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

Heroic with Brian Johnson features the best big ideas from life-changing books and practical tools to help you move from Theory to Practice to Mastery and flourish in Energy, Work, and Love. Get more wisdom in less time so you can activate your best, every day—so that we can change the world, one person at a time, together, starting with you and me and us, today! (Learn more at https://heroic.us)
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Now displaying: 2020
Sep 6, 2020
Not too long ago, I mentioned the virtual Optimize Local Zoom group I joined. 
 
It was such an epic hangout. 
 
I’m still beaming from the download of Love (and Wisdom + Self-Mastery + Courage + …). 
 
Seriously. It VERY MUCH reminded me of the graduation weekend where I got to hang out with 500+ of our inaugural Optimize Coaches—which will always be a highlight of my life. 
 
There’s just something magical about getting together with people who share your values and are playing the same game with the same intense commitment to play it well. 
 
And, of course, as we’ve discussed many (!) times, the fastest way to Optimize your life ISN’T the Wisdom side of things per se. It’s the COMMUNITY side of things. Join a Community with super-high standards and BOOM!—the best you is more likely to join the party.
 
With COVID-19 taking over the world and creating the need for social distancing, we’ve pressed pause on our offline Optimize Local initiative. But… And I have goosebumps as I type this, we WILL be leaning back into that when the time is right. (I still can’t believe we had Optimizers from over 75 countries and 750 cities around the world who raised their hands to get involved.)
 
For now, you can join one of those virtual Optimize Zoom meetups by cruising over here.
 
But…
 
That’s not quite the point of this +1.
 
Today I want to chat about one of the little things that came up in our chat.
 
One of our beloved Coaches shared how her fundamentals slipped a bit when COVID hit and she felt it. Then her Optimize Buddy challenged her to get her step count back up. So, she re-started her morning walk-hikes. And it changed her life.
 
Then she wound up walking more and more and pretty soon she was, in her Optimize Buddy’s words, kicking his butt—and he loved it!
 
I can’t remember the exact number of steps she said she was getting but I do remember the fact that she shared a WEEKLY stat. I was struck by the fact that you could have fun measuring your steps by both the DAY and the WEEK.
 
Of course, it’s obvious when I type that out but I always thought of my 10,000+ steps per day and never really thought about it on a weekly basis other than looking at the average daily count over the last week that my Suunto watch shares with me.
 
So…
 
10,000 is our “go crush this!” target for our Coaches—which of course, is 70,000 steps/week. 
 
But, what’s a target a little beyond that?
 
I thought: 100,000 steps per week would be a pretty cool goal.
 
Then I wondered: What’s 100,000 divided by 7? 
 
Answer: 14,285.7
 
Suunto tells me that my current 7-day average number of steps is 18,794—which is a) pretty ridiculous (lol) and b) a reflection of just how much I love walking on our new Trail multiple times per day—it’s the PERFECT oscillating reboot.
 
So…
 
100,000.
 
Isn’t that a beautiful, round number?
 
Wanna go to the next level with your step count and movement throughout the day and join me?!
 
No pressure (seriously) as I know we all have different constraints in our realities and different things that fire us up.
 
AND…
 
Let’s remember this wisdom from Kelly McGonigal’s The Joy of Movement and make sure we’re on the right side of these stats: 
 
“In the United States, daily physical activity—as captured by an accelerometer—is correlated with a sense of purpose in life. Real-time tracking also shows that people are happier during moments when they are physically active than when they are sedentary. And on days when people are more active than their usual, they report greater satisfaction with their lives.
 
Other experiments in the U.S. and UK have forced moderately active adults to become sedentary for a period of time, only to watch their well-being wither. Regular exercisers who replace physical activity with a sedentary activity for two weeks become more anxious, tired, and hostile. When adults are randomly assigned to reduce their daily step count, 88 percent become more depressed. Within one week of becoming more sedentary, they report a 31 percent decline in life satisfaction. The average daily step count required to induce feelings of anxiety and depression and decrease satisfaction with life is 5,649. The typical American takes 4,774 steps per day. Across the globe, the average is 4,961.”
 
