OPTIMIZE with Brian Johnson | More Wisdom in Less Time

A couple +1s ago, we hung out with Mister Rogers in his barrelful of songs. Today I want to hop in the pool with him and then do something extra special.

In our last +1, we talked about being the change we want to see in the world. I asked: What change DO you want to see?

Today I’d like to let you know that I officially have a new job. It’s one I’m quite excited about.

In our last +1, we talked about Twyla Tharp’s thoughts on reading and thinking. Recall her comment that: “If I stopped reading, I’d stop thinking. It’s that simple.” (Amen!) Today I’d like to talk about HOW she reads.

A few +1s ago, we talked about Twyla Tharp’s Creative Habit. That led to a little dance through the minds of some pretty epically creative souls. (Thank you, Twyla, Peter and Stephen!) Today I want to come back to some wisdom from Twyla.

In our last +1, we had fun hanging out inside Peter Drucker’s (and I quote) “VERY BIG waste paper basket.” As the great Drucker taught us, we need to be able to say “No!” to distractions if we’re going to have a shot at doing “the work the Good Lord has fitted one to do, and to do well.”

In our last +1, we chatted about the pit crew guys I can’t seem to get out of my head. I was reminded of them yet again (!) this morning as I was reading a great little book called The World According to Mister Rogers.

You know that Ferrari pit crew we chatted about not too long ago? Well, I haven’t been able to get that beautiful 60-second scene out of my head.  22 guys working together so perfectly. As the description to the YouTube video puts it: “poetry in motion.”

Have you ever read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho? It’s amazing. I’ve read it a bunch of times. Guess how many copies the book has sold since Paulo wrote it over 30 years ago… 65 MILLION! (!!!)

Not too long ago, we had fun taking a quick tour through Mel Robbins’s wise and funny brain and book. We talked quite a bit about her 5 Second Rule but I realized I never formally defined it for us in her words. 

In our last couple +1s, we’ve had fun (at least I have!) briefly chatting about the first two steps Paul Napper and Anthony Rao encourage us to take in pursuit of cultivating our Agency such that life’s challenges are just nutritious treats fueling our hero’s journeys.

In our last +1, we had fun taking the first step in building our Agency. Pop quiz: Do you recall what that step was?  (And, MUCH more importantly: Did you take a little action to Optimize?) Recap: According to Paul Napper and Anthony Rao, the first thing we need to do if we want to cultivate our ability to take effective action on behalf of our highest selves is to “Control Stimuli.”

In our last several +1s, we’ve been talking about The Power of Agency. In our next few +1s, we’re going to talk about the Top 3 ways Paul Napper and Anthony Rao tell us we can build our agency such that we can eat all those challenges like the energy bars they’re meant to be—fueling us as we Optimize and actualize our potential in greatest service to the world.

In our last couple +1s, we’ve been talking about Agency. I promised we’d get into how The Power of Agency guys tell us we can build our agency. But, first, let’s take a quick trip down Etymology Lane. 

In our last +1, we (that would be me, the Secret Agent DoubleO-You and our daimons) spent some time hanging out chatting about the power of agency. Today we’re going to talk about it a little more.