Optimize With Brian Johnson | More Wisdom In Less Time

Leonardo da Vinci. Charles Darwin. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Martha Graham. The Wright Brothers. Jane Goodall. Benjamin Franklin. Thomas Edison. Zora Neale Hurston. What do they all have in common? Mastery. In this great book Robert Greene shows us the key components of their mastery and, most importantly, how WE can each attain our mastery in our own lives.

Dr. Eric Maisel is the author of more than thirty five books. His interests include creativity and the creative life, mental and emotional health, and philosophy and the art of making meaning.

Cal Newport decodes the pattern of finding work that inspires us and tells us, as per the sub-title, “Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love.” The title of the book comes from comedian Steve Martin’s advice to aspiring entertainers to “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” 

Dr. Michelle Segar is the world’s leading authority on what motivates people to choose and maintain healthy behaviors. As you’d imagine, Dr. Segar has some *really* powerful ideas on, as the sub-title suggests, “How the simple science of motivation can bring you a lifetime of fitness.” Big Ideas we explore include the importance of meaning, moving exercise from a chore to a gift and embracing a learning mindset.

Creative visualization sounds good but science says it's not so hot. Get excited about your ideal future AND contrast that with your current reality. But only if you want to succeed more. 

Dr. Helgoe is here to help us learn how to be psychologically patriotic as we build solitude skills and tap into our introvert power.

You're going to work on your project. But first! You're going to do something that will "only take 1 minute." A few hours later you forget what you were going to do. Let's not do that.

Science says that we’re happiest with our work when three things are present: Autonomy + Competence + Relatedness. Here’s a (super) quick look at Self-Development Theory.

You ever find yourself procrastinating? Well then, my friend, it's time to Eat That Frog!! Brian Tracy gives us 21 good reasons to figure out the most important work for your life and day and get on it already. Big Ideas include discovering your #1 goal, 80/20 time management, taking care of the raw materials of peak performance, and single handling.

Kristin Neff established self-compassion as a field of study almost a decade ago. In this interview, we'll explore the three core elements of self-compassion (self-kindness + common humanity + mindfulness) and why it's so important for us to cultivate!

Marie Forleo's mission is to help you realize your greatest potential and use your unique talents to change the world. She’s the creator of the award-winning show, MarieTV and has been featured on Forbes, Oprah Radio and The New York Times, among others.

Mark Hyman, M.D. is a five-time New York Times bestselling author, family physician an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine.

Pilar Gerasimo is the founding editor of Experience Life, an award-winning healthy-living magazine that reaches more than 2.8 million people nationwide.

Who does Zen master Phil Jackson go to when he wants to get his players' minds right? George Mumford. Mumford has coached everyone from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant and gives us a great introduction to mindfulness way beyond sports. Big Ideas we explore include Kobe's 1,300 3-pointers (PER DAY), romancing your discomfort zone, stepping in btwn stimulus and response, and REALLY listening to yourself.

Michael Bungay Stanier is the Senior Partner of Box of Crayons and author of Do More Great Work. He’s also the curator of the Your Great Work MBA, a FREE ent*theos virtual conference featuring 25 extraordinary speakers sharing tactics and strategies to do more Great Work.

Stressed? Heart racing, palm sweaty and all that jazz? Great! Know that how you interpret that stress response will dictate how it affects you. Choose, "I'm excited!" rather than "I'm freaked out!" :)

Optimizing our lives always involves two things: 1. Knowing + 2. Doing. The Doing is the hard part. We need meaning that matters. Abstract meaning ("Long-term health") is weak and immediate gratification meaning ("It feels good NOW!") is where it's at!

EVERYBODY procrastinates. And this "concise guide" by Timothy Pychl, Ph.D.--one of the world's leading procrastination experts--helps us solve the procrastination puzzle. Big Ideas we explore include IF ... THEN (

This is Austin Kleon’s second masterful little book on optimizing creativity. The first? Steal Like an Artist. After learning how to get our creativity on, we’re ready to become the artist whose ideas *others* steal. Big Ideas include chain creating, micro sabbaticals, playing till the 9th inning, troll pooper scoopers, and the #1 way to get more followers.

Leo Babauta created Zen Habits, a Top 25 blog (according to TIME magazine) with 260,000 subscribers, and the best-selling books Focus, The Power of Less, and Zen To Done.