Optimize With Brian Johnson | More Wisdom In Less Time

Ah, The Power of Myth. This book is based on the amazing PBS interview series Bill Moyers did with Campbell shortly before he passed away and captures some of the 24 hours of filmed wisdom that hit the cutting floor. We'll learn how Campbell came up with the admonition to "follow your bliss!" (hint: it's from the Upanishads), the importance of loving our fate, how we're helped by hidden hands when we really commit to our paths and so much more.

Did you know the word decide comes from two little Latin words that literally mean "to cut off"?! Yep. To make a decision means to cut off other options and commit to one and this old school New Thought classic helps us get our power of decision crankin'. In the Note, we'll explore some Big Ideas including lowering our guilt load, watching our moods and planting good thought seeds.

Walter Russell was a 20th century genius, a renaissance man who excelled in the sciences, arts, sports and life in general. He was also a deeply spiritual guy and this book captures his wisdom on the art of living well. We'll look at the importance of connecting to the Universal Self, focusing our intention, and trusting the Divine Intelligence that's guiding our actions as we give our gifts in greatest service to the world.

We've gotta think big if we want to live big, eh? From learning to kick the dreaded "excusitis" disease to developing our "stickability," this classic is packed with fun, super practical wisdom. In the Note we'll also explore the facts that action cures fear (!!!), we've gotta make a compromise with perfection and to think confidently we’ve gotta act confidently. And, of course, we've gotta think big.

Ah, The Fountainhead. It's always fun to distill a 752-page magnum opus into a 6-page PDF and 20-minute MP3. Ayn Rand is intense and this book is packed with Big Ideas. We'll explore a few of my favorites, including our responsibility to own our greatness, not live as a second-hander (someone who is over-concerned about other people’s opinion of them), love what we do and know what we want.

Ervin Seale is an old-school New Thought guy with a great, simple style and super practical wisdom. In this Note, we'll have fun seeing how our minds are like crazy, drunk, swinging monkeys (and how we can tame them!) and explore a bunch of other Big Ideas—including the importance of ignoring what others think of us and seeing the Divine within ourselves (and others).

This is one of the three books by Campbell we cover and in this Note, we'll learn why following our bliss is so important (hint: our bliss is the transcendent wisdom within us bubbling up!) and how we can more courageously follow it in our lives (hint: say "Yes!" to life more often!). We'll also look at how we can make the simple things in our life part of our heroic journey and how going for it isn't an ego trip.

The Doctor of Love is in da house! In this Note, we'll explore some of Buscaglia's Big Ideas on how to live with a lotta Love— starting with the fact that if we want to master the subject, we've gotta *study* it! We'll also look at how important it is to fully express ourselves and that a truly loving relationship is one in which both partners are committed to their own growth and supporting their love's growth. (P.S. My Goddess was the first chica I'd met who'd read this book and I think I fell in love on our 1st date when she told me she loved it, too!)

Earnest Holmes was the founder of the Science of Mind/Religious Science and is one of the grandfathers of the modern self-development movement—directly inspiring everyone from Louise Hay to Michael Beckwith and countless others. In this Note, we'll learn that "fear brings failure and faith brings success" and how important it is for us to radiate joy, faith, hope and expectancy to create the life we envision.

Anthony de Mello was a Jesuit priest who integrated Eastern and Western ideas into his teachings and in this Note, we'll explore some of his Biggest Ideas on how to live from a place of deep connection and awareness. We'll learn how to get over our fears and quit driving with our brakes on plus the importance of looking at life as a symphony with ever changing rhythms and music that's only enjoyable to the extent we don't try to hold on to any one note.

Nathaniel Branden is easily one of the most articulate human beings I've read and is one of the world's leading experts on self-esteem. This book rocks and in the Note we'll explore the six pillars of self-esteem—from the practice of living consciously, accepting ourselves and taking responsibility to practicing self-assertiveness, living purposefully and having personal integrity. This is one of my favorite books and Notes that I think you'll love.

People often ask me what *one* book I would recommend they read. I never had an answer I felt good about until I read this book. It's amazing. The most comprehensive and readable look at what we *scientifically know* works to boost our happiness—from gratitude and exercise to optimism and kindness. (btw: The other #1 book I'd recommend? The PhilosophersNotes workbook. How can you beat 1,000 Big Ideas from 100 great books packed into 600 pages? ;)

Mary-Elaine Jacobsen is one of the world's leading authorities on gifted adults and this book is packed with wisdom on how "everyday geniuses®" can rock it. We'll explore how to develop our evolutionary IQ as we work hard, silence the (inner and outer) critics and learn how to bounce back as we become co-creators in liberating our everyday genius.

Rollo May was a brilliant 20th century existential psychologist and this book is a great look at the courage it takes to fully express ourselves as we create our ideal lives. We'll explore the fact that the word courage comes from the French word for "heart" and that, just as the heart pumps blood to all the organs of our body, so does courage pump blood to all our other virtues—without courage, we're effectively dead. This Note is packed with Big Ideas to make sure your courage is beating strong.

Glasser's got an awesome, straightforward style of writing and in this Note we'll explore the psychology of strength and weakness and how easy it is to develop negative addictions as a way to shield ourselves from the pain of our weakness and poor choices. Once we've checked that out, we'll look at how we can develop our strength by rockin' positive addictions (things like running, yoga, meditation) in our lives!

Viktor Frankl survived the horrors of the holocaust and describes his Logotherapy in this classic book. In the Note, we'll explore the fact that our attitudes determine our happiness and that *no one* can ever take away the freedom for us to choose our response to any given situation. We'll also look at the importance of having a mission in life and that as we serve something bigger than ourselves, our happiness and success will follow.

Tal Ben-Shahar is one of my favorite teachers. He taught one of the most popular classes in Harvard's history and this book captures the essence of his class on Positive Psychology—sharing the best of what we scientifically know about how to create happier, more fulfilled lives. We'll explore how important it is to have goals AND be in the moment (and the perils of *just* being in the moment) along with mucho más goodness.

Flow. It's all about the science of optimal human experience. In this Note, we'll explore what the flow state is (hint: get fully engaged in an activity that matches your skills with your challenge) and we’ll look at some other Big Ideas on controlling the contents of our consciousness to get out of anxiety and boredom as we create more flow experiences in our lives. (Plus, you'll even learn how to pronounce "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.")

Martin Seligman is essentially the father of the Positive Psychology movement and in this Note we explore how important it is for us to use our Signature Strengths consistently throughout our day-to-day lives. We've got tips on how to discover our Strengths and how to move from a job to a career to a calling as we live a life of meaning and purpose. Good times.

Nietzsche was said to deliver his philosophy with a hammer and this book definitely nails his disdain for conditioning and conformity. In the Note, we'll take a peek at some really Big Ideas including the fact that our worst enemy is often inside our own heads, that sometimes we need to push ourselves to discover just how far we can go, and how we’ve gotta be willing to go into the depths of our being if we want to fly.