Here’s to the Wisdom of knowing that movement matters and the Self-Mastery to go out and practice our philosophy when it matters most… 
 
TODAY.
Sep 6, 2020

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Here are 5 of my favorite Big Ideas from How to Think Like a Roman Emperor by Donald Robertson. Hope you enjoy!

Donald Robertson is one of the world’s leading thinkers, writers AND practitioners of Stoic philosophy. He’s also a therapist who integrates Stoicism into his work with individuals. This is our second Note on one of his great books. The first Note was on The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in which he connects the philosophical underpinnings of CBT (one of the most empirically-validated, effective modern therapies) to ancient Stoicism. This book is part biography and part philosophy. It’s all awesome. If you want to know how to think like a Roman emperor, start here. I think you’ll enjoy the book as much as I did.

Get How to Think Like a Roman Emperor on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/How-Think-Like-Roman-Emperor/dp/1250196620

Learn more about Donald Robertson: https://www.optimize.me/authors/donald-robertson/

► RELATED RESOURCES:
Big Idea 1: GOAL OF LIFE
- PN: The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by Donald Robertson → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/the-philosophy-of-cognitive-behavioural-therapy-donald-robertson/
- Stoicism 101 → https://www.optimize.me/stoicism/
- +1: Warriors vs. Librarians | Let’s Not Just Catalogue these +1s, Let’s LIVE Them (#66) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/warriors-vs-librarians/
- +1: The Cardinal Virtues | Of Stoicism + Science + Optimize (#1004) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-cardinal-virtues/
- +1: The Optimize Compass | And How to Make One (#1128) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-optimize-compass/
- +1: How to High Five Your Inner Daimon | My Philosophy in One Word (#3) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/how-to-high-five-your-inner-daimon/

Big Idea 2: IDEAL SAGE (+ YOU)
- How to Journal Carpe Diem Style! → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFMOrHcrGWU&t
-+1: What’s Your 0? | Let’s Turn It Into a φ (#1249) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/whats-your-0/
-+1: Pythagoras’s PM Review | Via His Golden Verses (#1019) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/pythagorass-pm-review/

Big Idea 3: STOIC JOY
- +1: The #1 Key to Happiness + Flourishing | Hint: Become BFFs with your Inner Soul (#2) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-1-key-to-happiness-flourishing/
- +1: The 5 (Greek) Keys to Optimizing | Areté + Eudaimonia + en*theos + Hērōs + Euthymia (#200) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-5-greek-keys-to-optimizing/
- +1: Aristotle’s “Happiness” | Isn’t Quite What You Think (#464) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/aristotles-happiness/
- +1: Scaffolding | Constructing Your Destiny (#174) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/scaffolding/

Big Idea 4: TIME PROJECTION

- +1: Disaster = | Virtue’s Opportunity (#1152) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/disaster/

Big Idea 5: CHOICE OF HERCULES
- +1: The Choice of Hercules | Vice Dressed up as Virtue (#1036) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-choice-of-hercules/
- 500+ Optimize Coaches Conquer a Spartan Race → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrGspQzbzf0
- +1: +1 or -1 = Destiny Math | What Must YOU be? (#1) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/destiny-math/

► FREE 14-DAY TRIAL:
Get the PhilosophersNote on How to Think Like a Roman Emperor and 600+ other books by starting a Free 14-Day trial membership to Optimize: https://www.optimize.me/trial/

► MORE GOODNESS:
- Get the Optimize App for iPhone & iPad: https://www.optimize.me/apps/
- Get the Optimize App for Android: https://www.optimize.me/apps/
- Subscribe to the Optimize Podcast: https://optimize.me/podcast/
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Sep 6, 2020

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Sep 5, 2020

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Here are 5 of my favorite Big Ideas from Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. Hope you enjoy!

