Optimize With Brian Johnson | More Wisdom In Less Time

Michael Bungay Stanier is one of the world's leading coaches. Join us we chat about some of the Big Ideas from his new book: The Coaching Habit!

Aristotle tells us: "We are what repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act but a HABIT." It's not about living at your best every once in a while. It's about rockin' it day in and day out. Making it who you are. A habit. That's what this class is all about. We'll help you identify and install your #1 keystone habit while learning how to tap into your superpowers and create habits that will change your life.

What do you think about excellence? Do you think it’s primarily driven by natural, inborn talent? Or, do you think that it’s primarily driven by effort? Matthew Syed tells us that’s a very important decision that has a broad impact on how we show up and shows us how to Bounce into our highest potential. Big Ideas we explore include: the iceberg illusion, 1 million balls, doublethink and the importance of purposeful practice + the growth mindset.

Adam Steltzner is the right kind of crazy. How else do you figure out a sky crane to drop a rover on Mars? (Hah.) In this book, he walks us through "A true story of teamwork, leadership, and high-stakes innovation." Big Ideas we cover include the power of holding on to the doubt (#HOTTD!), embracing the Dark Room, working out and shopping at Radio Shack on Mars.

Rory Vaden has written two great books I love: Take the Stairs + Procrastinate on Purpose. In this chat, we have fun exploring some of my favorite Big Ideas from each to help us learn how to Multiply Time!

Great lives (and great 2016s!) are created one great day at a time. Here’s how to rock it. Get the Workbook + watch the full Masterpiece Days 101 class at brianjohnson.me

Amy Cuddy is awesome. Her TED talk is the 2nd most popular ever. This book is just as good. Learn the science of cultivating your personal power to bring your boldest self to your biggest challenges. Big Ideas we explore: self-affirmation theory, priming + nudges, the magic of expanding your body to increase your power, iHunch (how’s yours?), and the boldest you.

This is an introduction to our newest Master Class: Greatest Year Ever 101: How to Make 2016 the Best Year of Your Life and Create an Unending String of Such Awesome Years. :) Get instant access to the full class plus a ton of other goodness as a member. Sign up here: https://brianjohnson.me/membership/

Carol Dweck tells us we can have 2 different frameworks to approach intelligence and achievement. Each has its own goal. Here they are. (P.S. Choose wisely!)

Creativity and anxiety go together. Anxietivity. Let’s remember that a meaningful life in which we’re flourishing and giving ourselves most fully to the world involves stress.

Deep Work. It’s the key to how you get So Good They Can’t Ignore You—which, of course, is the title of another one of Cal’s great books. Big Ideas include Deep Work vs. Shallow Work, how to give your neurons a workout, cleaning up attention residue, the four rules of deep work, finding the routine that works for you and learning how to shut down completely.

Naive passion is *great*!! Right up to the first obstacle. Then our hero tiptoes out the back door. We need the courage of informed passion.

Are you fully charged? Tom Rath tells us it’s all about what we do DAILY and that if we want to improve the quality of our lives (and sense of aliveness!), we need to focus on optimizing three key conditions: Meaning + Interactions + Energy. Big Ideas we explore include the meaning equation, doubling down on your talents, embracing the 500 million moments of our lives, and The iPhone Effect.

Malcolm Gladwell tells us some difficulties can be desirable. How about yours?

This is the second of the three books currently in 99U Book Series. (We cover them all.) Big Ideas we explore in this one include putting yourself into permanent beta, making a decision and then working hard to prove yourself right Peyton Manning style, expanding the amplitude of the waves you make and becoming the Better You.

This is the third installment in 99U’s book series on the “missing curriculum” for creative leaders. Like the other two, it’s a collection of short essays by great leaders + creators + writers. The content is organized in four domains: 1) Defining your purpose + 2) Building your product + 3) Serving your customers + 4) Leading your team. Big Ideas we explore include purpose, eating your own dog food (aka making something YOU are excited to use), serving profoundly, character as your #1 asset and the power of just getting started!

Imagine a ceramics teacher splitting a class in two: One group is graded for quantity, the other for quality. Which one do you think creates the bet stuff? (Hint: Think quantity. :)

Mindsight. It's the seventh sense you didn't know you had! Can you pay attention to the inner workings of your own mind? That's what Dr. Dan Siegel, one of the world's leading neuroscientists + psychotherapists, helps us do in this phenomenal book. We'll explore Big Ideas ranging from the basics of brain hygiene to the power of integration and how to live with more flexibility and coherence as we leverage the best of modern neuroscience.