17 Dec 2025 · 0 min
Brian Johnson explains how mantras work as thought tools to rewire your mind toward positive automatic thinking. Repeating phrases like 'I am beneath no one' or 'thank you' can counter the brain's default toward negative thoughts, a practice Johnson learned from Deepak Chopra and Russell Simmons.
You're listening to Optimize with Bryan Johnson More Wisdom in Less Time this is a mini chapter from Brian's book A Philosopher's Notes. You can find it on Amazon.
Thought Tools did you know the Sanskrit word mantra literally means a tool of thought? Yep. For thousands of years, people have reshaped their minds via the power of mantras. In addition to the cognitive behavioral stuff I go off on throughout this book, mantras are a great way to tame the monkeys and relocate the ants. Our minds, as we learned, have a tendency to automatically generate negative thoughts to the shocking range of 45,000 such negative little boogers a day. Mantras help us rewire our brains. So rather than automatic negative thoughts, we can get some automatic positive thoughts apps not quite as cute as ants, but a heck of a lot more enjoyable. The basic idea is simple. Reshape your mind through the repetition of certain phrases you find inspiring and empowering. I've played with a lot of them at various times over the last decade, and Deepak Chopra has a few sweet ones. I've said thousands of times that you might dig, he says. I am totally independent of the good or bad opinion of others. I am beneath no one. I fearlessly approach any and all challenges in my life and my personal favorite might just be thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. After repeating that I don't know how many times, I loved the day when my mind randomly whispered thank you to me in the middle of a quiet moment. So, back to you. What are some of your favorite thought tools you can add to your optimal living tool belt? Little footnote here. Shout out to vegan yogi hip hop mogul Russell Simmons for the mojo on mantras from his great book. Do you? We've got a philosopher's note on that as well.
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