Cal Newport is one of my favorite thinkers. He got his Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT and is now a Professor at Georgetown. He’s also a bestselling author of a number of books. Given the fact that the fastest way to Optimize your life is to STOP doing things that are sub-optimal AND the fact that (for nearly all of us) our use of technology is the #1 thing that “Needs work!,” it’s SUPER important for us to figure out how to best use all the technology available to us WITHOUT becoming lost in a tsunami of inputs. Enter: Our new philosophy of technology use: Digital Minimalism. Enter: My SUPER strong recommendation of the book and my ALL IN commitment to helping create a movement around the ideas in the book. As you know, I rarely say a book is a must read but this book is as close as it gets. Big Ideas we explore include the fact that your soul is engaged in a lopsided arms race, a definition + overview of digital minimalism, the importance of spending time alone (and the consequences of *not* spending adequate time alone), reclaiming leisure (get active!) and joining the Attention Resistance. Here's to Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World!

Get Digital Minimalism on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Minimalism-Choosing-Focused-Noisy/dp/0525536515

Learn more about Cal Newport: https://www.optimize.me/authors/cal-newport/

► FREE 14-DAY TRIAL:
Get the PhilosophersNote on Digital Minimalism and 600+ other books by starting a Free 14-Day trial membership to Optimize: https://www.optimize.me/trial/

► MORE GOODNESS:
- Get the Optimize App for iPhone & iPad: https://www.optimize.me/apps/
- Get the Optimize App for Android: https://www.optimize.me/apps/
- Subscribe to the Optimize Podcast: https://optimize.me/podcast/
- Follow Optimize on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BriantheOptimizer/
- Follow Optimize on Instagram: https://instagram.com/optimize.me/

Sep 5, 2020

Get first week of Optimize Coach FREE here: https://www.optimize.me/coach-module-o/

Note: 10 more days to join us for Class III!

Sep 4, 2020
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Imagine the absolute best wisdom from 600+ PhilosophersNotes, 1,000+ Optimize +1s, and 50 Optimal Living 101 classes distilled into ONE super-practical, 300-day program to help you fundamentally and permanently change your life.
 
That’s what we do in the Optimize Mastery Series + Optimize Coach program.
 
And… September 1st was the first day of Optimize Coach - Class III. (YES!!!)
 
We thought the best way to tell you about it and help you see if it might be a good fit for you was to share the first week’s curriculum and invite you to join in. So… Here’s Module O! Hope you enjoy!!
 
(You can download the beautiful worksheets and watch the Practice video walking through them at https://www.optimize.me/coach-module-o/)
 
Note: Our program is not just for people who want to become Coaches and/or take their Coaching practices to the next level. In fact, out of the 2,000+ people who have already gone through our program (from 70+ countries around the world!), HALF of them do it “just” to more and more consistently express the best version of themselves and give the world all they’ve got.
 
Sep 4, 2020

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Here are 5 of my favorite Big Ideas from It Takes What It Takes by Trevor Moawad. Hope you enjoy!

Trevor Moawad is a mental conditioning coach to elite performers. He is well known for being the mental coach to Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and has worked closely with prestigious NCAA football programs and coaches, the US Special Operations community, Major League Baseball, and the NBA. This book is, as per the sub-title, all about “How to Think Neutrally and Gain Control of Your Life.” I loved it and, if you’re also equally fired up by the mental toughness in sports and life genre, I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. Big Ideas we explore include neutral thinking (much better than positive or negative), goats and G.O.A.T.s, the law of substitution (focus!), the illusion of choice (if you’re REALLY ALL IN, there is no choice), and drawing a line in the dirt (and getting to it… again and again and again!).

Get It Takes What It Takes on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Takes-What-Think-Neutrally-Control/dp/0062947125

Learn more about Trevor Moawad: https://www.optimize.me/authors/trevor-moawad/

► RELATED RESOURCES:
Big Idea 1: NEUTRAL THINKING
- PN: Rethinking Positive Thinking by Gabriele Oettingen → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/rethinking-positive-thinking-gabriele-oettingen/
- +1: Etiology vs. Teleology | Freud vs. Adler (and Campbell and Me and…) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/etiology-vs-teleology/
- +1: First Things First | Second Things? Not at All (#275) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/first-things-first/
- +1: What’s Important Now? (Part 2) | How to Win 28 Olympic Medals (#276) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/whats-important-now-part-2/
- +1: WIN! WIN! WIN! | What’s Your Next Most Important Thing? (<- Crush That. Repeat.) (#421) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/win-win-win/

