You Are Heroic with Brian Johnson

13.8 Billion Years Ago to NOW   In our last couple +1s , we talked about the Sun and the next-closest star, appropriately named Proxima Centauri.    We did some quick math and realized that the Universe is insanely vast (yes, that's the technical description) and that 99.999% of the Universe consists of… ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.   Imagining the ineffable VASTNESS of our Universe should help us get a li...

For 4.2 Years Just to Get to the Next Star   In our last +1 , we used the Sun as a trigger/prompt/cue to practice our philosophy and put the virtues of gratitude and humility and awe into action.    As you may recall, we reflected on the fact that the Sun is a STAGGERING 93 MILLION (!) miles away.    Somehow, its rays are so powerful that, even after taking 8 minutes and 20 seconds to arrive on pl...

93 Million Miles + 8 Minutes 20 Seconds   This morning I was on the Trail moving for 30 minutes.    I banged out my last couple sets of 11 burpees to hit my 101 for the day. I jumped up to hang from the tree branch that is my pull-up bar to hammer out my 11 pull-ups. I rowed my 1,000 meters to hit that Target.    Target swipe.   Target swipe.   Target swipe.   Target swipe.   Target swipe.     I k...

From Doing the Right Thing for the Win!   In our last few +1s , we've been talking about The Law of Cause and Effect .   We started with Michael Singer 's wisdom. Then we went old school with Jesus and Epictetus .    I promised we'd talk about what modern SCIENCE has to say about applying the basic ideas of The Law of Cause and Effect to the process of optimizing our lives.   That's what we'll do...

Horticultural vs. Clock Time Revisited   In our last +1 , we continued our conversation about The Law of Cause and Effect by inviting Jesus to the party to share his thoughts.   As you may recall, he told us that we can't expect to grow grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles.   In other words: If we want a noble, virtuous life, we must do noble, virtuous things.   Now…   It's not possible...

Thorn Bushes and Thistles Won't Do the Trick   In our last   1 , we talked about The Law of Karma.    Also known as The Law of Cause and Effect.   Same thing.    All the great teachers have talked about it.    And the entire field of modern science is, of course, grounded in this causal relationship between things.   In short: If THIS then THAT .   Today we're going to rewind the clock a couple of...

How to Apply the Law of Cause and Effect   As we've discussed, Michael Singer is one of my favorite spiritual teachers.   After reading The Untethered Soul and Living Untethered , I decided to follow Joseph Campbell's advice and take a deeper dive into his work. I went to Amazon to see what else he's written. I found a couple of books he wrote nearly 50 years ago.    One of those books is called T...

Feed the Good Guys   In our last couple +1s , we hung out with a couple of wise Indian masters and their gurus.    We talked about what to do if we're afraid of ghosts (approach them!) and how to deal with the bitter process of changing our behaviors (keep chewing!).   Today I want to chat about ghosts for another moment.   This time we'll go a little further east and visit Vietnam where the great...

Wisdom From Another Indian Sage and His Grandmother   In our last +1 , we talked about Yogananda and his guru's wisdom on what to do with ghosts/aka how to live fearlessly.   As you may recall, the trick is to APPROACH our challenges rather than try to avoid them.    The story is so good, we'll quickly review it.   Yogananda's guru tells him: " My mother once tried to frighten me with an appalling...

Here's What to Do…   Not too long ago, we talked about how I read a book .   I made the point that the most important part of how I read a book is how I decide what book I will read.   I also talked about the fact that, as I followed Joseph Campbell's wisdom to immerse myself in the wisdom of an author who "grabs me" by reading everything that author has written AND everything by the authors who i...

The Most Frequently Asked Question in Heroic Coach   In our last +1 , we talked about some Ryan Holiday wisdom from his new book Discipline Is Destiny .   As you may recall, we brought Cato the Elder, Ben Franklin and Marcus Aurelius to the party to talk about the importance of focusing on all the ways WE can get better rather than worrying about all the ways other people need to improve.   Cato t...

Strict with Yourself   I've said it before and I'll say it again.   Ryan Holiday is one of my favorite writers. We've featured a bunch of his books including The Obstacle Is the Way , The Daily Stoic , Ego Is the Enemy , and Stillness Is the Key .   He's currently working on "The Stoic Virtue Series" in which he's creating a new book for each of the cardinal virtues of Stoicism: Courage, Temperanc...

