Podcasts about energy work love

The other day I was preparing for one of our Mastery Series sessions for our Coaches and I was reflecting on the importance of dynamically balancing our Big 3 priorities in our lives.   Of course, our Big 3 is our Energy + Work + Love.   And, of course, those Big 3 will NEVER (!) be perfectly in balance. In fact, there’s no such thing as “static” balance while we’re alive.    We can wait for perfect balance when we’re 6-feet under.   Until then, we’d be wise to remember that the process of balancing is a DYNAMIC one, much more like walking across (Osho’s) tightrope (a little too far to the right… a little too far to the left… repeat) than it is like standing still in one spot.   Now…   I absolutely love Cal Newport’s book called So Good They Can’t Ignore You. I think that’s the PERFECT way to capture our guiding star Work wise.   Master your craft and get SO GOOD THEY CAN’T IGNORE YOU!   LOVE. THAT.   And…   I thought to myself, what about Energy and Love wise?   Of course, those are AT LEAST as important as the Work, eh?   Then it hit me…   Energy wise?    Let’s Be So ENERGIZED They Can FEEL Us.    (I often tell our Coaches that THEY are their #1 assets—which is true whether they’re a Coach or a CEO or a mom. And, we want their PRESENCE to be such a clear demonstration of the values they live that people naturally want to go to them for Wisdom.)    Love wise?   Let’s Be So AWESOME They ADORE Us.   Imagine that.    Imagine giving the craft that is our Energy the same attention we give our Work. How would you show up?   And…   Imagine giving the craft that is our parenting and/or marriage the same attention we give our Work. How would you show up?   That’s a humbling, inspiring standard for me.   And, that’s Today’s +1.   Let’s be so ENERGIZED They Can FEEL Us.   And…   Let’s be So AWESOME They ADORE Us.   Today.

For the first three years of working together, Phil Stutz and I met EVERY single week. I think we might have rescheduled a couple sessions and skipped maybe one week.   My collection of notes from our (150+!) chats is one of my most prized possessions and one of the last things I most carefully packed before we moved.   After testing an every-other-week rhythm for a couple of months after moving the the country hermitage, we’re back to every week.   So…   The other day we had a great chat. I’ve been on a bit of a roll and feel like I’m hitting a new level of productivity and overall mojo.    We talked about that and how to lock in those gains to make this new best my new baseline.    Of course, we chatted about the importance of continuing to rock the protocol and we connected that to our Soul Force equation.   Then we made some powerful distinctions about how, as Phil would say, God will give you all the Energy you need BUT (important but) YOU need to meet Him/Her/Etc. more than half-way and that the only way to do that is by pushing yourself beyond the bounds of what you think is possible.   Note: We’re not talking about pushing yourself in some manic, ungrounded kinda way. We’re talking about doing in a grounded, Energized Tranquility kinda way—where you’re TRULY working your protocol and giving the world all you’ve got moment to moment to moment while oscillating and honoring little things like digital sunsets while dynamically balancing your Energy + Work + Love, etc.   Then…   As we CONSISTENTLY do that…   BOOM.    We plug in to that Divine power and go to the next level.   (Desmond Tutu’s wisdom that our job is to simply keep our lightbulbs screwed in so God can shine through us comes to mind…)   To bring the point home, Phil did one of his little sketches like the ones in his great book The Tools.    Imagine two Venn circles.    First, we have an oval circle oriented vertically—from the top to the bottom. That’s God.   Now, imagine another oval circle also oriented vertically connecting to the first one—this one from the bottom to the top. That’s You.   Those two circles meet in the middle.    Phil puts a dot right in that section where they meet.   THAT’s where the magic happens.   And, Yoda says, we can only reach that point by giving 105% of ourselves to the world. Not occasionally, but MOMENT to MOMENT to MOMENT.    Of course, on one level, you can’t give more than 100%. But you’ve gotta try.   That’s where the magic lies.   And, that’s Today’s +1.   Are YOU giving us all you’ve got?   Again, we’re not talking about pushing yourself in some manic, ungrounded kinda way. We’re talking about showing up and doing your best in a grounded, Energized Tranquility kinda way—where you’re TRULY working your protocol and giving the world all you’ve got moment to moment to moment while oscillating and honoring little things like digital sunsets while dynamically balancing your Energy + Work + Love, etc.   Here’s to high-fiving God and plugging into Divine power.   TODAY.

