OPTIMIZE with Brian Johnson | More Wisdom in Less Time

In our last +1, we talked about daring greatly, being willing to enter the arena of life and getting up every time we get knocked down. If that isn’t the perfect segue into Theodore Roosevelt’s wisdom from what is now known as his “Man in the Arena” speech, I don’t know what is.

In our last +1, we talked about being an Optimus-Champion in our Big 3. We had fun with one of my new mantras: Champ Champ Champ. (Laughing.) (You come up with a mantra that makes your soul smile?) Today I want to talk a little more about the sport of mixed martial arts. We may think it’s a new thing and, of course, the way it’s currently marketed is new, but the essence of the sport has been around for quite awhile.

In our last +1, we talked about my quest to be a Spartan champion in 2025 and how that’s resulted in a lot of WINing TODAY. (How’re your goals-systems?!) Today I want to talk about being a Champ Champ Champ.

Here’s a quick look at our next class: Energy 101!

Scott Adams created Dilbert in 1989. According to my quick math, assuming he’s done a strip every day since Jan 1, 1990, then he’s created over 10,000 Dilbert’s. I find that astonishingly inspiring. In fact, I think about him and Charles Schulz every morning as I do my quick 3-minute journaling and reflect on my commitment to my own craft. (Side note: You know how many Peanuts comic strips Schulz created? 17,897. In a row. How? Daily Rituals)

In our last +1, I sent out an official invitation to my 100th birthday party. I hope you marked your calendar: May 22, 2074. It’s a Tuesday so I’ll be hammering my 4.5 hours of Deep Work in the AM and plan to go to bed early. So… I’m thinking 3:00 in the afternoon for the festivities. Excited to see you and please don’t forget to send me an invitation to YOUR 100th birthday party!! That, of course, is a sugar- and flour-free quasi-cake!

In The Endurance Handbook, Phil Maffetone teaches us how to tap into our athletic endurance potential. He also teaches us how to perform well in the ultimate endurance contest: living a long, healthy life!

I created this class after my friend Matt McCall (who helps run the Pritzker Group Venture Capital fund) asked me to do a talk for 60 of their portfolio CEOs. He was thinking “Optimizing for Supheroes 101.” I loved that idea and decided it would be the perfect context to share my absolute best stuff and here we are.

Yuval Noah Harari’s new book recently came out. It’s called 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. I got it the day it was released and started reading it immediately. It’s as thoughtful and mind-expanding as his first two: Sapiens + Homo Deus.

In our last couple +1s, we had some fun with Seth Godin and my dictionary as we learned how to be godlike. Today we’re going to talk about what he calls “The Icarus Deception.”