Brian Johnson defines an integrity gap as the space between what you're capable of and what you actually do. Three moves close it: ask how to make yourself proud, ask what your best self would do, and act like you already are that person. The payoff is less regret and more happiness.
Brian Johnson
January 14, 2013
Hey, guys, what's up? This is Brian with another Optimal Living 101 video. Today we're going to talk about three tips on how to close an integrity gap. Three tips on how to close an integrity gap. So let's start with defining, for the purposes of this video, what our integrity gap is. So here's how I like to describe it. If you have a line right here that represents what you're capable of doing at any given moment, then you have a line down here which represents what you're actually doing. And there is a gap in this moment between what you're capable of doing or being and what you're actually doing and being. That is an integrity gap. Inside that integrity gap is where regret, anxiety and disillusionment hang out. Now, if we can take that gap and close it off so that what we actually do equals what we're capable of doing, we've closed that integrity gap. There's no room for regret, anxiety and disillusionment. It's pretty cool. We're actually doing what we're capable of doing in any given moment. Now, the Greeks call that living with arete, which we talk about a lot throughout these videos. It's the cornerstone of optimal living. If I had to summarize all of my work in one word, I could do so in this word, arete. The Greek said, if you want happiness, live with arete, which roughly translates as virtue or excellence. It has a deeper meaning, something closer to being your highest self, moment to moment to moment. If you're living with arete and you don't have these integrity gaps, moment to moment to moment, where you're actually being your highest version of yourself, the Greeks tell us, and I agree, and modern science agrees, you will live with happiness. Happiness, smiley face, integrity gap, sad face, not happy. So how do we close that integrity gap? Here are three ways. There's a million of them. Basically, all these videos are about helping us live with more arete. Here are three quick tips. Number one, in any given moment, you don't feel like being your highest self. Okay. Ask yourself the question. How can I make myself proud? How can I make myself proud in this moment? That's an awesome question. Got that from Eric Maisel, one of the world's leading creativity coaches. Number two, what would the highest version of you do in this moment? We have another video on your highest goal and how to discover your purpose in less than five seconds. Well, this is a really cool way to discover your ultimate purpose, which is to live with arete. Connect to the highest within yourself. What would the highest version of you do in this moment? What would the best possible version of you do in this moment? Do that consistently. You will close this gap. Live with Arete. Experience happiness more consistently. Now, number three, act as if you were the highest version of yourself. Imagine the highest version of yourself as a parent or an entrepreneur or a creator or whatever other domain or role you have in your life. And act as if you were that highest version of yourself. Really cool. You can also act as if you are someone you admire. Why not? We're always playing a game anyway. Might as well act as if you are someone you admire. How would they approach this challenge? Act like that. Not in some weird, pretentious way, but just be the way that person would show up. Be the way your highest version of yourself would show up. And as we do that, as we string together more of these moments when we're making ourselves proud, more and more often, we're coming from our highest version of ourselves and truly acting as if we already are that version of ourselves, we'll find that we more consistently show up with integrity with Arete, and we experience more and more happiness. So there you go. Those are three quick tips on how to close an integrity gap. Hope you enjoyed. Here's to more happiness, meaning and mojo. Less regret, anxiety, disillusionment. Have another awesome day. See ya.
