OPTIMIZE with Brian Johnson | More Wisdom in Less Time

In our last +1, we talked about Joseph Campbell’s koan: “What am I? Am I the bulb that carries the light, or am I the light of which the bulb is a vehicle?” Hmmm… 

In our last +1, we talked about the Fundies and how (ahem) fundamental they are to our Optimizing and Actualizing. 

In our last +1, we hung out with Dale Carnegie who echoed the wisdom of Jesus and the Jesuit priest Anthony de Mello. As you may recall, we learned that the fastest way to kick over the beehive in our relationships is to criticize someone.

In our last couple +1s, we had fun taking beams out of our own eyes (rather than worrying about the motes of dust in others’ eyes) while writing prescriptions for ourselves (rather than for our neighbors).

In our last +1, we talked about lint on the projector’s lens and the fact that, as per Byron Katie, “every perceived problem appearing ‘out there’ is really nothing more than a misperception within your own thinking.” 

Continuing our series on how to build a bonFIRE, today we’re going to chat about The Big 3 of creating Financial Independence (and Interdependence) as we win the ultimate game of life, Realizing Eudaimonia.

At this stage, most people have heard of Dale Carnegie’s uber-bestselling book How to Win Friends and Influence People. It was originally published in 1936 and has sold 15 million copies. 

You know how I’m all about oscillating and recommend that we pretty much never work for longer than 90 minutes straight without at least a 10 to 15 minute break? Well, I just violated that principle. 

Not too long ago, we spent some time with my Yoda (aka Phil Stutz) and he taught us the power of what he calls “stringing pearls.” (It was Part 2 in our Yoda’s Law of Action series.) As you may recall, the basic idea is that life (particularly a life filled with creative pursuits—which means ALL of our lives) is ALL about taking action.

Today we’re going to talk about what to do with some of your best ideas. But, first, let’s talk about cars. Quick story: I used to pride myself on driving an old Prius with 100,000+ miles. I simply didn’t care about what kind of car I drove. And, frankly, I actually kinda loved the fact that I didn’t care and embodied that detachment by driving a non-descript, 10+ year old silver Prius.

In our last couple +1s, we talked about Seneca’s wisdom on the importance of “fortifying our pertinacity” until our will to do the right thing becomes a disposition to doing the right thing.

In our last +1, we got some advice from Seneca. He encouraged us to remember that philosophy “tells all other occupations: ‘It’s not my intention to accept whatever time is leftover from you; you shall have, instead, what I reject.’ Give your whole mind to her.”

In our last couple +1s, we had some fun hanging out with Alexander the Great as we watched him bust out his sword and slice the Gordion Knot in half—fulfilling a legendary prophecy and giving us a metaphor that has endured for millennia.

In our last +1, we hung out with Alexander the Great and watched him cut the legendary Gordion Knot. We ended that discussion with a couple of questions: Got any seemingly impossible knots in your life? And… Is there a more direct and/or forceful approach to resolving the issue than you may have tried so far?

Skipping the longer philosophical chat about the ethics of being a conqueror, Today we’re going to chat about Alexander the Great. More specifically, we’re going to talk about him and a knot.