OPTIMIZE with Brian Johnson | More Wisdom in Less Time

A few +1s ago, we talked about Walter Russell and the sound of joy. Today I’d like to talk about another one of his powerful insights. Here it is. He tells us: “Mediocrity is self-inflicted. Genius is self-bestowed.”

In Learning 101, we talked about a concept scientists call “interleaving.” The basic idea is simple: If you want to learn something, you’re better off varying your practice rather than grooving one identical rep after another.

This is Steven Pressfield’s 19th book. It’s the 10th book of his I’ve read and it’s the 4th book on which I’ve done a Note. As with all of his books, this one is written in his inimitable, pithy style. (In fact, as I consulted my dictionary for the precise definition of the word pithy, I realized just how much his style epitomizes that word. Pithy means “concise and forcefully expressive.” <--Exactly.)

Not too long ago we talked about The Golden Buddha. I always thought it was a beautiful parable about the fact that we’re all already perfect and that all we have to do is chip away at the plaster that’s gotten in the way. But get this: The Golden Buddha is actually REAL! (Hah.) I discovered this fact while I was reading Tim Grahl's book Running Down a Dream. Absolutely fascinating stuff.

In our last +1, we talked about The Mystery of the Hairy Fingers and how to alchemize suffering into laughter like a five-year-old. I briefly mentioned Phil Maffetone and the MAF Test I’m doing these days to track my progress on developing aerobic speed.

Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney are both academic researchers and professors who have been studying sports nutrition, ketogenic diets and peak performance for decades.

One of my challenges as I step up my athletic game is finding the time to train as I have some very tight time constraints on how much time I’m willing to put into my training.

In our last couple +1s, we talked about the lead-up to a recent keynote talk I gave and some wisdom gleaned in the process—including practicing the “Bring it on!” and “I’m excited!” tools THE MOMENT I experienced doubt/fear/etc. and… Hanging towels over mirrors to reduce the ol’ self-consciousness. Today I want to talk about being a ballet dancer. (Hah.)

In our last +1, we talked about the subtle but significant distinction I made in the lead-up to my first-ever keynote talk. Specifically, I used the tools “Bring it on!” and “I’m excited!” THE MOMENT I felt any doubt or fear or anxiety creeping into my head.

A little while back, we talked about the keynote talk I was getting ready to present (as part of the Pritzker Group Venture Capital’s annual event for the 60+ portfolio CEOs). Today I’d like to give a quick update on how it went and then talk about how I dealt with my nerves leading up to it—with an emphasis on a little distinction I made about how to apply the “Bring it on!” and “I’m excited!” tools.