You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

+1: #205 To Thine Own Self Be True

01 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

William Shakespeare once told us (via Polonius in Hamlet): "This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Th...

+1 #200: The 5 (Greek) Keys to Optimizing

01 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

PNTV: The Plant Paradox by Steven R. Gundry (#361)

31 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The Plant Paradox. In a nutshell: The plants that nourish us can also hurt us. Dr. Steven Gundry is a renowned cardiologist and heart surgeon. He's a ...

Greatest Year Ever 101 2018 (Intro)

31 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Want this year to be the greatest year of your life? Here's how to go about making that happen. We'll start with a quick inventory of what's awesome. ...

+1 #195: Microscopes + Telescopes

30 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

PNTV: The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadot

29 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Pierre Hadot was one of the most influential historians of ancient philosophy. In this book, he gives us an incredible look at Marcus Aurelius and his...

+1 #190: Approach vs. Avoidance

29 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

PNTV: The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy by Donald Robertson

27 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Got problems with your soul? These days, you'd see a psychotherapist. But, back in the day, it was the philosopher who'd help you optimize—they were...

+1 #185: The Angel's Advocate

27 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

+1 #180: Thinking vs. Doing

25 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In one of my coaching sessions with Phil Stutz he told me to write something down. (He often does that. 😃) He said, "Draw a horizontal line. Above...

+1 #175: How Caffeine Really Works

24 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Do you know how caffeine actually works? Most of us think that caffeine gives us energy. But what it actually does is mask our fatigue—making us fe...

PNTV: The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy

22 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Darren Hardy is the publisher of SUCCESS magazine. His message is clear: We are living in the era of greatest opportunity in human history. There's ne...

+1 #170: Eating Sugar in an fMRI Machine

22 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last couple +1s, we've been hanging out in an fMRI scanning our brains and seeing some fascinating stuff. Let's stay in there for one more stu...

PNTV: Unsubscribe by Jocelyn K. Glei

20 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This is a quick-reading, smart, practical guide on how to, as the sub-title suggests, "Kill Email Anxiety, Avoid Distractions, and Get Real Work Done....

+1 #165: Flow

20 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is one of the world's leading researchers studying the science of well-being. He co-founded the Positive Psychology movement w...

+1 #160: Presence

19 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1, we talked about the fact that the word courage comes from the Latin word for "heart." Just as our heart pumps blood to the rest of our...

+1 #155: Precommitment

17 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1, we talked about the power of recommitting. You make a big commitment, then you fall a little off track. No big deal, REcommit and cont...

PNTV: Love 2.0 by Barbara Fredrickson

15 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Ready to upgrade your vision of love? Then you're in for a treat with this fantastic book by Barbara Fredrickson. Barbara is one of the world's leadin...

+1 #150: Hedonic Adaptation

15 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1 we hopped on a treadmill with Will Smith and Smokeybot. Today, let's hop on a treadmill with well-being researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky. ...

PNTV: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman (#358)

15 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This book combines two of my favorite things: Stoicism + Ryan Holiday's wisdom. Stoicism was one of the most influential philosophy of the Roman world...

+1 #145: Opportunities to Move

14 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our movement-is-good for you theme, let's talk about how Michelle Segar looks at this. You may recall that Michelle is one of the world's ...

PNTV: The Way of the SEAL by Mark Divine

13 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A former U.S. Navy SEAL Commander, Mark Divine integrates the ancient warrior traditions with grounded, practical virtue and 21st century get-it-done ...

+1 #140: Stop Stopping

12 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Men's Health says that Dean Karnazes is one of the 100 Fittest Men of ALL Time. He's done crazy things—like running 350 miles at once. Plus running...

PNTV: The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McKeown

11 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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. Ko...

+1 #135: Repairing Relationships

10 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1 we chatted about the difference between FALLING in love and STANDING in love. It's easy to fall in love. It's considerably more challe...

+1 #130: What's Your Partner's #1 Self-Care Habit?

09 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1, we talked about the importance of identifying and installing your #1 self-care habit. Today I want to talk about another SUPER import...