Big Idea 2: GOATS + G.O.A.T.S.
- +1: Goeswith | Our New Wisdom Word (Thanks, Alan Watts!) (#639) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/goeswith/

Big Idea 3: LAW OF SUBSTITUTION
- +1: A Wandering Mind | Is an Unhappy Mind (#1234) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/a-wandering-mind/

Big Idea 4: ILLUSION OF CHOICE
- +1: Commitments: 100% Is a Breeze | 99%? Not So Much. (#46) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/commitments-100-is-a-breeze/
- +1: Proving Yourself Right | vs. “I Hope This Works Out Alright” (#215) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/proving-yourself-right/
- +1: Sacrifices vs. Decisions | There’s a Big Difference Between the Two (#65) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/sacrifices-vs-decisions/
- +1: Deciding vs. Wishing | 3 Steps on How to Get What You Want (#101) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/deciding-vs-wishing/

Big Idea 5: DRAWING YOUR LINE
- Joe De Sena → https://www.optimize.me/authors/joe-de-sena/
- +1: The Paradox of Choice | Maximizer vs. Satisficer <- Which Are You? (#416) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-paradox-of-choice/
- PN: The Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/the-paradox-of-choice-why-more-is-less-barry-schwartz/

► FREE 14-DAY TRIAL:
Get the PhilosophersNote on It Takes What It Takes and 600+ other books by starting a Free 14-Day trial membership to Optimize: https://www.optimize.me/trial/

► MORE GOODNESS:
- Get the Optimize App for iPhone & iPad: https://www.optimize.me/apps/
- Get the Optimize App for Android: https://www.optimize.me/apps/
- Subscribe to the Optimize Podcast: https://optimize.me/podcast/
- Follow Optimize on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BriantheOptimizer/
- Follow Optimize on Instagram: https://instagram.com/optimize.me/

Sep 3, 2020

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Here are 5 of my favorite Big Ideas from Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. Hope you enjoy!

BJ Fogg founded the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on the science of behavior change. In this book, he introduces us to the core elements of his Fogg Behavior Model as we learn that habit change doesn’t need to be as hard as we make it. As BJ tells us: “We are not the problem. Our approach to change is. It’s a design flaw—not a personal flaw.” Big Ideas we explore include the three elements that drive behavior (B = MAP!), the ABCs of Tiny Habits (Anchor + (Tiny) Behavior + Celebration!), the power of anchor prompts (After I (ANCHOR), I will (NEW HABIT), and the power of celebration (get your Shine on!).

Get Tiny Habits on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Habits-Changes-Change-Everything/dp/0358003326/

Learn more about BJ Fogg: https://www.optimize.me/authors/b-j-fogg/

► RELATED RESOURCES:
Big Idea 1: B = MAP
- Optimal Living 101 classes → https://www.optimize.me/master-classes/
- +1: B = MAP | The Behavior Design Equation (#1198) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/b-map/
- +1: How to Delete a Behavior | Remove the Prompt and Make It Hard! (#1199) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/how-to-delete-a-behavior/
- +1: How to Delete a Bad Habit (Again!) | One Way: Make It Harder (#1233) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/how-to-delete-a-bad-habit-again/
- PN: Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/digital-minimalism-cal-newport/
- +1: Character Flaws vs. Design Flaws | Note: There’s a BIG Difference (#1214) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/character-flaws-vs-design-flaws/

Big Idea 2: ABCs
- +1: The ABCs of Tiny Habits | Anchor + Behavior + Celebration (#1205) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-abcs-of-tiny-habits/
- Celebration | As Powerful as Mindfulness and Gratitude? (#1206) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/celebration/

Big Idea 3: SHINE!
- +1: Shine | The Result of Skillfully Celebrating our Successes (#1209) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/shine/
- +1: The Neuroscience of Seneca | Pleasant + Honorable = The Same (#1208) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-neuroscience-of-seneca/