In our last +1, we talked about the PM ritual Pythagoras came up with 2,500 years ago (!) that the Stoics liked to follow:   "Allow not sleep to close your wearied eyes, Until you have reckoned up each daytime deed:   ‘Where did I go wrong? What did I do? And what duty’s left undone?’ From first to last review your acts and then Reprove yourself for wretched acts, but rejoice in those done well.”   Today we’ll step back a bit and put in an AM Intention practice to go with that PM Reflection practice.   Let’s go back to Donald Robertson’s How to Think Like a Roman Emperor.   He encourages us to follow another one of Aurelius’s practices and “Contemplate the Sage.” Specifically, he tells us that Marcus made it a practice to think about the virtues he admired in others that he aspired to put into practice in his own life.   He also tells us: “In addition to the virtues of real people, the Stoics were also known for contemplating the hypothetical character of an ideal Sage, or wise person.”   Then he shares my favorite practice: “In addition to asking ourselves what qualities the ideal wise person might have, we can ask what qualities we might hope to possess in the distant future. For instance, what sort of person would you hope to be after having trained in Stoicism for ten or twenty years?”   When I read that I immediately thought of our Carpe Diem journaling process.   In our Mastery Series, after establishing the ultimate game we’re playing (and how to play it well), we walk you through a Steven Covey-inspired eulogy exercise in which you attend your own funeral and listen to what your loved ones have to say about you.   Pause for a moment, if you feel so inspired, and imagine that scene. You’re gone. It’s your funeral. Who says what?   Specifically, what VIRTUES do you hope people use to describe you and your presence in their lives? WRITE THOSE DOWN.   We then proceed to help you get more clarity on who you are at your Optimus-best so that you can more consistently express those virtues TODAY.    We need to move out of the abstract, “Oh, yah. That’s how I’d like to be remembered” to a VERY concrete, “Well, if I *really* think those qualities are important, then TODAY is the day to live in integrity with them.” (Right?)   Which leads us right into the next piece of wisdom Donald shares which also happens to map over nearly perfectly with what we encourage our Optimizers to do.    He tells us to reflect on your ideal self and those virtues you intend to embody every morning. Write them down. Imagine your ideal self interacting with people Today. Who are you? How do you show up? That’s essentially what Aurelius did.    We call our Optimize process “Carpe Diem Journaling.” We start by getting clarity on our Optimus-best selves in our Big 3 of Energy + Work + Love. Then we briefly reflect on that best-self Identity and write down the virtues that version of you embodies. Then we identify the #1 behavior we’ll engage in that day as we re-commit to being that version of ourselves TODAY.   Donald encourages us to add a PM reflection so we can go through what he calls daily “learning cycles.” At the end of each day, he tells us to ask ourselves three simple questions:  What did you do badly? What did you do well? What could you do differently? Those three questions happen to be exactly the questions Lanny Bassham tells us to reflect on after a performance. Only, he switches #1 and #2—starting with the positive.   Shall we start that reflection process Today?    How about RIGHT NOW?   If you feel so inspired, reflect on those three questions for your day so far today:   What did you do well?                __________________________________________________ What did you do badly?              __________________________________________________ What could you do differently?  __________________________________________________ Fantastic.    Imagine your life in ten to twenty years if the ONLY thing you changed was adding that simple reflection practice into your life.   Here’s to aggregating and compounding those incremental gains over an extended period of time so that BEST version of us is the one looking back at us in the mirror in ten or twenty years. 

In our last +1, we talked about the PM ritual Pythagoras came up with 2,500 years ago (!) that the Stoics liked to follow:   "Allow not sleep to close your wearied eyes, Until you have reckoned up each daytime deed:   ‘Where did I go wrong? What did I do? And what duty’s left undone?’ From first to last review your acts and then Reprove yourself for wretched acts, but rejoice in those done well.”   Today we’ll step back a bit and put in an AM Intention practice to go with that PM Reflection practice.   Let’s go back to Donald Robertson’s How to Think Like a Roman Emperor.   He encourages us to follow another one of Aurelius’s practices and “Contemplate the Sage.” Specifically, he tells us that Marcus made it a practice to think about the virtues he admired in others that he aspired to put into practice in his own life.   He also tells us: “In addition to the virtues of real people, the Stoics were also known for contemplating the hypothetical character of an ideal Sage, or wise person.”   Then he shares my favorite practice: “In addition to asking ourselves what qualities the ideal wise person might have, we can ask what qualities we might hope to possess in the distant future. For instance, what sort of person would you hope to be after having trained in Stoicism for ten or twenty years?”   When I read that I immediately thought of our Carpe Diem journaling process.   In our Mastery Series, after establishing the ultimate game we’re playing (and how to play it well), we walk you through a Steven Covey-inspired eulogy exercise in which you attend your own funeral and listen to what your loved ones have to say about you.   Pause for a moment, if you feel so inspired, and imagine that scene. You’re gone. It’s your funeral. Who says what?   Specifically, what VIRTUES do you hope people use to describe you and your presence in their lives? WRITE THOSE DOWN.   We then proceed to help you get more clarity on who you are at your Optimus-best so that you can more consistently express those virtues TODAY.    We need to move out of the abstract, “Oh, yah. That’s how I’d like to be remembered” to a VERY concrete, “Well, if I *really* think those qualities are important, then TODAY is the day to live in integrity with them.” (Right?)   Which leads us right into the next piece of wisdom Donald shares which also happens to map over nearly perfectly with what we encourage our Optimizers to do.    He tells us to reflect on your ideal self and those virtues you intend to embody every morning. Write them down. Imagine your ideal self interacting with people Today. Who are you? How do you show up? That’s essentially what Aurelius did.    We call our Optimize process “Carpe Diem Journaling.” We start by getting clarity on our Optimus-best selves in our Big 3 of Energy + Work + Love. Then we briefly reflect on that best-self Identity and write down the virtues that version of you embodies. Then we identify the #1 behavior we’ll engage in that day as we re-commit to being that version of ourselves TODAY.   Donald encourages us to add a PM reflection so we can go through what he calls daily “learning cycles.” At the end of each day, he tells us to ask ourselves three simple questions:  What did you do badly? What did you do well? What could you do differently? Those three questions happen to be exactly the questions Lanny Bassham tells us to reflect on after a performance. Only, he switches #1 and #2—starting with the positive.   Shall we start that reflection process Today?    How about RIGHT NOW?   If you feel so inspired, reflect on those three questions for your day so far today:   What did you do well?                __________________________________________________ What did you do badly?              __________________________________________________ What could you do differently?  __________________________________________________ Fantastic.    Imagine your life in ten to twenty years if the ONLY thing you changed was adding that simple reflection practice into your life.   Here’s to aggregating and compounding those incremental gains over an extended period of time so that BEST version of us is the one looking back at us in the mirror in ten or twenty years. 

