17 Dec 2025 · 2 min
Brian Johnson explores Carlos Castaneda's idea of choosing paths that "have a heart." Ask yourself whether your path has one, Castaneda says, and abandon those that don't. Johnson argues this matters more than chasing fear or ambition.
You're listening to Optimize with Brian Johnson. More wisdom in less time.
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another optimize +1. In our last +1, we spent some time with Carlos Castaneda in his Toltec warrior. Today we're going to spend a little more time with this eccentric teacher.
I've always found one passage of his.
To be particularly powerful.
This one, he tells us, and I.
Quote, anything is one of a million paths.
Therefore, a warrior must always keep in.
Mind that a path is only a.
Path if he feels that he should not follow it.
He must not stay with it under any conditions.
His decision to keep on that path.
Or to leave it must be free of fear or ambition. He must look at every path closely and deliberately. There's a question that a warrior has to ask.
Does this path have a heart? Does this path have a heart?
Well, that's a powerful question.
Eh, how do we possibly answer that one?
Enter some more Castaneda wisdom, he tells us.
But how will I know for sure whether a path has a heart or not?
Anybody would know that.
The trouble is nobody asks the question. And when a man finally realizes that.
He has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him.
At that point, very few men can.
Stop to deliberate and leave the path.
Yikes.
And ha.
That's today's confronting.
Plus one. Does your path have a heart?
Of course, there will always be times.
When a path with heart is doesn't.
Feel quite as heart centered as it could. Those times often require some re energizing and micro adjustments and recommitting and all that. And there are other times when we're just not on the right path. Those times may require some zero based.
Thinking and deep work to figure out.
What path is the right one for.
Us in all situations.
I believe this is why Ralph Waldo Emerson said, can trust thyself, every heart vibrates to that iron string. Here's to courageously walking our paths with.
Heart with deeper and deeper authenticity.
Today.
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Optimize with Brian Johnson. To find out more, go to Optimize Me.
Hey guys, this is Brian with a quick little P.S. i'm really excited to let you know about an event we're working on. Plan is to make it the premier self optimizing event of 2020. We're calling it Optimize 2020. You the modern hero. Basic idea. Five days, 101 world class luminaries. One million people. You can learn more and get your tickets to the online and offline event at opt Optimize Me 2020again. That's Optimize Me 2020.
Hope to see you there.