Big Idea 4: INSTALL
- +1: How to Celebrate | Hint: IMMEDIATELY + INTENSELY (#1207) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/how-to-celebrate/
- PN: Mini Habits by Stephen Guise → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/mini-habits-stephen-guise/
- +1: The Weed | A Case Study in Habit Creation (#1213) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-weed/
- +1: How to Build a Good Habit | Easy as 1, 2, 3 (#657) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/how-to-build-a-good-habit/

Big Idea 5: DELETE
- +1: How to Delete a Behavior | Remove the Prompt and Make It Hard! (#1199) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/how-to-delete-a-behavior/
- The Fastest Way to Delete a Bad Habit | Hint: Remove the Prompt (#1211) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-fastest-way-to-delete-a-bad-habit/
- Prompt Begone! | No Behavior Happens Without a Prompt (#1212) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/prompt-begone/
- +1: Mistake-Learner’s High | Enjoy It as You Pursue Audacious Goals and Endlessly Evolve (#370) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/mistake-learners-high/
- +1: How to +3 It | When -1 → +1 = +3 (#1232) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/how-to-3-it/
-#1: Let’s take a walk! (Visit the Johnson Trail. lol) (#15) → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg9SlllpG6c
- +1: Energizers vs. Enervators | The Art & Science of How to Take a Good Break (#181) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/energizers-vs-enervators/

► FREE 14-DAY TRIAL:
Get the PhilosophersNote on Tiny Habits and 600+ other books by starting a Free 14-Day trial membership to Optimize: https://www.optimize.me/trial/

► MORE GOODNESS:
- Get the Optimize App for iPhone & iPad: https://www.optimize.me/apps/
- Get the Optimize App for Android: https://www.optimize.me/apps/
- Subscribe to the Optimize Podcast: https://optimize.me/podcast/
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- Follow Optimize on Instagram: https://instagram.com/optimize.me/

Sep 2, 2020

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Here are 5 of my favorite Big Ideas from Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. Hope you enjoy!

Matthew Walker is one of the world’s leading neuroscientists and sleep experts. He’s a professor at UC Berkeley (and former professor at Harvard) who has spent decades studying why we sleep and how to, as per the sub-title of this book, unlock the power of sleep and dreams. As you know if you’ve been following along, I’m a HUGE advocate of Optimizing our sleep as a fundamental practice in Optimizing our lives. This book has made me EVEN MORE bullish about the power of sleep. The consequences of chronically depriving ourselves of the sleep we need? Well, they’re astonishingly devastating—dramatically increasing the odds of having everything from mood disorders to cancer (and everything else we don’t want). Big Ideas we explore include the fact that you're more likely to get struck by lightning than have the gene that let's you get by on less than the recommended sleep, the universality of sleep (even worms sleep!!), resetting baselines, the iPad effect (did you know how much using one before sleep messes w/your melatonin?), and some tips to Optimize your sleep TONIGHT!!

Get Why We Sleep on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324

Learn more about Matthew Walker: https://www.optimize.me/authors/matthew-walker-phd/

► RELATED RESOURCES:
Big Idea 1: FOUNDATION VS. PILLAR
- PNTV: Future Visions by Abraham Maslow (#391) → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncur6rCM2-0
- PN: Future Visions by Abraham Maslow → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/future-visions-edward-hoffman/
- +1: Sleep: Even Worms Do It | Plus: One-Eyed-/Half-Brained-Bird Sleep (#744) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/sleep-even-worms-do-it/
- +1: Sleep: Before + After Edison | Know How Much Your Great Grandparents Slept? (#217) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/sleep-before-after-edison/
- +1: A Brief History of (Blue) Light | Save It for the Daytime (#915) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/a-brief-history-of-blue-light/
- +1: Digging Foundations | What the World’s Tallest Building Can Teach Us about Building the World’s Tallest You (#58) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/digging-foundations/
- +1: Foundation vs. Pillars | Our #1 Fundie? Sleep! (#911) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/foundation-vs-pillars/
- Oura Ring → https://ouraring.com/
- +1: Sleep Efficiency | Want 8 Hours? Be in Bed for 9! (#913) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/sleep-efficiency/
- +1: Think You Can Get By on Little Sleep? | Science Says: Think Again (Struck by Lightning Lately?) (#742) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/think-you-can-get-by-on-little-sleep/
- +1: Seneca: The Worse a Person Is the Less He Feels It | Aurelius: Don’t Like Yourself? Why Would I Care Whether or Not You Like Me? (#381) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/seneca-the-worse-a-person-is-the-less-he-feels-it/
- +1: Sleep: Crazy Stats | To Make Your Heart Skip a Beat (#747) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/sleep-crazy-stats/

