In this little trip behind-the-scenes we take a quick look at the evolving 2017 Q1 calendar and how fired up I am about PN-LIVE. Plus we have fun with two micro classes: one on identifying your #1 (or Top 3) goals for next year that’ll make it amazing (along with the 1 or 2 habits you need to install to make that goal happen); and, we have fun looking at chasms vs. cracks. Joseph Campbell said that when you get to a chasm, jump. It’s not as wide as you think. I share a couple stories of my own where I saw chasms were really cracks. You? P.S. Let’s do this.

Big visions are awesome, of course. But ultimately it's all about ACTION--taking gritty baby steps every.single.day in pursuit of our big audacious goals and purpose-driven destiny. One great tactic? Get Juicy!! Just ship it. #JUSI

After my strategy journaling I often send a quick video my right-hand genius ninja Evan. Today I started doing that and realized I should just share it with you as well as part of this series. So, here we are. Theme: Let's 10x--make that 20x!!-- the value we create for our members by sharing 250 PN-LIVEs + 250 Office Hours. Still noodling but basically, Monday thru Friday at 10am PST I'm thinking we can hang out and Optimize. Then on Saturday we'll have a longer lecture for more awesome. Then I rest on Sunday. :) (Got ideas on stuff you'd like me to cover?! Drop a comment, pretty please!!) LET'S DO THIS!!

Another quick peek at my prep for 2017. Short story: We're going to livestream awesome classes on my 100 favorite book ever. Q&A. etc. It's going to be awesome.

Every morning I spend ~5 minutes quickly journaling on what I am committed to doing and who I am committed to being in the world. Here's a quick peek behind the scenes on this AM's journaling in which I share the big vision for our business Optimize Enterprises, Public Benefit Corporation.

Hero Training 101. It's time. 

Here's the full script: 

Do you know what the word “hero” means?

In ancient Greek, the word “hērōs” (spelled with a cool line over the e and the o) meant PROTECTOR.

Not “killer of bad guys” or “super strong tough guy” but PROTECTOR.

A hero has strength for two.

The hero’s secret weapon? 

LOVE. 

Compassion.

Empathy.

A hero CARES. 

And a hero is willing to do the work necessary to be strong enough to serve and to protect the people and community and country she loves.

Our world needs heroes today more than ever before.

That’s why I’m putting every single ounce of my energy into something we’re calling Hero Training 101.

We’re going to help you create the greatest year of your life and, in the process, help you create heroic mastery of every facet of your life. 

We’ll start by figuring out what you’re here to do. How will YOU be heroic? What bold steps will you take to give your greatest gifts in greatest service to the world? Who must you become to make that vision a reality?

We’ll figure out your highest calling and then challenge you to STEP UP and create the strength to make that dream a reality.

We’ll start with your fundamentals. Absolutely dialing in your nutrition, your movement, your sleep, and your ability to focus your mind—putting your attention where you want, when you want for how long you want—the skill that psychologists tell us is THE most important attribute of the greatest and happiest among us.

We’ll master the process of setting and achieving goals. Building habits and using your willpower wisely. Cultivating humble yet heroic confidence. Mastering the process of getting stuff done while conquering any procrastination, anxiety or depression. We’ll step into our full leadership potential and master the process of using business as a force for heroic good.

And, most importantly, we’ll focus on love. Not just for a few people with whom we’re close. But for everyone and all of life—remembering that THE secret weapon of the true hero is LOVE. Fully embodied and expressed in every micro-moment of our lives as we dig deep and commit to most fully giving ourselves to our families, communities, countries and world.

Hero Training 101. It’s time.

optimize.me/hero

Leadership is all about inspiring and empowering people to do great things. In this class, we’ll explore the fact that leadership starts by leading yourself as we identify your noble purpose, chisel your foundation, create a compelling vision, embrace the process, and do what you’re here to do. We’ll also look at the power of charisma, the neuroscience of being an iconoclastic leader, and discuss the best-kept secret of leadership to help you create your legacy.

