as a key component of our Optimizing and actualizing or we won't. But the challenge remains. For all of us. Again, I repeat, off the soapbox now in a more relaxed tone: There are no perfect human beings; and, there are no perfect relationships. So, I'm honored to be an exemplar for those who find inspiration in my life and I'm absolutely (!!!) committed to being worthy of that role. AND… That's Today's +1. Let's remember that NO ONE is perfect. And, as hard as we work, we won't be the first. Then let's rub our hands together at all the challenges we face and strive to be imperfect, always-Optimizing-and-actualizing exemplars for our families, communities and world.

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?).

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! 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?).

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.

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!!).

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!).

A brief probe into Walter Russell's idea that awareness, not talent, determines whether we become mediocre or brilliant. Short reflections ask whether you are bestowing genius on yourself or accepting mediocrity. An invitation to recognize the inner "Golden Buddha" and claim your innate brilliance.