Brian Johnson says stopping is the real danger, not slow progress. He points to ultramarathoner Dean Karnazis and an ancient Chinese proverb to show why persistence matters, then asks you three questions: what's your epic quest, what's the next baby step, and what keystone habit keeps you going.
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Optimize plus one. Men's Health says that Dean Karnazis is one of the 100 fittest men of all time. He's done crazy things like running 350 miles at once plus running a marathon to the South Pole and negative 40 degrees. Then there was the time he ran 50 marathons in all 50 US states in 50 days, finishing with the New York City Marathon, which he banged out in three hours flat. Nice word. So in our interview about his great book the Road to Sparta, I asked him what one piece of wisdom he would share with someone looking to optimize their lives so they could make a positive difference in the world. His response? He quoted the ancient Chinese proverb, be not afraid of going slowly. Be afraid only of stopping. Going slowly, not a problem. Stopping. Eek. That's when we get in trouble. Whether it's writing a book or running a marathon or doing whatever challenging thing worthy of our attention. Keep going. Steve Chandler has a great line for this. He says we need to stop stopping. All of which leads us to today's plus one questions. What epic quest are you on right right now? What's your next baby step? Keep moving, no matter how slowly. And what's the habit you just know would most benefit you if you had it installed? That keystone habit that, when in place, will most help you optimize? The one that when you do it, you feel great? Yes, that one. Keep doing it. It's okay to suck, but it's not okay to skip. Remember? Stop stopping. Plus one plus one plus one. Isn't it a bit odd that we went from math to science to history, but somehow missed the class on how to live? For some wacky reason, optimal living 101 never made the schedule. Of course, it's too late to go back and change that and you're too busy to read full time to catch up. But if you're like us, you're all about optimizing your life so you can actualize your potential. So imagine this. Imagine having someone read the best books on how to optimize your life and pull out the big ideas that can really change your life. You know those sections, you underline an asterisk and mark all up. Then imagine that guy me connecting those awesome ideas to other great books and helping you actually apply the wisdom to your life today. Well, that's what I do with something we call Philosopher's Notes, where I've distilled hundreds of great books into 20 minute super practical summaries. Then Imagine me taking the absolute best big ideas from those great books and sharing them with you in hour long Optimal Living 101 classes on everything from productivity, purpose and confidence to nutrition, goal setting and conquering procrastination. Helping you optimize every facet of your life so you can actualize your potential. You've got a personal trainer? I'm kind of like your personal philosopher. Ancient wisdom, modern science and practical tools. That's what our optimized membership program is all about. If you're feeling it, we'd love to have you join us.
