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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)Categories
Now displaying: November, 2022
Nov 5, 2022
Past? Future? Present? = Depression, Anxiety, Optimal Performance
Not too long ago, we spent some time with my friend Brian Cain—who happens to be, in my opinion, at least tied for first as THE world’s best mental toughness coach.
One particular line from his 10 Pillars of Mental Performance Mastery has been popping up in my brain and I want to make sure we take a moment to chat about it.
Here it is.
Brian tells us (via Coach Kenny in his fable): “Remember, depression is obsession with the past, anxiety is obsession about the future, and optimal performance is obsession about the present.”
Let’s think about that for a moment…
Depression is obsession about the PAST.
Anxiety is obsession about the FUTURE.
Optimal performance? That requires an obsession with the PRESENT.
Of course, that’s a deliberately hyperbolic oversimplification of depression and anxiety.
And…
It’s a powerful perspective.
All of which begs the question: What are YOU obsessed about these days?
I repeat: “Remember, depression is obsession with the past, anxiety is obsession about the future, and optimal performance is obsession about the present.”
Here’s to activating our Soul Force by getting our Energy to Heroic levels and Focusing it on What’s Important NOW all day every day.
Especially, as always, TODAY.
Anxiety and depression BEGONE.
Optimal performance LET’S GO!!
Nov 4, 2022
We Love You… Let’s GO!
In our last +1, we talked about the fact that I’m hitting 101 Heroic Targets a day so I can keep my daimon in play.
You try it yet? 
Of course, as I’ve said many times, you don’t need to be quite as crazy and ALL IN as I am to get the benefits of using the Heroic app.
Early research shows that hitting as few as THREE Heroic Targets a day can boost your Energy 40%, your Productivity 20% and your Connection 15%—all in a few minutes on the app per day.
Why does the Heroic app work so powerfully?
Because there’s E X T R A O R D I N A R Y power in living our lives with a clear intention and shining the spotlight of our attention on the things that matter most. Then, of course, DOING the things that are in integrity with that vision of our best selves.
Not once in a while but EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
Now…
One of the Heroic Energy Targets I commit to every morning these days is:
“Cold Plunge (2:43 after 30)”
That’s short-hand for: Get in the cold plunge for 2 minutes and 43 seconds after your 30 minute AM workout. 
Why 2:43?
Because we love you.
I actually do that twice a day—once after my AM workout and the second time an hour or two before I go to bed.
Why 2:43 x 2?
Because 2 x 2 min and 43 seconds is about 5.51 minutes and, well, everything I do is tied back to my purpose of helping create a world in which 51% of humanity is flourishing by the year 2051.
Now…
On to the point of Today’s +1.
I came up with a little 2 minute and 43 second Heroic meditation that I do every time I hop in the cold plunge.
It goes like this.
First, I take a deep breath before I get in to the cold plunge. In through the nose, down into the belly, back out through the nose—exhale slightly longer than the inhale… Optimal Breathing 101 style. You know the drill.
Before we go further…
To be VERY clear, I never really want to hop in the cold. Getting in 51-57 degree water is never a particularly pleasant experience. But, I do it because a) I like building the habit of doing things I don’t like to do and b) I know the benefits of cold are extraordinary (see Notes on The Wim Hof Method!) so I move through my resistance and get in.
Then…
My 2:43 Heroic Meditation begins.
I start by saying each virtue.
Wisdom. Self-Mastery. Love. Courage. Gratitude. Hope. Curiosity. Zest.
Then I say an affirmation for each virtue.
I am Wise.
I am Disciplined.
I am Loving.
I am Courageous.
I am Grateful.
I am Hopeful.
I am Curious.
I am Zesty.
Then I say the declaration for each virtue.
I know the game I’m playing and how to play it well.
I have structural, reactive, and expansive discipline.
I am connected, joyful, and encouraging.
I am willing to act in the presence of fear.
I appreciate all the blessings and gifts in my life.
I have an inspiring target, agency, and pathways.
I pay attention to what’s working and what needs work.
I dominate my fundamentals so I have Heroic Energy.
Then I repeat each virtue.
Wisdom. Self-Mastery. Love. Courage. Gratitude. Hope. Curiosity. Zest.
Then I think of my tattoos as I remind myself of our ultimate mission: “Hero, I see a world in which 51% of humanity is flourishing by 2051. My Soul Force is at 101 and I’m helping 1 million people get THEIR Soul Force to 101 so we can change the world together.”
