17 Dec 2025 · 4 min
Brian Johnson uses the finger-pointing gesture as a metaphor: when you lecture others, most fingers point back at you. He cites Debbie Ford's concept of shadow material to suggest that the lectures you give often reveal lessons you need to hear yourself.
You're listening to the Optymyze with Brian Johnson podcast. Unlock the full Optymyze experience and join over 10,000 premium members at Optimize Me. Hi, this is Brian. Welcome Back to another optimize +1 today. Please extend your pointer finger and shake it as if you're lecturing someone, saying something like, you shouldn't do this, this, and this. Do that, that, and that. Thank you. Now look at your hand and count how many fingers are pointing at the person you're lecturing and how many fingers are pointing back at you. Unless you're missing a digit, you should see one finger pointing at the lucky recipient of your lecture and three fingers pointing back at you, and you may want to pay attention to that the next time you're lecturing someone. Debbie Ford tells us that this practice is a really handy way to notice what she calls your shadow the stuff we haven't integrated in our own lives that unfortunately, we tend to project onto others. She tells us to attend our own lectures because more often than not, whatever lecture we're giving someone else is the one we desperately need to attend. So today's plus one. The next time you start telling someone all the things you think they need to start doing more of or less of or whatever, imagine you're a student diligently taking notes on the lecture you're giving. You might just find that the lecture you're giving them is what you most need to hear. And by the way, the sooner you actually do the stuff you're lecturing other people about, the sooner you'll stop lecturing them about it. 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 and actualizing 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 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 plus modern science plus 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.
What's THE Most Creative Act in the Universe?: Turning Around Glitches (Heroic +1 #2024)