In our last +1, we spent some time with Todd Herman, Batman, Dora the Explorer and YOUR most heroic self.   Today we’re going to connect all that goodness to wisdom from the classic peak-performance book The Inner Game of Tennis by Tim Gallwey.   Here’s how he puts it: “‘Asking for qualities’ describes the other kind of role-playing. When introducing this idea, I usually say something like this: ‘Imagine that I am the director of a television series. Knowing that you are an actor that plays tennis, I ask if you would like to do a bit part as a top-flight tennis player. I assure you that you needn’t worry about hitting the ball out or into the net because the camera will only be focused on you and will not follow the ball. What I’m mainly interested in is that you adopt professional mannerisms, and that you swing your racket with super self-assurance. Above all, your face must express no self-doubt. You should look as if you are hitting every ball exactly where you want to. Really get into the role, hit as hard as you like and ignore where the ball is actually going.”   “Asking for qualities.”   That’s one of Gallwey’s three practices for communicating with what he calls Self 2—which is basically your Optimus-best self that innately knows how to crush it if we’d simply get out of our own way.    (The other two practices? Letting go of judgments and the art of creating images of the outcomes you want to see.)   Today we’re going to walk onto the set of the movie that is our lives.   You’re the star. (Go you!)   (Well, technically, we’re ALL just bit players in the game of life so perhaps we should adopt that view, eh?)   So…   What roles are you playing these days?    (Perhaps you can use the Big 3 Identities for Energy + Work + Love.)   Now…   How would you show up in your life if you acted like a top-flight pro in your given field, adopted professional mannerisms and did your thing with super self-assurance—with no doubt and pure confidence?   Let’s ACT LIKE THAT.   Today.   Seriously.   How would you walk, talk, breathe and be if you were acting like the best possible version of yourself?    Be that.   And let’s watch our performance (and enjoyment) soar.

In our last +1, we spent some time with Todd Herman, Batman, Dora the Explorer and YOUR most heroic self.   Today we’re going to connect all that goodness to wisdom from the classic peak-performance book The Inner Game of Tennis by Tim Gallwey.   Here’s how he puts it: “‘Asking for qualities’ describes the other kind of role-playing. When introducing this idea, I usually say something like this: ‘Imagine that I am the director of a television series. Knowing that you are an actor that plays tennis, I ask if you would like to do a bit part as a top-flight tennis player. I assure you that you needn’t worry about hitting the ball out or into the net because the camera will only be focused on you and will not follow the ball. What I’m mainly interested in is that you adopt professional mannerisms, and that you swing your racket with super self-assurance. Above all, your face must express no self-doubt. You should look as if you are hitting every ball exactly where you want to. Really get into the role, hit as hard as you like and ignore where the ball is actually going.”   “Asking for qualities.”   That’s one of Gallwey’s three practices for communicating with what he calls Self 2—which is basically your Optimus-best self that innately knows how to crush it if we’d simply get out of our own way.    (The other two practices? Letting go of judgments and the art of creating images of the outcomes you want to see.)   Today we’re going to walk onto the set of the movie that is our lives.   You’re the star. (Go you!)   (Well, technically, we’re ALL just bit players in the game of life so perhaps we should adopt that view, eh?)   So…   What roles are you playing these days?    (Perhaps you can use the Big 3 Identities for Energy + Work + Love.)   Now…   How would you show up in your life if you acted like a top-flight pro in your given field, adopted professional mannerisms and did your thing with super self-assurance—with no doubt and pure confidence?   Let’s ACT LIKE THAT.   Today.   Seriously.   How would you walk, talk, breathe and be if you were acting like the best possible version of yourself?    Be that.   And let’s watch our performance (and enjoyment) soar.

Not too long ago we talked about the fact that the word prosperity literally means “to go forward with hope.”    Then, as you may recall, I challenged us to take some time to create a prospectus that inspires us to invest in the project that is our masterpiece lives such that we consistently MOVE FORWARD WITH HOPE.   Then…   I realized that this is pretty much exactly what we’re trying to do with our Coaches on a daily, micro-prospectus level via something we’re calling “Carpe Diem” journaling.    Carpe Diem.    Seize the day!!    How?   Create a micro-prospectus.    How?   Well, one way is via The Big 3 (x 2): Energy + Work + Love (x Identity + Virtues + Behaviors).   In (very) short:    Identity: Who are you at your Optimus best Energy + Work + Love-wise?    Virtues: What virtues do you embody as you express your best in each of those Identities?    Behaviors: What’s ONE thing that best version of you would do TODAY Energy + Work + Love-wise?    That’s it. #carpediem   You can do the whole thing in a minute by writing 9 words. Or, you can spend a few more minutes if you feel so inspired.   Super simple micro-prospectus.   When?   Today. Tomorrow. The day after that.    Stoke the fire of hope.   And…   Prosper!   (btw: We’ll be unpacking this whole process a LOT more in our upcoming Mastery Series. For now, here’s a little one-page journal sheet you can play with. And, here’s Michael showing you how to rock it.)

Not too long ago we talked about the fact that the word prosperity literally means “to go forward with hope.”    Then, as you may recall, I challenged us to take some time to create a prospectus that inspires us to invest in the project that is our masterpiece lives such that we consistently MOVE FORWARD WITH HOPE.   Then…   I realized that this is pretty much exactly what we’re trying to do with our Coaches on a daily, micro-prospectus level via something we’re calling “Carpe Diem” journaling.    Carpe Diem.    Seize the day!!    How?   Create a micro-prospectus.    How?   Well, one way is via The Big 3 (x 2): Energy + Work + Love (x Identity + Virtues + Behaviors).   In (very) short:    Identity: Who are you at your Optimus best Energy + Work + Love-wise?    Virtues: What virtues do you embody as you express your best in each of those Identities?    Behaviors: What’s ONE thing that best version of you would do TODAY Energy + Work + Love-wise?    That’s it. #carpediem   You can do the whole thing in a minute by writing 9 words. Or, you can spend a few more minutes if you feel so inspired.   Super simple micro-prospectus.   When?   Today. Tomorrow. The day after that.    Stoke the fire of hope.   And…   Prosper!   (btw: We’ll be unpacking this whole process a LOT more in our upcoming Mastery Series. For now, here’s a little one-page journal sheet you can play with. And, here’s Michael showing you how to rock it.)