PNTV: Rethinking Narcissism by Craig Malkin

08 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Craig Malkin is an author, clinical psychologist, and Instructor of Psychology for Harvard Medical School. He's also one of the world's leading au...

+1 #125: Follow Your Grunt

07 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1, we talked about Scott Adams's wisdom on Wishing vs. Deciding (https://www.optimize.me/plus-one/deciding-vs-wishing/). The key differe...

PNTV: Coaching the Mental Game by Harvey Dorfman

06 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Harvey Dorfman was one of the world's leading mental training experts. Major League Baseball described him as a "pioneering sports psychologist." He e...

+1 #120: Pulling Power

05 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1 we talked about the magic of creating a hoped-for future vision that has super-strong "Pull Power." Today we're going to talk about Pu...

PNTV: Irresistible by Adam Alter

04 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Irresistible. That's the perfect word to describe the growing array of addictive technologies that are capturing so much of our attention these days. ...

+1 #115: Smile!

04 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Get this: Scientists can bring people into a lab and have them hold a pen in their mouths in one of two different ways to elicit two very different ou...

+1 #110: Desirable Difficulties

02 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

We're on a roll with the whole "embrace challenges on your epic quest!" theme so how about one more +1 on the subject? Malcolm Gladwell wrote a great...

+1 #105: Resistance Breathing

30 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What do you think is the most important, underappreciated muscle in your body? Think about that for a moment. What's your guess? I think this is th...

PNTV: The Progress Principle by Steven Kramer and Teresa Amabile

29 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Teresa Amabile is the Director of Research at Harvard Business School. It's pretty much impossible to read a book on business, creativity, or happines...

+1 #100: Euthymia

29 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

First: Welcome to our 100th +1. It's a special milestone. Kinda excited about it. 😃 Let's celebrate it with one of my favorite words ever: euthymi...

PNTV: The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande (#348​)

29 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Atul Gawande is a surgeon, writer, and public health researcher. He's also an extraordinary, best-selling author of a number of books. Short story: Wa...

+1 #95: Mediocrity vs. Excellence

27 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last few +1s, we've been chatting about reaching the Peak of our potential. What's the alternative? Well, did you know that the Latin root of...

+1 #90: Your Declaration of Independence

25 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For those of you in the States celebrating today, Happy Independence Day. For everyone else around the world, Happy 4th of July! 😃 The 4th of July...

PNTV: The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Stephen Covey

24 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

I planned to read this book since Cal Newport referenced it in Deep Work. I finally did so in preparation to teach Productivity 101. It's fantastic. ...

+1 #85: 50 Pounds = A

24 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine this: It's your first day of art class. You signed up for an intro class on pottery. (Nice! Go you!) The teacher does something a little weir...

PNTV: The Effective Executive by Peter F. Drucker (#346)

23 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Optimize: https://optimize.me/ (← Get Free Stuff + Free 2-Week Trial!) Optimize Coach: https://optimize.me/coach (← Join 2,000+ Optimizers from 70...

PNTV: Peak Performance by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness

22 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Brad Stulberg is a writer focused on health and the science of human performance. (Amy Cuddy calls him her favorite health and science writer.) Steve ...

+1 #80: Time Blocks

22 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing our theme of making TODAY (and every day!) a Masterpiece Day, let's take a quick look at Time Blocks. Gary Keller wrote The ONE Thing. He ...

+1 #75: Simplify the Battlefield

20 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1 we talked about Spinny Fingers and how to quickly regain our equanimity when life spins us around. Here's another way. Mark Divine is...

PNTV: The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin (#344)

20 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Optimize: https://optimize.me/ (← Get Free Stuff + Free 2-Week Trial!) Optimize Coach: https://optimize.me/coach (← Join 2,000+ Optimizers from 70...

+1 #70: 5-Minute Sweaty Conversations

19 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

You know those times when you need to initiate a tough conversation and you're kinda sorta dreading it and avoiding it? One of my old mentors once to...