Nutrition. It’s easy to get lost in the labyrinth of conflicting science. In this class, we focus on the 2 facts Michael Pollan tells us we can all agree on and then look at how to eliminate the primary causes of disease caused by our modern diets. Optimizing our health, energy and happiness starts at the end of our fork!

Did you know there’s a science (+ art!) to learning? Yep. In this class, I’m excited to share some of my favorite Big Ideas on how to learn + make things stick–efficiently! Whether you’re a student, parent or life-long learner, I hope you enjoy!

The Purpose Formula has three parts. How do you fill in the bubbles? Where do your skills and joy meet the world's needs?

Movement. It’s about more than just exercise. Did you know you can be active *and* sedentary? Yep. In this class we’ll take a look at how to optimize your energy, genes, mind, mood, and body as a perpetual motion machine!

High standards are great. Perfectionism? Not so much. In this class, we’ll take a look at why it’s so important to embrace the constraints of reality as we have fun incrementally optimizing–aggregating and compounding tiny improvements over time to create magic!

Willpower is the queen of all virtues. It outpredicts IQ by a factor of TWO for academic performance (and everything else we want in life). This class is all about the science of how to systematically build our willpower so we can reach our highest potential.

In addition to being a dear friend and author of one of the books that most profoundly changed my life (How to Think Like da Vinci), Michael Gelb is a qi gong master. In this special episode, Michael walks us thru The Three Treasures qi gong practice. Hope you enjoy and here's to optimizing our qi!

Ready to reach your potential and perform at your best when it matters most? Fantastic. Let’s get clear on where you’re headed, go all in, and cultivate our grit + presence + self-confidence as we vacuum up any potential choke dust, visualize, let it rip and win or learn.

Did you know the word “parenting” comes from the Latin “to bring forth”? Yep. Begs the question, what do YOU want to help bring forth in your kids?! In this class, we explore 10 of my favorite Ideas on how I’m approaching fatherhood and going for dad of the year while doing my life’s work.

Sleep. It’s the secret sauce to optimal living. In this class, explore my Top 10 favorite Big Ideas on how to create consistent, great night’s of sleep to optimize your energy, mood and mojo. We’ll start with why, unpack the kryptonites that get in the way, set some curfews and get you sleeping like a champ.

Over the last 20 years, I’ve spent half my time in Founder/CEO-mode and the other half in Philosopher-mode. Before going all in as a Philosopher, I built and sold two market-leading social platforms (raising $10m in the process). In this class, I share my Top 10 Ideas on how to create a great business and get paid to change the world. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, solopreneur, small business owner or leader in any organization, we hope you love it.

In this class we’ll look at your #1 creative project, doing your life’s work, turning pro and the three laws of mastery. Plus how to get your mind right and deal with troll poop. Let’s master the process of consistently creating cool stuff and giving our gifts to the world!

In this special class, my wife Alexandra joins us to share her Top 10 Big Ideas on how to celebrate the most creative time of your life. Discover how to mother from your essence, be a self-care queen, ignite your desire power and see your mothering as holy work + invisible art as you bring more fun and play and mindfulness into your heroine’s journey.

Abraham Maslow tells us that what one ​can​ be, one must​ be. Actualizing our potential is like oxygen for the soul. Helping you discover your purpose and fulfill your destiny is what this class is all about.

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.

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.

I LOVE the science of flourishing. In this class, we have fun exploring my absolute favorite Big Ideas from my absolute favorite psychologists. Life-changing stuff. The psychologists: Maslow + Frankl + Csikszentmihalyi + Seligman + Dweck + Baumeister + Ben-Shahr + Oettingen + Segar + McGonigal. The Ideas: Actualizer + Choice + Flow + Virtues + Mindsets + Willpower + Optimalist + WOOP + Why + Stress.

Want to optimize your relationship? My wife, Alexandra, joins us for this special class. Join us as we explore 10 of our favorite Big Ideas--starting with a definition of love then looking at the difference between falling in vs. standing in love and then some nuts and bolts Ideas on how to rock it.