You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

Anders Ericsson is the world’s leading scientist studying expert performance—looking at how, precisely, the people who are the best in the world at what they do became the best. In this Note, we take a quick look at The Gift that we all have that’s the key to our potential greatness, HOW to go about tapping into the benefits of that gift via a certain type of practice (forget naive practice and go for purposeful + deliberate!), the fact that there is no such thing as a “10,000 Hour Rule,” and why we should be called Homo Exercens rather than Homo Sapiens. :)

What were you born to do? As you might have guessed, that's what this book is all about. Our guide, Chris Guillebeau, gives us a bunch of helpful tips and strategies to help us find the work we were meant to do. Big Ideas we explore include how win the career lottery (hint: think JOY-MONEY-FLOW), playing the elimination game, remembering that if Plan A fails you still have 25 other letters, Warren Buffett on goals, and getting good at quitting.

Willpower. It's ESSENTIAL to optimizing our lives. In fact, in their *great* book, Willpower, Roy Baumeister (one of the world's leading scientific researchers on self-control) and John Tierney (science writer for the New York Times) tell us that "Improving willpower is the surest way to a better life." In this Note, we'll learn how to eat our way to willpower (seriously), how to exercise our self-control muscles, why "precommitment" is so important and how to win the willpower game with bright lines and a great offense. :)

Have you or someone you loved ever experienced depression? If so, it's time to tame the gremlins and create a sustainably awesome life. Here are my Top 10 Big Ideas on how to CONQUER depression–forged from my own experience.

Phil Stutz and Barry Michels, co-authors acclaimed for their innovative approaches to personal growth, dive into two transformative tools: Grateful Flow and Active Love. They critique traditional therapy, offering fresh strategies for managing anxiety and anger. The duo emphasizes the power of gratitude as a tool for mental resilience and shares personal anecdotes to illustrate navigating emotions in relationships. With humor and insight, they guide listeners toward personal empowerment and emotional well-being, showcasing the synergy of creativity and positive mindset.

Neil Pasricha is a fascinating guy. A Harvard MBA and director of leadership development for Walmart who gave one of the most popular TED talks ever and published The Book of Awesome which sold 1m+ copies. This book is a fun, quick-read packed with great Ideas. We cover: The Big 7 ways science says we can boost our happiness, waking up with an Icky Guy (the good kind), how to add an hour to your day, a great question to tap into your purpose and wisdom from the greatest physicist ever (hint: create momentum).

Tom Rath is a best-selling author of Eat Move Sleep + Are You Fully Charged? and a bunch of other great books. (He also wrote our favorite kids book: The Rechargeables!) And, he's a cool guy. Join us as we explore some great, super practical Big Ideas!

Do you wake up and high five your Icky Guy? If not, you're missing out. Here's why you want to make your ikigai your new bff.

Did you know your limbic system (think: emotions) and prefrontal cortex (think: rational thoughts) act like a sort of seesaw? When one is up the other is down. Knowing this, we can use some tricks to stay cool under pressure. Here they are.

Meditation. It's unequivocally awesome. But it can also get a little more esoteric than necessary. Enter: How to meditate without moving to the Himalayas! Here are my Top 10 Big Ideas on the nuts and bolts of how to create a great, sustainable practice.