+1 #65: Sacrifices vs. Decisions

17 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

George St-Pierre is one of the greatest mixed martial artists in the world. Ever. Of course, he wasn't always one of the greatest. At one point, he w...

PNTV: Coming Alive by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels (#343​)

17 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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...

+1 #60: Never Waste a Mis-take

15 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever made a mistake? (Hah.) Right. (I've made a mistake or 3 million as well.) Here's the deal: When we approach it with the right mindse...

+1 #55: The Law of Diminishing Intent

14 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1, we talked about the fact that Speed Is a Force. Jim Rohn said the same thing a little differently. He told us about the "Law of Dimin...

+1 #50: Perfectionist vs. Optimalist

12 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Speaking of perfectionism, let's look at the essence of Tal Ben-Shahar's great book The Pursuit of Perfect. Tal is one of the world's leading positiv...

+1 #45: Bright Lines

10 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

I dropped out of law school before a semester was over but I do remember one Big Idea from Contracts class. Lawyers like to say that a contract is a ...

+1 #40: 3 + 1 = Magic

09 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

We all have areas of our lives we want to Optimize. Stephen Covey tells us to think about our "Roles and Goals." Tony Robbins calls it "Categories of...

+1 #35: Journal Lately?

07 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Here's another simple way to keep your motivation high: Journal. Sonja Lyubomirsky is one of the world's leading scientists studying well-being. She ...

+1 #30: Sharpening the Saw

05 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Covey's seventh habit of Highly Effective People is "Sharpen the Saw." He tells us about the importance of renewal if we want to stay at our ...

+1: #25 - Grateful Flow

04 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1, we chatted about the scientifically-proven power of gratitude: Simply writing down 5 things you're grateful for can boost your happin...

+1 #20: How to Stop Thinking

02 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Get instant access to hundreds of free Optimize +1s (and unlock the full Optimize experience) at https://Optimize.me === +1 #20: How to Stop Thinking...

+1: #15 - Did I Win?

31 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Gold-medal-winning mental toughness coach and author Lanny Bassham is all about focusing on the PROCESS of goal achievement. He tells a great story a...

+1 #10: Antifragile

30 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In his great book Antifragile, Nassim Taleb walks us through the fact that there's a big difference between being fragile, being resilient, and bein...

+1 #5: 3:59.4

28 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

At this point, most of us know that Roger Bannister was the first person to break the 4-minute mile. Very smart people of his era said that it was im...

+1: #1 - +1 or -1 = Destiny Math

27 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In our last +1, we had fun applying Rumi's wisdom that God turns us from one feeling to another so we have two wings to fly and not one.   Today, we...

Journaling 101: Behind the Scenes

20 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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 Cons...

My morning journaling and strategy thinking (+ Top 10 Books) (behind the scenes)

03 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Interview: The Art of Connection with Michael Gelb

12 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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 Thin...

Interview: Coming Alive with Barry Michels

02 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Interview: Anxiety Free with Patrick McKeown

13 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

This is a quick-reading, simple, practical guide to, as the sub-title suggests, "Stop Worrying and Quieten Your Mind—Featuring the Buteyko Breathing...

Interview: The Oxygen Advantage with Patrick McKeown

12 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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. Ko...

Interview: Movement Matters with Katy Bowman

11 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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 "move...

Hero Training 101 - Friday PM

06 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Interview: The Road to Sparta with Dean Karnazes

05 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

Stoicism 101: How to Apply the Ancient Wisdom of Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius to Your Modern Life (Intro)

25 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

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 div...

Interview: Hero Training with David Allen

30 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Here's what David Allen has to say about Hero Training 101.

Interview: The Leadership Challenge with Jim Kouzes

25 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

James Kouzes and Barry Posner are two of the world's preeminent researchers on leadership. This is the 25th anniversary, fifth edition version of thei...

Interview: The Way of the Seal with Mark Divine

17 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

A former U.S. Navy SEAL Commander, Mark Divine integrates the ancient warrior traditions with grounded, practical virtue and 21st century get-it-done ...