Big Idea 2: THE BRIDGE FROM DESPAIR → HOPE
- +1: Despair --> Hope | The Best Bridge? (#948) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/despair-hope/
- +1: The Optimize Compass | And How to Make One (#1128) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-optimize-compass/

Big Idea 3: PM BOOKEND
- PM Counts Twice | PM → AM + DAY + PM = #carpediem (#1007) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/pm-counts-twice/
- +1: AM + PM Bookends | How to Create Masterpiece Days: Start Here! (#78) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/am-pm-bookends/
- +1: “Shut-Down COMPLETE!” | Not “Shut-Down ALMOST Complete!” (#1171) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/shut-down-complete-2/
- PNTV: The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/the-sleep-revolution-arianna-huffington/
- PN: The Sleep Revolution by Arianna Huffington (#390) → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc41NbQoaw0
- “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti → https://www.optimize.me/authors/jiddu-krishnamurti/
- +1: Sleep Q: How Little Light Is Too Much? | A: Not a Lot! (#741) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/sleep-q-how-little-light-is-too-much/
Big Idea 4: #1 TIP = DIGITAL SUNSET
- +1: Digital Sunset | Bedtime for Your Electronics (#152) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/digital-sunset/

Big Idea 5: PRO TIP = EATING SUNSET
- +1: Sleep Curfews | Caffeine + Exercise + Eating + Screens + Work (#917) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/sleep-curfews/
- +1: Got Glymph? | How to Wash Your Brain (#895) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/got-glymph/
- PN: The Longevity Paradox by Dr. Steven Gundry → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/the-longevity-paradox-steven-gundry/
- +1: Glymph for the Win | Crazy Stats from My Oura Ring (#896) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/glymph-for-the-win/
- #1s: Behind the Scenes → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuDYg_teIIc&list=PLj3yWdMwimwnHBIHfq6smL9JSwrTpU_ge

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Sep 2, 2020

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Here are 5 of my favorite Big Ideas from Future Visions by Abraham Maslow. Hope you enjoy!

As you know if you’ve been following along, I love Abraham Maslow and feel a deep kinship to him and his work. We have featured two of the books he published during his lifetime: Toward a Psychology of Being and Motivation and Personality. Although this book has only ONE review on Amazon and I could only buy a used copy of it, I knew I’d love it. And, although I had already been deeply influenced by Maslow and his thinking, there was something about reading his unpublished essays and journal thoughts that made me feel that much more connected to this great man. Big Ideas we explore include Maslow’s thoughts on the “eupsychian ideal” (aka: the “eudaemonic ideal”!), the psychology of happiness (eudaimonology!!), Stoic philosophy (Maslow was a fan), vicious cultural influences (Maslow was NOT a fan!), and the Jonah Complex (ANSWER YOUR HEROIC CALL, already!!).

Get Future Visions on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Future-Visions-Unpublished-Papers-Abraham/dp/0761900500