Then I say to myself: “All in. Let’s go!!!”
Then I get out of the cold, dry off and get back to dominating my day.
That’s a 2 minute, 43 second version of a Heroic meditation.
All in. Day 1. Let’s go!
Nov 3, 2022
It’s Hard to Have a Bad Day When I Hit These (Yours?)
Every day I hit 101 Targets in the Heroic App.
As I joke with our team and with some friends, “101 Targets a day keeps the daimon in play!”
I can assure you that it’s *really* hard to have a *really* bad day when you start your day recommitting to being your best self in your Energy, Work, and Love and then do 101 things you KNOW help you stay plugged in.
But…
Don’t take my word for it.
Test it!
Now…
I recommit to over 30 Heroic Energy Targets every morning. I’ve basically breadcrumbed my day with what I KNOW I do when I’m at my best so I can make that prior best my new baseline.
My #1 Energy Target?
“In Bed for 9-10 Hours”
I haven’t missed that ONCE since we launched the app. Sleep is a sport for me and THAT (process!) Target is the #1 reason why my (outcome Target!) average Oura Sleep Score has been 90+ every month for nearly 2 years. For curious souls, my current Heroic Energy Top 3 includes:
I. In Bed for 9-10 Hours
II. AM Meditation (1%)
III. Movement (30 Min)
Just hitting THOSE three Targets would be enough to keep me feeling pretty darn Zesty and provide bumper rails to make sure I never got too off track.
But, of course, I’m not trying to keep myself on track, I’m trying to see just how Heroically I can show up and just how much Soul Force I can activate as I strive to help YOU show up with a fully-activated Soul Force of 101!
Which is why I also recommit to a Digital Sunset, PM Meditation (1%), my 1 Sun Salutation, 10 Pull-ups, 100 Burpees, 1,000 Meters of Rowing, 10,000 Steps and a couple dozen other targets.
But that’s not quite the point of this +1.
When I started writing it I planned to share a new 2 minute and 43 second Heroic meditation with you but I’ll save that for our next +1.
Today’s +1 is this…
What are YOUR Top 3 Heroic Energy Targets?
What are the THREE simple things you do when YOU are plugged in and at your most-Heroically-Energized best?
Seriously.
What are they?
REMEMBER!!!
(Yes, I’m shouting.)
Life doesn’t need to be so hard.
We just need to step back from TikTok and the latest must-see Netflix show for a moment or three, get clarity on who we are and what we do when we’re at our best and then… BE THAT best version of ourselves and DO THE THINGS that best version of ourselves does!!
As always…
Not once in a while and DEFINITELY not only when we feel like it.
Nope…
All day, EVERY day ESPECIALLY on those days when we don’t feel like it.
THAT, I repeat, is how we develop the antifragile confidence to KNOW that we have what it takes to show up and respond to every challenge life throws at us while we give the world all we’ve got.
Of course, we architected the E N T I R E Heroic app to help you move from Theory to Practice to Mastery TODAY but whether you choose to use our tools or some other set of tools, please please please please please take the time to get clear on who you are at your best then recommit to being that version of yourself and doing the things that best version of you does TODAY.
We need you at your Heroic best.
Day 1. All in.
Let’s GO!!!
Nov 2, 2022
In Permanent Ink Somewhere I’ll Never Miss It 
Today I want to chat about how I spent last Father’s Day with the kids.
Hint: We went to Blindside Tattoo in Austin, Texas to add some Heroic targets to my forearm in permanent ink.
Before we go there…
As you may recall, in our last +1, we talked about Admiral McRaven’s Hero Code and the virtue of perseverance.
He told us about the fact that it was PERSEVERANCE that helped many of our favorite Heroes weather the inevitable storms of their Heroic quests en route to the summit of fulfilling their Missions.
I think this is so good that it’s worth repeating: “George Washington was defeated on the battlefield more times than he won. Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections before he won the presidency. Thomas Edison failed ten thousand times before inventing the lightbulb. Henry Ford had two failed companies before he found success. J. K. Rowling was destitute before she got the first Harry Potter book published, and Oprah Winfrey had an extremely difficult childhood before finding her way. Martin Luther King once famously said, ‘If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving.’”
Now…
As I read that passage and reflected on the power of perseverance, I also thought about the fantastic ancient Sanskrit word for being a hero in the beginning: arambhashura.
