OPTIMIZE with Brian Johnson | More Wisdom in Less Time

In our last +1, we talked about Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics and the fact that his word for “happiness” was VERY different than our word. Eudaimonia, as we discussed, literally means “good soul” and implies a powerful sense of actualizing our potential—succeeding in expressing the best within ourselves. Today we’re going to focus on HOW Aristotle teaches us to create THAT type of “happiness.”

Aristotle was born in Greece on the border of Macedonia in 384 BC. His father was the court physician to the Macedonian king. At the age of seventeen, he went to Athens where he studied with Plato in his Academy for TWENTY years until Plato’s death.

In our last +1, we talked about that little thread that runs through your head. (Did you gently pull it up?) I also briefly mentioned the 100 Questions Exercise from How to Think Like da Vinci and the question that changed my life: “How can I get paid to do what I love to do?”

On June 8th, 2001, I was on the back patio of my apartment a block from the beach in La Jolla, California reading Michael Gelb’s How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. I had just turned 27 and had just left the business (The Active Network) that acquired my first business (eteamz).

In our last couple +1s we talked about my iPhone pickle addiction and then we talked about how those 25 minutes of wasted time add up to 2 years (!!!) of your life. (That number blows me away every time I think about it. 25 minutes per day = 2 YEARS of your life! Wow.) Today I want to combine the pickle and the 25.

In our last +1, we talked about the fact that 25 minutes every day = 2 YEARS of your life. Did you figure out how you’re wasting time and make some progress eliminating that time wasting activity?

Manoush Zomorodi wrote a great little book called Bored and Brilliant. The basic idea is that we need to unplug from our constant tech stimulation such that our brain can settle into what scientists call the “default mode” where all the magic happens. Today I want to focus on one very simple equation from the book.

Today we’re going to wrap up our little trip down Mastery Lane. This is a quick one. Know this: George Leonard tells us that as we walk forward on our path of Mastery, there will be times when it’s easy-day smooth sailing. We just rock it. Then, sometimes (should I say much more often?), for every two steps forward, we take one step BACK! And, here’s the kicker: SOMETIMES, it’s the opposite. We slip back a couple steps for every step we take forward.

Continuing our George-Leonard-Mastery theme, here’s another quick little tip we want to keep in mind as we commit to becoming Masters. Let’s say you’ve rolled up your sleeves and decided to be a MASTER! No more Dabbler or Obsessive or Hacker for you!

In our last +1, we talked about George Leonard and met his vision of a Master. (We also took a quick look at the Dabbler, the Hacker and the Obsessive.) Today I want to chat with you about the passage I mentioned that was tattooed on my brain.