You at your best: What's it look like? (Behind-the-scenes)

06 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Here's another behind-the-scenes look at how I'm thinking about The Big 3: Energy + Family + Service as we raise our standards to heroic levels. Prima...

Hero Training 101. Its time.

06 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Join us for my first ever offline immersion workshop. It will be at our new Optimize Oasis in Ojai in April. We're calling it Hero Training 101. It's ...

Hērōs + Virtues vs. Bling (My focus on New Year's morning!)

02 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

So I figured out my one word for 2017: Hērōs. Popped up in meditation this AM. It's basically the perfect expression of what we discussed yesterday:...

Community + Consistency + My love affair w/Calendars (behind-the-scenes)

02 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Turning the last page on my 2016 calendar is a pretty exciting thing for me. (Hah.) Here's a sneak peek at what's going to be important for me in 2017...

Greatest Year Ever 101: 2017 Prep! (Behind-the-scenes :)

02 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Here's a quick look at Greatest Year Ever 101. Join us at our new Oasis in Ojai (907 El Centro Street, Ojai 93023) or via Livestream as a member: opti...

Hero365: Greatest Year Ever + 2017 Curriculum

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Today we take a quick look at my creative planning to help us make 2017 the Greatest Year Ever. Fun! (I mention our membership. If you haven't joined ...

Hero365: Your #1 Goal? (+ Habit?) + Chasms vs. Cracks

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Hero365: #JUSI (aka "Just Ship It." Pronounced "Juicy." :)

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

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 go...

Hero365: Time to 10x. (Make that 20x! :)

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

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 i...

Hero365: Top 100 Books: PN-LIVE in 2017

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

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 b...

Hero365: My daily journal + OPTIMIZE biz overview

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Hero365: Hero Training 101 (The Manifesto)

23 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Micro Class: Foundation of Leadership = Credibility

02 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

You know what the foundation of leadership is? Credibility. Know how to build your credibility as a leader? Four key qualities. Here they are.

Micro Class: Influence Yourself

29 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Want to influence yourself? Tap into your natural tendency to want consistency. Here's a quick look at how to do that. (Hint: Start small. Write down ...

Micro Class: Charisma 101

25 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Charisma. First thing to know: You can build it. Here's how. (Focus on three skills: Presence + Power + Warmth!)

Micro Class: Hero = Protector

22 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Hero. Did you know the word means "protector" in Greek? Yep. Let's shift from "What's in it for me?" to "How can I be my brother's keeper.

Micro Class: Procrastipain

18 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know thinking about things we procrastinate about triggers a pain response in our brains? Yep. But get this - Only the *anticipation* creates ...

Micro Class: 10% = 1 Month

15 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that if you boost your productivity by 10% you basically add a MONTH's worth of productivity to your year? NUTS, eh? And true. Here's how...

Micro Class: Oil Barrels

11 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Tracy once crossed the Sahara desert. 500 miles of nothing but sand. All he had to do was go from oil barrel to oil barrel. Incremental improvem...

Micro Class: PCT vs. RSF

08 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

PCT = Problem-centric thinking. RSF = Relentless solution focus. Mentally tough people focus on SOLUTIONS. Are you?

Micro Class: Dreams + 2m Steps

04 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

The first time GSP told his dad his dream to be a world champion his dad thought he was crazy. He kept going. Step by step. You know how many steps ar...

Leadership 101: How to Inspire and Empower People to Do Great Things (Intro)

01 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

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 yo...

Micro Class: Experiments Never Fail

28 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Experiments never fail. That's a powerful distinction. Let's put on our lab coats + goggles and embrace a TESTING mindset vs. a "trusting" one.

Micro Class: Keep it Simple

25 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Coach Wooden believed in simplicity. His teams ran 1 offense, 1 defense, 1 out-of-bounds play. They MASTERED their one thing and became unstoppable. H...

Micro Class: You + Future You (in an fMRI)

21 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Imagining sliding into an fMRI. Researchers ask you to imagine yourself, a stranger and you in 10 years. The results are interesting and powerful.