As Eknath Easwaran tells us in Conquest of Mind: “In Sanskrit we have a word which means “heroes at the beginning”: people who take up a job with a fanfare of trumpets but soon find that their enthusiasm has tiptoed down the back stair. Those who go far in meditation are the ones who keep on plugging. They may not be very spectacular; they may never hear a trumpet. But they keep on trying day in and day out, giving their best in every situation and relationship, never giving up. Such people are bound to reach their goal.”
And…
Now, it’s time for that fun trip with the kids Father’s Day trip to Blindside Tattoo with the kids.
On Father’s Day, I took Emerson and Eleanor with me to go get a tattoo. (Yes, that’s like me! Hah.)
As you know if you’ve been following along, I have “ARETÉ” tattooed on my right forearm to remind me to practice my philosophy as I strive to close the always-present gap between who I’m capable of being and who I’m actually being in any given moment.
I tattooed “HEROIC” on my left forearm along with the numbers “51 | 2051” to capture the ultimate mission to which I’ve dedicated my life: playing my role as humbly yet heroically well as I can to help create a world in which 51% of humanity is flourishing by 2051.
On Father’s Day 2022, the kids and I went on a little adventure to add “101 | 1M” next to the “51 | 2051.”
The “101” represents my commitment to doing everything in my power to get my Soul Force to 101 so I can help YOU get YOUR Soul Force (as measured in the Heroic app!) to 101.
The “1M” represents the first million people I’m committed to doing everything in my power to help get to a Soul Force score of 101 so we can have a shot at that 51 | 2051.
As we’ve discussed, science says we increase our odds of achieving our goals by about 42% if we write them down.
So…
I figured I’d write my most important goals somewhere I’d never miss them and let them serve as a constant reminder to PERSEVERE (just one step at a time!) through all the inevitable obstacles in a good heroic quest.
Every morning I start my meditation by looking at down at my arm and saying to myself, “Hero, I see a world in which 51% of humanity is flourishing by 2051. Let’s get our Soul Force to 101 and help 1M people do the same and we have a shot at fulfilling our mission.”
101 x 1M → 51 | 2051
All in. Day 1.
Here’s to PERSEVERING through the inevitable storms on our Heroic quests as we take JUST ONE MORE STEP…
Today.
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Nov 1, 2022
Did You Know That George Washington…
In our last couple +1s, we chatted about Admiral McRaven’s and Ryan Holiday’s take on Courage.
Remember: Courage is calling. All we need to do is take JUST ONE STEP.
As you may recall, The Hero Code has ten virtues: Courage. Humility. Sacrifice. Integrity. Compassion. Perseverance. Duty. Hope. Humor. Forgiveness.
Let’s shine a spotlight on the sixth virtue, Perseverance.
We’ll invite Admiral McRaven back to the party to share his wisdom on the subject.
He tells us: “I believe history will show that success is not just a function of brains or brawn, of talent or intellect, of skill or resourcefulness, but of perseverance. Genius without resolve is just another passing person with a bright idea. Athletic prowess without determination is just another talent wasted. The world is filled with men and women who amounted to nothing because they gave up on their dreams: because they didn’t have the guts, the determination, the willpower to keep going—no matter what. But history is equally replete with heroes who fought through the challenges, persevered, and made a difference.
George Washington was defeated on the battlefield more times than he won. Abraham Lincoln lost eight elections before he won the presidency. Thomas Edison failed ten thousand times before inventing the lightbulb. Henry Ford had two failed companies before he found success. J. K. Rowling was destitute before she got the first Harry Potter book published, and Oprah Winfrey had an extremely difficult childhood before finding her way. Martin Luther King once famously said, ‘If you can’t fly, run. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, crawl. But by all means, keep moving.’”
Perseverance.
It does a noble Hero good.
That first paragraph reminds me of this classic Calvin Coolidge wisdom: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
And, although I knew about Lincoln’s failures and J. K. Rowling’s challenges before Harry Potter success (check out our Notes on Leadership in Turbulent Times for more on Lincoln and our collection of Notes on all the Harry Potter books here), I never knew that about George Washington.
Isn’t it fascinating to imagine him losing more battles than he won?!
Thank you, George, for persevering.
(Seriously. Thank you, sir. I don’t take the freedom my country affords me for granted as I know that you fought for SEVEN YEARS to fulfill the Declaration of Independence. 
)
) And…
THAT’s Today’s +1.
Perseverance.
It does a noble Hero good.
Let’s take just ONE more step.
Today.
+1. +1. +1.
©2016