Brian Johnson leads a 2:43 cold-plunge meditation with breathing, a countdown, nine virtues with affirmations, and a mission statement about humanity flourishing by 2051. He hits 101 heroic targets daily but says even three targets can boost energy and productivity. The ritual includes cold plunging twice daily.
Questions this video answers
2 minutes and 43 seconds
"2:43 after 30" (plunge 2:43 after a 30-minute AM workout)
101 heroic targets a day
Energy +40%, Productivity +20%, Connection +15%
51 to 57 degrees (Fahrenheit implied by context)
Chapters
Hi, this is Brian. Welcome back to another Heroic one. In our last one we talked about the fact that I'm hitting 101 heroic targets a day so I can keep my Daimon in play. You try it yet? Of course, as I've said many times, you don't need to be quite as crazy and all in as I am to get the benefits of using the Heroic app. Early research shows that hitting as few as three heroic targets a day can boost your energy 40%, your productivity 20% and your connection 15%, all in a few minutes on the app per day. Now why does the Heroic app work so powerfully? Because there's extraordinary power in living our lives with a clear intention and shining the spotlight of our attention on the things that matter most. Then of course doing the things that are in integrity with that vision of our best selves not once in a while, but every single day. Now, one of the heroic energy targets I commit to every morning these days is cold plunge. Parentheses 2:43 after 30. That's shorthand for get in the cold plunge for 2 minutes and 43 seconds after your 30 minute AM workout. Why 2:43? Because riffing off of Mr. Rogers 143 I love you. We love, love you. Link to more on that in the plus one. Now I actually do that twice a day. Once after my AM workout and the second time an hour or two before I go to bed. Why two four, three times two? Because 2 times 2 minutes and 43 seconds is about 5.51 minutes. And well, everything I do is tied back to my purpose of helping create a world in which 51% of humanity flourishing by the year 2051. I am all in. Now onto the point of today's plus one. I came up with a little 2 minute and 43 second heroic meditation that I do every time I hop in the cold plunge. It goes like this. First I take a deep breath before I get into the cold. Plunge in through the nose, down into the belly, back out through the nose, exhale slightly longer than the inhale. Optimal breathing 101 style. Check out that class. You know the drill. And before we go any further, to be very clear, I never really want to get into that cold plunge. Getting in 51 to 57 degree water is never a particularly pleasant experience. But I do it because A I like building the habit of doing things I don't like to do and B I know the benefits of cold are extraordinary. See the notes on the WIM HOF method. So I move through my resistance And I get in. I do a little. Five, four, three, two, one. Let's go. Countdown. Check out that plus one. And I'm in. Then my 2:43 heroic meditation begins. I start by saying each virtue silently to myself. Wisdom, self, mastery, love, courage, gratitude, hope, curiosity, zest. Then I say an affirmation for each virtue. I am wise, I am disciplined. Each one is about an inhale and an exhale. I am loving, I am courageous, I am grateful, I am hopeful, I am curious and I am zesty. Then I say the declaration for each virtue. I know the game I'm playing and how to play it well. I have structural, reactive and expansive discipline. I am connected, joyful and encouraging. I am willing to act in the presence of fear. I appreciate all the blessings and gifts in my life. I have an inspiring target, agency and pathways. I pay attention to what's working and what needs work. And I dominate my fundamentals. So I have heroic energy. Then I repeat each virtue. Wisdom, self, mastery, love, courage, gratitude, hope, curiosity and zest. Then I think of my tattoos as I remind myself of our ultimate mission hero. I see a world in which 51% of humanity is flourishing. By 2051, my soul force is at 101 and I'm helping a million people get their soul force to one on one so we can change the world together. Then I say to myself, all in. Let's go. Then I get out of the cold, dry off and get back to dominating my day. That's a 2 minute 43 second version of a heroic meditation. We love you a lot. All in. Day one. Let's go.