Learn more about Abraham Maslow: https://optimize.me/authors/abraham-maslow

► RELATED RESOURCES:
- All PhilosophersNotes TV episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj3yWdMwimwmSz4DXwtJkCeQ958RHnOfj
- PN: Motivation and Personality by Abraham Maslow → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/motivation-and-personality-abraham-maslow/
- PN: Toward a Psychology of Being by Abraham Maslow → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/toward-a-psychology-of-being-abraham-maslow/
- +1: Eudaimōnology | The Study of a Good Soul (#997) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/eudaimonology/
- The Optimize Coach program → https://optimize.me/coach/
- Martin Seligman → https://www.optimize.me/authors/martin-seligman/
- PN: Flourish | A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being by Martin Seligman → https://www.optimize.me/philosophers-notes/flourish-martin-seligman/
- +1: The #1 Key to Happiness + Flourishing | Hint: Become BFFs with your Inner Soul → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-1-key-to-happiness-flourishing/
- +1: How to High Five Your Inner Daimon | My Philosophy in One Word (#3) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/how-to-high-five-your-inner-daimon/
- +1: The 5 (Greek) Keys to Optimizing | Areté + Eudaimonia + en*theos + Hērōs + Euthymia (#200) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-5-greek-keys-to-optimizing/
- +1: Put Your Virtues in Action | How to Flex Your Flourishing Muscles → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/put-your-virtues-in-action/
- +1: How to Flourish | Science Says: PERMA (#280) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/how-to-flourish/
- +1: Mediocrity vs. Excellence | How to Avoid Getting Stuck in the Middle of a Rugged Mountain (#95) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/mediocrity-vs-excellence/
- +1: Hedonic Eudaimonia | A Close Relative of Flow Junkies (#908) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/hedonic-eudaimonia/
- 14-Day Free Optimize Trial Membership → https://optimize.me/trial/
- +1: +1 or -1 = Destiny Math | What Must YOU be? (#1)
- Ellen Langer → https://www.optimize.me/authors/ellen-langer/
- +1: The Psychology of Possibility | Celebrating with 300 Burpees (#1009) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-psychology-of-possibility/
- +1: Prior Best = New Baseline | Your Best Days? That’s Your New Normal (#264) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/prior-best-new-baseline/
- +1: Capacities Clamoring to Be Used | Answering Your Soul’s Cries (#403) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/capacities-clamoring-to-be-used/
- +1: Optimize = Optimus | = The Best Version of You (#367) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/optimize-optimus/
- Hērō = protector
- +1: The Optimize Compass | And How to Make One (#1128) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/the-optimize-compass/
- +1: Hērōs | Building Strength for 2 (#107) → https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/heros/

► FREE 14-DAY TRIAL:
Get the PhilosophersNote on Future Visions and 600+ other books by starting a Free 14-Day trial membership to Optimize: https://www.optimize.me/trial/

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Sep 1, 2020
In our last +1, we chatted about the fact that your food label might be lying to you by stuffing a few variations of cancer candy (aka sugar) into your jam so “SUGAR” doesn’t make its way to the top slot. 
 
(Which is one of the reasons you and your Loved ones might be unknowingly consuming A LOT more sugar than you think and, unfortunately, suffering the SIGNIFICANT consequences.)
 
Today I want to chat about some more wisdom from Mark Hyman’s great book Food Fix. In our next +1, we’ll focus on his #1 tip for Optimizing your personal health AND a powerful way to collectively pull a lever on systemic change.
 
But, first, talk about the sugar = cancer candy theme for another moment.
 
This is a BIG deal and something we want to REALLY get. 
 
So…
 
Let’s go back to Tom Rath’s Eat Move Sleep again. 
 
Quick note: Tom is a super-conservative scientist at Gallup. He also has a “rare and catastrophic genetic mutation” that makes him vulnerable to cancer so he’s been battling multiple cancers ALL his life—which has forced him to study the subject in depth.
 
Here’s what he tells us: “Sugar is a toxin. It fuels diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer. At the current dose we consume, more than 150 pounds per person every year, sugar and its derivatives kill more people than cocaine, heroin, or any other controlled substance around.
 
One report aptly describes sugar as ‘candy for cancer cells.’ It accelerates aging and inflammation in the body and subsequently fuels tumor growth. It is now clear that if you lower your sugar intake, you reduce your odds of developing cancer.”
 
So, yah.
 
Reduce your intake of sugar and reduce your odds of developing cancer. It’s really not that complicated. 
 
Only…
 
You know how some less-than-virtuous executives thought that it was a good idea to confuse us with misleading food labels so we didn’t realize SUGAR was the primary ingredient in our jam?
 
Well…
 
Hate to break the news to you but they’ve ALSO been paying some of their friends to do some junk science to help them sell their junk food.
 
Yep.
 
Researchers are paid to make us think that sugar isn’t THAT bad for us. 
 