This morning I was doing my normal thing. In the process, I came up with a little insight I’m excited to share.    First, the quick recap of what led to the insight.   Of course, my day started yesterday when I shutdown early the day before (4:00 PM; right after my every-Monday coaching call), hung out with the fam then went to bed super early (7:30 PM) and deliberately spent 10 hours in bed (getting 9 hours of sleep including 1 hour 24 min of REM sleep and 2 hours 23 min of deep sleep). Then I was up at 5:30 AM (I’m sleeping in these days, folks! lol) with an Oura readiness score of 95 (having fun gaming it). 20-min Meditation, 5-min Movement then AM1 Deep Work.   I started the Deep Work with our quick “Carpe Diem” journaling session—noting my Identities + Virtues + Behaviors for Energy + Work + Love. (Note: This practice is a cornerstone of our Mastery Series/Optimize Coach program. Aspiring Coaches need to log 200 days of Optimize Carpe Diem journaling as one of the requirements to get certified.)   Then I spent some time doing some strategic planning for 2020 and beyond.   That journaling looked something like this.   At the top I wrote “Philosopher” (technically, I drew the Φ symbol to represent Philosopher). Then I wrote “Soul Force” then “Elegant Simplicity” then “Focus” then “Flow.”   (Note1: Every (!) time I write down “10,000” in the +1 column in 25 years, I imagine the 70-year-old version of me smiling and waving and saying, “Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Optimize +1!” (That actually gets me misty just typing that, imagining the potential of us hanging out for that long.)    Note2: If all goes as currently planned, we’ll share that +1 exactly 3 months after I turn 70 on August 22, 2044.)   Below that Body of Work goodness, I sketched out the three primary components of our biz as I currently see them.   These include what I call “Core Wisdom” which is basically the +1s, PNs, and 101s as articulated above in the Body of Work chart. I draw an arrow to infinity to represent my (current) plans to do those forever as the foundation of our work together. (And, so I can be like this guy.)   Then I draw a big “greater than” symbol (>) to represent the fact that all that “Core Wisdom” is going to be distilled into what I’m calling a “Mastery Series.” Imagine my absolute best stuff distilled into a “this will change your life” program that will, well, change your life. (lol)   Then I draw a “less than” symbol ( MASTERY SERIES < OPTIMIZE COACH   But none of that is really the point of Today’s +1. (Although I do like sharing my thought process and I hope you enjoy it as well. I feel like we’re creating something together and I think it’s important to share my (often messy!) creative process as we have fun creating something awesome together.)   So…   Below all THAT, I reminded myself of my/our Mission.   Change the world. One person at a time. Together. Starting with you and me.   Then I wrote down: “Elegant Simplicity” + “Fierce Consistency” + “Energized Tranquility” + “Operationalizing Virtue.”   THEN…   I drew two venn circles.    Next to the one on the left I wrote “ELEGANT SIMPLICITY.”   Next to the one on the right I wrote “PROFOUND SERVICE.”   And all THAT gets us to the point of Today’s +1.   After writing “PROFOUND SERVICE” I got up and cruised over to the dictionary. I was curious what “profound” literally meant.   Do you know what the word means?   Apple Dictionary tells us that profound is an adjective that has a couple definitions:   1 (of a state, quality, or emotion) very great or intense: profound feelings of disquiet | profound social changes.    2 (of a person or statement) having or showing great knowledge or insight: a profound philosopher.      Those are interesting, but what I really wanted was the etymology of the word. It’s from the Latin profundus—which means “deep” and is made up of two little words: pro (before) + fundus (bottom).    I literally laughed when I read that.   Profound. It means DEEP. As in “right before the bottom.”   The best part?    I have a chat with Cal Newport scheduled for this afternoon. I can’t wait to tell him that Deep (PROFOUND!) Work is what allows us to engage in Deep (PROFOUND!) Service.   And THAT, my friend, is Today’s +1.   Let’s serve profoundly.   Today.

This morning I was doing my normal thing. In the process, I came up with a little insight I’m excited to share.    First, the quick recap of what led to the insight.   Of course, my day started yesterday when I shutdown early the day before (4:00 PM; right after my every-Monday coaching call), hung out with the fam then went to bed super early (7:30 PM) and deliberately spent 10 hours in bed (getting 9 hours of sleep including 1 hour 24 min of REM sleep and 2 hours 23 min of deep sleep). Then I was up at 5:30 AM (I’m sleeping in these days, folks! lol) with an Oura readiness score of 95 (having fun gaming it). 20-min Meditation, 5-min Movement then AM1 Deep Work.   I started the Deep Work with our quick “Carpe Diem” journaling session—noting my Identities + Virtues + Behaviors for Energy + Work + Love. (Note: This practice is a cornerstone of our Mastery Series/Optimize Coach program. Aspiring Coaches need to log 200 days of Optimize Carpe Diem journaling as one of the requirements to get certified.)   Then I spent some time doing some strategic planning for 2020 and beyond.   That journaling looked something like this.   At the top I wrote “Philosopher” (technically, I drew the Φ symbol to represent Philosopher). Then I wrote “Soul Force” then “Elegant Simplicity” then “Focus” then “Flow.”   (Note1: Every (!) time I write down “10,000” in the +1 column in 25 years, I imagine the 70-year-old version of me smiling and waving and saying, “Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Optimize +1!” (That actually gets me misty just typing that, imagining the potential of us hanging out for that long.)    Note2: If all goes as currently planned, we’ll share that +1 exactly 3 months after I turn 70 on August 22, 2044.)   Below that Body of Work goodness, I sketched out the three primary components of our biz as I currently see them.   These include what I call “Core Wisdom” which is basically the +1s, PNs, and 101s as articulated above in the Body of Work chart. I draw an arrow to infinity to represent my (current) plans to do those forever as the foundation of our work together. (And, so I can be like this guy.)   Then I draw a big “greater than” symbol (>) to represent the fact that all that “Core Wisdom” is going to be distilled into what I’m calling a “Mastery Series.” Imagine my absolute best stuff distilled into a “this will change your life” program that will, well, change your life. (lol)   Then I draw a “less than” symbol ( MASTERY SERIES < OPTIMIZE COACH   But none of that is really the point of Today’s +1. (Although I do like sharing my thought process and I hope you enjoy it as well. I feel like we’re creating something together and I think it’s important to share my (often messy!) creative process as we have fun creating something awesome together.)   So…   Below all THAT, I reminded myself of my/our Mission.   Change the world. One person at a time. Together. Starting with you and me.   Then I wrote down: “Elegant Simplicity” + “Fierce Consistency” + “Energized Tranquility” + “Operationalizing Virtue.”   THEN…   I drew two venn circles.    Next to the one on the left I wrote “ELEGANT SIMPLICITY.”   Next to the one on the right I wrote “PROFOUND SERVICE.”   And all THAT gets us to the point of Today’s +1.   After writing “PROFOUND SERVICE” I got up and cruised over to the dictionary. I was curious what “profound” literally meant.   Do you know what the word means?   Apple Dictionary tells us that profound is an adjective that has a couple definitions:   1 (of a state, quality, or emotion) very great or intense: profound feelings of disquiet | profound social changes.    2 (of a person or statement) having or showing great knowledge or insight: a profound philosopher.      Those are interesting, but what I really wanted was the etymology of the word. It’s from the Latin profundus—which means “deep” and is made up of two little words: pro (before) + fundus (bottom).    I literally laughed when I read that.   Profound. It means DEEP. As in “right before the bottom.”   The best part?    I have a chat with Cal Newport scheduled for this afternoon. I can’t wait to tell him that Deep (PROFOUND!) Work is what allows us to engage in Deep (PROFOUND!) Service.   And THAT, my friend, is Today’s +1.   Let’s serve profoundly.   Today.