At Least I Hope You Are, Hero!   In our last +1 , we talked about Abigail Adams and her letter to her son, John Quincy Adams.    As you may recall, she admonished the 12-year-old who would become the sixth U.S. President to LIVE WITH VIRTUE.   And, as we discussed, she wisely declared: "These are the times in which a genius would wish to live. It is not in the still calm of life, or the repose of...

Abigail Adams and Heroic Mothers Unite   Abigail Adams was one of the Heroic Founding Mothers of the United States of America.   I'm convinced that she and Benjamin Franklin and their families would be part of our Heroic movement if they were alive today.   Why?   Because they were intensely passionate about cultivating virtue in their lives and in the lives of their children.   And…   I'm pretty...

Which Will It Be, Hero? As we've discussed, Brian Cain is an inspiring human being.   He works with some of the greatest athletes in the world and has helped them go to the next (NEXT!) level.   We've talked about a bunch of Big Ideas from his two little fables: The 10 Pillars of Mental Performance Mastery and One Percent Better .   Today we're going to revisit One Percent Better for ONE more wisd...

Of Self-Mastery: Reactive + Structural + Expansive   I've been thinking a lot about the three forms of discipline that make up Self-Mastery.   Here they are:   Structural Discipline.  Reactive Discipline.  Expansive Discipline.   We talk about them in Objective V of Basic Training and I'll be writing about them in the Heroic book we'll be launching in early 2024.   Now…   As I sat down to create t...

Personal Humility + Indomitable Will    Jim Collins is my all-time favorite business thinker.   He's written a bunch of great books including Good to Great, Built to Last, and Great by Choice .   But…   My all-time favorite business book is Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0: Turning Your Business into an Enduring Great Company . (Thanks again for the rec on that, Gibson. )   I still need to do a Note on...

I Read Archeologically (Like Twyla Tharp)   A couple +1s ago, I promised to tell you more about how I read a book.   Here's the very short answer…   I read like it's my job to find Big Ideas that can help me activate my Soul Force so I can help YOU activate YOUR Soul Force.    For one simple reason. It is.    Now…   Let's go to one of my favorite books for a passage that best captures how I read....

Do a Gritty, Flourishing Hero Good!   In our last +1 , we talked about how I read a book.   More specifically, we focused on how I choose the books I read—which, I believe, is ALWAYS the most important first step in how to read a book.   In short, I said that I follow Joseph Campbell's wisdom to " read the right books by the right people. "   Campbell tells us: " Wh en you find an author who reall...

And… How I Pick the Books I Read   I'm often asked how I read a book AND how I pick the books I read.   In fact, I was asked this question in one of our recent Heroic Coach Soul Force Forge sessions in which I have 1-on-1 coaching sessions with our Coaches in a group environment. (These sessions are among the highlights of my month!)    Today I'd like to chat about that for a moment or three.   So...

The Place to Live to Dominate the Day   In our last +1 , Dale Carnegie joined us to complement some Brian Cain wisdom about the importance of focusing on THIS moment (RIGHT NOW!) to crowd out any potential stress about the past or the future that might be eliciting some feelings of depression or anxiety.   As you may recall, and, don't worry! I promise that I will continue to unapologetically repe...

And Its Antidote (Found in Spit!)   In our last +1, we spent a little more time with Brian Cain and his wisdom on the fact that " depression is obsession with the past, anxiety is obsession about the future, and optimal performance is obsession about the present."     All of which begged the question: What are YOU obsessed about these days?    And…   All of that led to my admonition to activate ou...

Past? Future? Present? = Depression, Anxiety, Optimal Performance    Not too long ago, we spent some time with my friend Brian Cain—who happens to be, in my opinion, at least tied for first as THE world's best mental toughness coach.   One particular line from his 10 Pillars of Mental Performance Mastery has been popping up in my brain and I want to make sure we take a moment to chat about it.   H...

We Love You… Let's GO!   In our last +1 , we talked about the fact that I'm hitting 101 Heroic Targets a day so I can keep my daimon in play.   You try it yet?     Of course, as I've said many times, you don't need to be quite as crazy and ALL IN as I am to get the benefits of using the Heroic app.    Early research shows that hitting as few as THREE Heroic Targets a day can boost your Energy 40%,...

It's Hard to Have a Bad Day When I Hit These (Yours?)   Every day I hit 101 Targets in the Heroic App.   As I joke with our team and with some friends, "101 Targets a day keeps the daimon in play!"   I can assure you that it's *really* hard to have a *really* bad day when you start your day recommitting to being your best self in your Energy, Work, and Love and then do 101 things you KNOW help you...