You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Here's a quick look behind the scenes for one of our next classes: Journaling 101: How to Use a Pen and Paper to Create Clarity, Confidence, and Consistency. I hope you enjoy this overview of the class (and my process in creating it)! P.S. Optimize with us: http://optimize.me

I've been thinking about how I can help you optimize (technically, I'm pretty much *always* obsessing about it) and realized I should probably do some more behind-the-scenes videos to capture my (often messy) thought process about how to take Optimize to the next level and do my life's work while serving you profoundly and creating an exemplary business that scales in the process. This video is the fruits of that. Hope you enjoy! Optimize with us at https://optimize.me P.S. Notes on my Top 10 favorite Books The Tools by Barry Michels & Phil Stutz: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/the-tools-barry-michels-phil-stutz/ Deep Work by Cal Newport: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/deep-work-cal-newport/ The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/the-daily-stoic-ryan-holiday-stephen-hanselman/ Rethinking Positive Thinking by Gabrielle Oettingen: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/rethinking-positive-thinking-gabriele-oettingen/ Grit by Angela Duckworth: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/grit-angela-duckworth/ Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/peak-anders-ericsson-robert-pool/ Mastery by Robert Greene: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/mastery-robert-greene/ Presence by Amy Cuddy: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/presence-amy-cuddy/ No Sweat by Michelle Segar, Ph.D.: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/no-sweat-michelle-segar/ So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport: https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/so-good-they-cant-ignore-you-cal-newport/ P.P.S. Let's do this!

Michael Gelb is one of the world's leading creativity teachers. He's also a qi gong and aikido master who wrote one of my favorite books: "How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci." In this book, he teaches us the art of creating connection. Big Ideas we explore include how to optimize our ability to connect (practice with the little moments!), The Pygmalion Effect (aka the self-fulfilling prophecy), the importance of centering for conflict resolution, and how our addiction to digital devices (ADD) is leading to attention deficit disorder (ADD) which is leading to troubles in connecting and what to do about it.

I'm a HUGE fan of Phil and Barry's first book, The Tools. Coming Alive is kinda like The Tools Part 2. In this book, we get four new tools to go along with the original five tools. Big Ideas we explore include how to connect to our Life Force, defeat Part X (their name for that part of each of us that gets in the way), build our confidence and learn to see problems as gifts as we live a GREAT life.

This is a quick-reading, simple, practical guide to, as the sub-title suggests, "Stop Worrying and Quieten Your Mind—Featuring the Buteyko Breathing Method and Mindfulness." If you're looking for a general introduction to the power of Oxygen, I'd recommend you go with Patrick's more recent and more all-purpose Oxygen Advantage. If you suffer from anxiety and/or panic attacks, this might be a great place to start. Big Ideas we explore: The #1 rule of breathing, the 2 key benefits of putting your attention on your breath, why CO2 is your friend and how to play nice, avoiding rat poison and becoming a good mind gardener.

Patrick McKeown is one of the world's leading teachers of the Buteyko Breathing Method which was created in the 1950s by a Russian doctor named Dr. Konstantin Buteyko. McKeown suffered from asthma for decades until he found the Buteyko Method. At which point, he reversed his asthma symptoms and then dedicated his life to helping others optimize their breathing. In this book, he extends the Buteyko Method into an approach he calls the Oxygen Advantage. Big Ideas we cover include the #1 obstacle to optimal breathing, Oxygen Delivery 101, the #1 breathing tip, and how to dial in your sleep.

This book is an adaptation of a series of essays Katy created over the last five years in which she unpacks her evolving views on what she calls "movement ecology." It's not your typical "do X, Y, and Z" optimal living guidebook. It's a thoughtful and thought-provoking look at why—as you can guess by the title—Movement Matters and a challenging look at how our individual and cultural decisions have created a sedentary culture and a significant nature debt that few of us ever stop to think about. Big Ideas: Stacking your life, minimalism vs. maximalism, the tree of your life, and redefining success.

Welcome: Your Heroic Quest + Making it a Reality Our world needs heroes today more than ever before. We need YOU to be a Hero. We hope you enjoy this video from Friday Night of our weekend immersion workshop: Hero Training 101. Let's do this! Watch the entire weekend workshop here: www.optimize.me/hero

Do you know why we call our modern marathon a marathon? You may think you know the real story behind the very first marathon, but in this captivating, inspiring tale, Dean Karnazes (named by Men's Health as one of the 100 Fittest Men of All Time) gives us a deeper look at the man who, 2,500 years ago, ran the first ULTRAmarathon and, in doing so, effectively saved Western civilization. :) Big Ideas we explore: a history lesson The Battle of Marathon, why balance doesn't lead to happiness (and what does), a 24 Hour Fitness with Harvard profs, heroes are ready and how to play the pain game.

I love Stoicism. In this class we take a quick look at the cast of characters (from founder Zeno to Seneca + Epictetus + Marcus Aurelius) and then dive into the ultimate goal of Stoicism (hint: become bff's with your inner daimon so you can experience a state of well-being and flourishing) along with the practices that help us apply this wisdom to our lives. We'll create energized tranquility and equanimity as we have fun becoming our own ideal sages.