In our Optimize Coach certification program, we kick the party off by establishing the game we’re playing in Module I: Eudaimon-ology in which we connect ancient wisdom (Aristotle!) to modern science (Seligman!) to establish the fact that it’s all about flourishing/having a “good soul” via living with virtue.   Then we move on to get clarity on how to Operationalize Virtue—going from theory to practice to mastery. When? TODAY!!!    After a quick look at Module II: The Big 3 x 2 (aka: Energy + Work + Love x Identity + Virtues + Behaviors), we spend six (!!!) weeks on Module III: #carpediem as we begin systematically architecting our Masterpiece Days to cultivate emotional stamina and consistently express the (Optimus!) best version of ourselves.   We remind ourselves of the fact that our day actually begins the night before. As such, the first thing we focus on Optimizing is our PM Bookend. The #1 thing we focus on there is our digital sunset—aka, when we turn off our blue-light emitting devices to allow our brains to simmer down so we can get a good night of sleep so we can wake up the next morning feeling refreshed and energized.   All of which gets us one step closer to the point of Today’s +1.   During our two hours (!) of Q&A for that session, one of the questions a Coach asked was if it made a difference whether they read via an iPad or a book at night.   I gave my thoughts on the subject. Then, literally the next day, I got more clarity on the SCIENCE behind the answer.   Enter: Matthew Walker’s brilliant book on the science of Why We Sleep. (Note: If you’re going to read one book on sleep, this is it.)   Short story: Bring people into a lab. Have them read a book on an iPad a few hours before going to sleep. Then have the same person read a printed book on a different night. Then measure their melatonin.    Here’s what you’ll find: “Compared to reading a printed book, reading on an iPad suppressed melatonin released by over 50% at night. Indeed, iPad reading delayed the rise of melatonin by up to three hours, relative to the natural rising the same individuals experience when reading a printed book. When reading on the iPad, their melatonin peak, and thus instruction to sleep, did not occur until the early morning hours, rather than before midnight. Unsurprisingly, individuals took longer to fall asleep after iPad reading relative to print-copy reading.”   Crazy but true: Reading on your iPad suppresses melatonin production (a key pacing event for great sleep) by a remarkable 50%!!    So...    Today’s +1: Reading tonight?   Consider going old school and reading a print book.   Your melatonin will thank you.   And your future, tomorrow self will thank you for the energy boost as well.

In our Optimize Coach certification program, we kick the party off by establishing the game we’re playing in Module I: Eudaimon-ology in which we connect ancient wisdom (Aristotle!) to modern science (Seligman!) to establish the fact that it’s all about flourishing/having a “good soul” via living with virtue.   Then we move on to get clarity on how to Operationalize Virtue—going from theory to practice to mastery. When? TODAY!!!    After a quick look at Module II: The Big 3 x 2 (aka: Energy + Work + Love x Identity + Virtues + Behaviors), we spend six (!!!) weeks on Module III: #carpediem as we begin systematically architecting our Masterpiece Days to cultivate emotional stamina and consistently express the (Optimus!) best version of ourselves.   We remind ourselves of the fact that our day actually begins the night before. As such, the first thing we focus on Optimizing is our PM Bookend. The #1 thing we focus on there is our digital sunset—aka, when we turn off our blue-light emitting devices to allow our brains to simmer down so we can get a good night of sleep so we can wake up the next morning feeling refreshed and energized.   All of which gets us one step closer to the point of Today’s +1.   During our two hours (!) of Q&A for that session, one of the questions a Coach asked was if it made a difference whether they read via an iPad or a book at night.   I gave my thoughts on the subject. Then, literally the next day, I got more clarity on the SCIENCE behind the answer.   Enter: Matthew Walker’s brilliant book on the science of Why We Sleep. (Note: If you’re going to read one book on sleep, this is it.)   Short story: Bring people into a lab. Have them read a book on an iPad a few hours before going to sleep. Then have the same person read a printed book on a different night. Then measure their melatonin.    Here’s what you’ll find: “Compared to reading a printed book, reading on an iPad suppressed melatonin released by over 50% at night. Indeed, iPad reading delayed the rise of melatonin by up to three hours, relative to the natural rising the same individuals experience when reading a printed book. When reading on the iPad, their melatonin peak, and thus instruction to sleep, did not occur until the early morning hours, rather than before midnight. Unsurprisingly, individuals took longer to fall asleep after iPad reading relative to print-copy reading.”   Crazy but true: Reading on your iPad suppresses melatonin production (a key pacing event for great sleep) by a remarkable 50%!!    So...    Today’s +1: Reading tonight?   Consider going old school and reading a print book.   Your melatonin will thank you.   And your future, tomorrow self will thank you for the energy boost as well.