Did you know that the food industry spends more than $12 BILLION a year funding nutrition studies while the National Institute of Health spends only $1 billion?
 
Yep. 
 
(Pause and reflect on that stat for a moment. The food industry spends more than $12 BILLION a year funding nutrition studies while the National Institute of Health spends only $1 billion.)
 
And, not surprisingly, as Mark says, Studies funded by the food industry are eight to fifty times more likely to find a positive outcome for their products.”
 
He tells us that all this “junk science” winds up polluting and diluting independent research, and confusing policy makers, the public, and even most doctors and nutritionists.”
 
We’ll leave it at that for Today before this becomes a +33.
 
SUGAR.
 
IT DOES NOT DO A BODY GOOD.
 
Period.
 
Got any sugar-laden, ultraprocessed food you might want to throw out and quit buying?
 
Is TODAY a good day to remove the Trigger and take the next step in Optimizing?
 
-1 -1 -1 for the +1 +1 +1 win!!!
Aug 27, 2020
After drafting that last +1, I hit my 90-minute mark for my second Deep Work Time Block of the day, which, of course, triggered one of my keystone algorithms.
 
“After 90-minutes of Deep Work, I take a 15-20 minute break.”
 
So…
 
I grabbed a little bite to eat and went on a short walk around our property. As I was walking, I contemplated the whole idea of “sin” and missing the mark in our lives.
 
Joseph Campbell (who was also raised Catholic) came to mind. I just love his wisdom on the subject. We featured it in a +1 called “Father, Bless Me.”
 
As you may recall, Campbell tells us: “Ramakrishna once said that if all you think of are your sins, then you are a sinner. And when I read that, I thought of my boyhood, going to confession on Saturdays, meditating on all the little sins that I had committed during the week. Now I think one should go and say, ‘Bless me, Father, for I have been great, these are the good things I have done this week.’ Identify your notion of yourself with the positive, rather than with the negative.” 
 
backhand index pointing up That’s awesome.
 
Then, my thoughts were interrupted as a deer bounded away from me. She (or was it he?) paused about 50 feet away, stared at me as I stared back for an extended moment. Then she continued on her way. 
 
backhand index pointing up That’s awesome.
 
Then my mind floated to Nathaniel Branden.
 
I couldn’t remember the precise details of his thoughts on the subject, but I remembered the essence. I remembered he once said something about the fact that there’s something worse than "sinning” or missing the target. 
 
You know what that might be?
 
 
What’s your guess? What’s WORSE than missing the mark?
 
 
I remember that he said NOT HAVING high standards in the first place was, arguably, considerably WORSE than having them but failing to meet them.
 
I reflected on that, finished my walk and came straight to my computer for a quick search to find the precise words he used and to create this +1.
 
Enter: Mac search: “Nathaniel Branden.”
 
Result: A couple Notes: The Art of Living Consciously and The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem.
 
I opened The Art of Living Consciously first. That’s an AWESOME book and Note but nope. Not there.
 
So, I opened The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem.
 
Aha!! There it is. 
 
It’s the sixth and final pillar: Integrity.
 
Here’s how Nathaniel puts it: “Integrity is the integration of ideals, convictions, standards, beliefs—and behavior. When our behavior is congruent with our professed values, when ideals and practice match up, we have integrity.
 
Observe that before the issue of integrity can even be raised we need principles of behavior—moral convictions about what is and is not appropriate—judgments about right and wrong action. If we do not yet hold standards, we are on too low a developmental rung even to be accused of hypocrisy. In such a case, our problems are too severe to be described merely as lack of integrity.”
 
Yep.
 
That’s exactly right.
 
And…
 
That’s Today’s +1.
 
Are YOU living in integrity with your ideals, convictions, standards, and beliefs?
 
And…
 
Remember: That presupposes we HAVE a clear sense of standards. 
 
So…
 
What are yours?
 
Let’s know them. And, let’s live them. 
 
As we solidify our intense trust in ourselves by getting better and better at hitting the mark.
 
TODAY.
Aug 26, 2020

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Today we have fun talking about dropping into a data-mining Beast Mode of awesome. Hope you enjoy and LET'S DO THIS!!!

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