Brian Johnson shares a Thich Nhat Hanh story about the Buddha to argue that enlightenment doesn't mean you stop doing the basics. Well-being is impermanent, so you have to keep crushing your fundamentals. Lanny and Troy Basham call it elite practice: practice until you can't get it wrong.
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Optimize plus one in no mud, no lotus. Thich Nhat Hanh tells us that when he was a young monk, he thought the Buddha never suffered. Then as he matured, he realized that of course the Buddha suffered. He had a body, so he had to at least occasionally get a headache or a stomachache. And when a friend died, he'd feel sad. He was a human being, therefore he experienced pain and suffering. Of course, he was also the enlightened Buddha, so he was very good at regaining his equanimity. Which leads to another interesting discussion. If the Buddha was enlightened, Thich Nhat Hanh asks, then why did he still meditate after attaining his enlightenment? It's a fascinating question, isn't it? Well, the answer is because the Buddha's happiness and equanimity was, like everything else in the world, impermanent. The Buddha needed to tend to his own well being every single day, even after his enlightenment. Now, if the Buddha needed to keep on doing his fundis after he attained his enlightenment, I'm pretty sure that means you and I do as well. So today's plus one. How are your fundies? You want to maintain your high levels of awesome, Continue crushing your fundamentals long after you think you need to. Little PS Here I'm reminded of peak performance and mental toughness trainers Lanny and Troy Basham. They tell us that average performers practice something until they get it right. Elite performers, they practice until they can't get it wrong. That's a really cool distinction. And the jumbo uber elite, they never stop practicing. 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 and pull out the big ideas that can really change your life. You know those sections you underline and asterisks 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 Optimize membership program is all about. If you're feeling it, we'd love to have you join us.