A couple +1s ago, we talked about Optimizer Jessica’s kind words and then had fun talking about Mr. Anonymous Troll Guy as well.   Today I want to talk about a line from Jessica’s little note that I didn’t share before.    In addition to her kind words about my commitment to sharing my own struggles and how that has helped her build resilience, she said this: “Furthermore, the partnership he and Alexandra have built is exemplary — I only wish they weren’t so hard to emulate!”   Now, again, I’m super touched by that and honored that we serve as potential relationship exemplars and I know Jessica wasn’t saying that she thought we were perfect…   AND…   (Laughing as I type this…)   As Maslow said and we discuss ALL THE TIME (but still nowhere near enough!), THERE ARE NO PERFECT HUMANS. And, by extension, THERE ARE NO PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS.   And, as I always like to say: You and I won’t be the first perfect people. Nor will we have the first perfect relationship. (At least Alexandra and I certainly won’t!)   Here’s what’s funny.    The morning after we received that note (LITERALLY the morning after!), Alexandra and I got into a nice little argument. Now, to be clear, we weren’t crazy yelling at each other or anything, but it was a nice little testy one. (Laughing.)   About what?   Well, that’s the best part.   Basically about the proper way to Optimize and build sustainable habits. (Laughing.)   I won’t bore you with the details but the point I want to make is that, and I know this is obvious but I want make sure we’re all on the same page, WE AREN’T PERFECT. Individually or together.    NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!   Again, I realize that’s obvious, but I want to make it jumbo explicit.   Why do you think I work so hard on this stuff? And why do you think I come back to the same themes again and again and again?   BECAUSE I NEED IT!!! (More laughter.)   Ahem.   So, yah. There ya go.   btw: In a chat with Cal Newport not too long ago (we’re actually chatting in a couple hours—which I’m really looking forward to), we talked about my Big 3: Energy + Work + Love. He was breaking it down with his “I-have-a-Ph.D.-from-MIT brain” when I shared my Wildly Important Goal for “Love.” It’s always evolving but, basically, it’s to celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary with Alexandra and be best friends with my adult kids.   I told him that no one sets a goal like that unless not hitting it is a possibility. (Laughing yet again.) In other words, Alexandra and I being married in another 39 years isn’t a foregone conclusion. We have challenges like everyone else. And, we’ll choose to work on them and preserve/Optimize our relationship as a key component of our Optimizing and actualizing or we won’t.   But the challenge remains. For all of us.   Again, I repeat, off the soapbox now in a more relaxed tone: There are no perfect human beings; and, there are no perfect relationships.   So, I’m honored to be an exemplar for those who find inspiration in my life and I’m absolutely (!!!) committed to being worthy of that role.    AND…   That’s Today’s +1.   Let’s remember that NO ONE is perfect. And, as hard as we work, we won’t be the first.   Then let’s rub our hands together at all the challenges we face and strive to be imperfect, always-Optimizing-and-actualizing exemplars for our families, communities and world.

A couple +1s ago, we talked about Optimizer Jessica’s kind words and then had fun talking about Mr. Anonymous Troll Guy as well.   Today I want to talk about a line from Jessica’s little note that I didn’t share before.    In addition to her kind words about my commitment to sharing my own struggles and how that has helped her build resilience, she said this: “Furthermore, the partnership he and Alexandra have built is exemplary — I only wish they weren’t so hard to emulate!”   Now, again, I’m super touched by that and honored that we serve as potential relationship exemplars and I know Jessica wasn’t saying that she thought we were perfect…   AND…   (Laughing as I type this…)   As Maslow said and we discuss ALL THE TIME (but still nowhere near enough!), THERE ARE NO PERFECT HUMANS. And, by extension, THERE ARE NO PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS.   And, as I always like to say: You and I won’t be the first perfect people. Nor will we have the first perfect relationship. (At least Alexandra and I certainly won’t!)   Here’s what’s funny.    The morning after we received that note (LITERALLY the morning after!), Alexandra and I got into a nice little argument. Now, to be clear, we weren’t crazy yelling at each other or anything, but it was a nice little testy one. (Laughing.)   About what?   Well, that’s the best part.   Basically about the proper way to Optimize and build sustainable habits. (Laughing.)   I won’t bore you with the details but the point I want to make is that, and I know this is obvious but I want make sure we’re all on the same page, WE AREN’T PERFECT. Individually or together.    NOT EVEN CLOSE!!!   Again, I realize that’s obvious, but I want to make it jumbo explicit.   Why do you think I work so hard on this stuff? And why do you think I come back to the same themes again and again and again?   BECAUSE I NEED IT!!! (More laughter.)   Ahem.   So, yah. There ya go.   btw: In a chat with Cal Newport not too long ago (we’re actually chatting in a couple hours—which I’m really looking forward to), we talked about my Big 3: Energy + Work + Love. He was breaking it down with his “I-have-a-Ph.D.-from-MIT brain” when I shared my Wildly Important Goal for “Love.” It’s always evolving but, basically, it’s to celebrate my 50th wedding anniversary with Alexandra and be best friends with my adult kids.   I told him that no one sets a goal like that unless not hitting it is a possibility. (Laughing yet again.) In other words, Alexandra and I being married in another 39 years isn’t a foregone conclusion. We have challenges like everyone else. And, we’ll choose to work on them and preserve/Optimize our relationship as a key component of our Optimizing and actualizing or we won’t.   But the challenge remains. For all of us.   Again, I repeat, off the soapbox now in a more relaxed tone: There are no perfect human beings; and, there are no perfect relationships.   So, I’m honored to be an exemplar for those who find inspiration in my life and I’m absolutely (!!!) committed to being worthy of that role.    AND…   That’s Today’s +1.   Let’s remember that NO ONE is perfect. And, as hard as we work, we won’t be the first.   Then let’s rub our hands together at all the challenges we face and strive to be imperfect, always-Optimizing-and-actualizing exemplars for our families, communities and world.

In our last +1, we talked about my quest to be a Spartan champion in 2025 and how that’s resulted in a lot of WINing TODAY. (How’re your goals-systems?!)   Today I want to talk about being a Champ Champ Champ.    ← I laugh as I type that.    Note: This +1 is a bit ridiculous.    So…    Quick context: After one of the best mixed martial arts coaches in the world (Firas Zahabi, owner of Tristar gym and Georges St Pierre’s coach) became an Optimizer then sent a note telling me how much he loved the PhilosophersNotes (thanks, Firas!), I learned more about Firas and his mastery of his craft and, in the process, paid more attention to the UFC.   In the process, I stumbled across Conor McGregor before he was the superstar he is today. It’s cliché to say that I could see that he had a spark of something different about him but, well, he did. And, he does.   While embracing Maslow’s wisdom that there are no perfect human beings, I’ve enjoyed watching his entertaining, charismatic rise to superstardom.   Short story for those who may not know: Conor McGregor is an Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who is the first person in the premier “league” of MMA (the UFC) to win championships in TWO weight classes. It’s a pretty impressive feat. It’s especially impressive and inspiring because he went from being an apprentice plumber to a kid with a dream receiving welfare checks to winning those two world championships and making something like $100 million in his first professional boxing match against one of the all-time greats.   Now, in addition to being a great fighter, Conor is also a great promoter.    All of which brings us closer to Today’s +1.   After winning the two championships, he took to calling himself “Champ Champ.” I laugh as I type that as it’s so wonderfully ridiculous. “Champ Champ.” (Hah.)   So…   As I’ve been stepping up my athlētē game, I’ve been having fun with different mantras during my meditation, during training and during everyday life. Optimus is one of my favorite ways to focus my energy on being my best. I also like “World-Class.” And, as the bar has moved up, “World-Champion” might have been getting some airtime in my head.   Of course, my athletic goals are really just a means to Optimize my Energy which is really just a means to Optimize my Work and my Love so I’ve been having fun playing with different ways to capture all Big 3 commitments in one mantra.   That’s when “Champ Champ Champ” popped into my head.   ← I laugh as I type that and I laughed when it first appeared in my head. (Which I take as a very good sign.)   Yep. That’s the standard. A World-Class → World-Champion Athlētē AND a World-Class → “World-Champion” Husband and Father AND a World-Class → “World-Champion” Philosopher-Teacher-Leader.   That’s like me.   Champ Champ Champ.   How about you?   What’s the best version of YOU look like Energy + Work + Love-wise?!   Any fun ways to bring your commitments to life?

In our last +1, we talked about my quest to be a Spartan champion in 2025 and how that’s resulted in a lot of WINing TODAY. (How’re your goals-systems?!)   Today I want to talk about being a Champ Champ Champ.    ← I laugh as I type that.    Note: This +1 is a bit ridiculous.    So…    Quick context: After one of the best mixed martial arts coaches in the world (Firas Zahabi, owner of Tristar gym and Georges St Pierre’s coach) became an Optimizer then sent a note telling me how much he loved the PhilosophersNotes (thanks, Firas!), I learned more about Firas and his mastery of his craft and, in the process, paid more attention to the UFC.   In the process, I stumbled across Conor McGregor before he was the superstar he is today. It’s cliché to say that I could see that he had a spark of something different about him but, well, he did. And, he does.   While embracing Maslow’s wisdom that there are no perfect human beings, I’ve enjoyed watching his entertaining, charismatic rise to superstardom.   Short story for those who may not know: Conor McGregor is an Irish mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who is the first person in the premier “league” of MMA (the UFC) to win championships in TWO weight classes. It’s a pretty impressive feat. It’s especially impressive and inspiring because he went from being an apprentice plumber to a kid with a dream receiving welfare checks to winning those two world championships and making something like $100 million in his first professional boxing match against one of the all-time greats.   Now, in addition to being a great fighter, Conor is also a great promoter.    All of which brings us closer to Today’s +1.   After winning the two championships, he took to calling himself “Champ Champ.” I laugh as I type that as it’s so wonderfully ridiculous. “Champ Champ.” (Hah.)   So…   As I’ve been stepping up my athlētē game, I’ve been having fun with different mantras during my meditation, during training and during everyday life. Optimus is one of my favorite ways to focus my energy on being my best. I also like “World-Class.” And, as the bar has moved up, “World-Champion” might have been getting some airtime in my head.   Of course, my athletic goals are really just a means to Optimize my Energy which is really just a means to Optimize my Work and my Love so I’ve been having fun playing with different ways to capture all Big 3 commitments in one mantra.   That’s when “Champ Champ Champ” popped into my head.   ← I laugh as I type that and I laughed when it first appeared in my head. (Which I take as a very good sign.)   Yep. That’s the standard. A World-Class → World-Champion Athlētē AND a World-Class → “World-Champion” Husband and Father AND a World-Class → “World-Champion” Philosopher-Teacher-Leader.   That’s like me.   Champ Champ Champ.   How about you?   What’s the best version of YOU look like Energy + Work + Love-wise?!   Any fun ways to bring your commitments to life?

George Leonard was an aikido master who wrote a great little book called Mastery.    It’s a tiny little book packed with a ton of wisdom. I highly recommend it.    There’s one particular passage that’s been tattooed on my mind since I read it over a decade ago. We’re going to talk about that tomorrow. Today, we’re going to take a quick look at how Leonard describes mastery and the other paths that can trip us up.   First, pop quiz! When you think of the path of Mastery and the Master who walks that path, what vision comes to mind? How would YOU describe it?   Take a moment and noodle that.   Alright.    Here’s how Leonard describes mastery. He tells us that “We fail to realize that mastery is not about perfection. It’s about a process, a journey. The master is the one who stays on the path day after day, year after year. The master is the one who is willing to try, and fail, and try again, for as long as he or she lives.”   That’s mastery. It’s a PROCESS.    When we commit to the path of mastery we stay on that path day in and day out. YEAR after YEAR. (Reminds me of Steven Pressfield’s wisdom about Turning Pro—and how your life changes the day you truly flip the switch and go from amateur to Professional.)   The alternatives to Mastery? Well, Leonard tells us we can be what he calls a “Dabbler” or a “Hacker” or an “Obsessive."   Here’s the quick look.   The Dabbler: Gets really into something for awhile and loves the quick results but the moment the newness fades, he or she’s off to the next new thing—rationalizing that it just wasn’t a good fit. Hence, no mastery.   The Obsessive: A bottom-line type of person who wants to get the tennis stroke right on the first lesson and, when results start to slow, pushes even harder to make it work, ignoring the fact that plateaus are part of the path of mastery—pushing and pushing mercilessly to create a continuing upward curve. Then? Injury/burnout/etc. Followed by a sharp, sharp decline. Hence, no mastery.   The Hacker: After sort of getting the hang of something, the hacker is content to stay at a plateau—never really improving his skills beyond the first basic level. Hacking, hacking, hacking. Hence, no mastery.   The Master. The Dabbler. The Obsessive. The Hacker.   And YOU.   How are you showing up these days?   Now… I was going to ask you how you think you can bring a little more mastery to your life but then I realized I should probably give you Leonard’s #1 tip first.   Here it is: “How do you best move toward mastery? To put it simply, you practice diligently, but you practice primarily for the sake of the practice itself.”   Aha! Practice. Again.    So… Today’s +1.    What’s the most important thing in your life right now?   And… What’s your DAILY (!) PRACTICE to Optimize that thing or the Big 3 things?    For me?    Energy = AM Trail (I never miss a day = my commitment to the practice/mastery) Work = AM Deep Work (Again, I (literally) never miss a day = my commitment to the practice/mastery) Love = AM Kid Time (I too often miss a day here! lol. Although my shut-down complete is pretty legit this still needs work and is being reinstalled!)   You?   Energy = __________________ Work = __________________ Love = __________________   Here’s to your Mastery and the simple practices that keep us on the path!

George Leonard was an aikido master who wrote a great little book called Mastery.    It’s a tiny little book packed with a ton of wisdom. I highly recommend it.    There’s one particular passage that’s been tattooed on my mind since I read it over a decade ago. We’re going to talk about that tomorrow. Today, we’re going to take a quick look at how Leonard describes mastery and the other paths that can trip us up.   First, pop quiz! When you think of the path of Mastery and the Master who walks that path, what vision comes to mind? How would YOU describe it?   Take a moment and noodle that.   Alright.    Here’s how Leonard describes mastery. He tells us that “We fail to realize that mastery is not about perfection. It’s about a process, a journey. The master is the one who stays on the path day after day, year after year. The master is the one who is willing to try, and fail, and try again, for as long as he or she lives.”   That’s mastery. It’s a PROCESS.    When we commit to the path of mastery we stay on that path day in and day out. YEAR after YEAR. (Reminds me of Steven Pressfield’s wisdom about Turning Pro—and how your life changes the day you truly flip the switch and go from amateur to Professional.)   The alternatives to Mastery? Well, Leonard tells us we can be what he calls a “Dabbler” or a “Hacker” or an “Obsessive."   Here’s the quick look.   The Dabbler: Gets really into something for awhile and loves the quick results but the moment the newness fades, he or she’s off to the next new thing—rationalizing that it just wasn’t a good fit. Hence, no mastery.   The Obsessive: A bottom-line type of person who wants to get the tennis stroke right on the first lesson and, when results start to slow, pushes even harder to make it work, ignoring the fact that plateaus are part of the path of mastery—pushing and pushing mercilessly to create a continuing upward curve. Then? Injury/burnout/etc. Followed by a sharp, sharp decline. Hence, no mastery.   The Hacker: After sort of getting the hang of something, the hacker is content to stay at a plateau—never really improving his skills beyond the first basic level. Hacking, hacking, hacking. Hence, no mastery.   The Master. The Dabbler. The Obsessive. The Hacker.   And YOU.   How are you showing up these days?   Now… I was going to ask you how you think you can bring a little more mastery to your life but then I realized I should probably give you Leonard’s #1 tip first.   Here it is: “How do you best move toward mastery? To put it simply, you practice diligently, but you practice primarily for the sake of the practice itself.”   Aha! Practice. Again.    So… Today’s +1.    What’s the most important thing in your life right now?   And… What’s your DAILY (!) PRACTICE to Optimize that thing or the Big 3 things?    For me?    Energy = AM Trail (I never miss a day = my commitment to the practice/mastery) Work = AM Deep Work (Again, I (literally) never miss a day = my commitment to the practice/mastery) Love = AM Kid Time (I too often miss a day here! lol. Although my shut-down complete is pretty legit this still needs work and is being reinstalled!)   You?   Energy = __________________ Work = __________________ Love = __________________   Here’s to your Mastery and the simple practices that keep us on the path!