Interview: Conscious Business and the Hero’s Journey With Brian Johnson (Part 2)
Today’s episode is part 2 of my interview with Brian Johnson from PhilosophersNotes (listen to part 1 here). During this part of the discussion, we talk about the how Brian came up with the idea for PhilosophersNotes, as well as other cool topics such as:
- Follow your bliss and the hero’s journey.
- The deeper purpose of business and multiple bottom lines.
- Creating your ideal life.
This episode runs about 28 minutes, and here is one of my favorite quotes from Brian:
“You follow your bliss into the forest of the unknown, and then you’re on a hero’s journey. [Joseph Campbell] says if there’s a path, it’s not your path. It’s the one certainty. If you’re walking on a path that’s already trodden, you know it’s not yours. The hero’s journey is truly discovering your own unique path.”
Interview: Conscious Business and the Hero’s Journey With Brian Johnson (Part 1)
In this, my inaugural episode of Bigger Life Radio, I speak with Brian Johnson. Brian is the Chief Philosopher of PhilosophersNotes and one of my new favorite people. He’s a wealth of information on many subjects, including optimal living and conscious business. In this episode, which runs about 30 minutes, we talk about the following:
- Brian’s experience and approach to optimal living and conscious business.
- The secret to greatness and genius.
- The key to joy.
- The power of authenticity in business.
The initial interview ran about an hour, so I divided it into two parts. I’ll publish part two later this week. Here’s one of my favorite quotes from today’s episode:
“Being real is an outcome in itself, and the by-product is a better business. I think people are using ‘being real’ or being authentic as a means to an end.”
Sites mentioned in this episode:
Marketing That Makes a Difference: Brian Johnson and PhilosophersNotes
Link to the site: http://tv.philosophersnotes.com/
Correction: In the video, I say “you get a hundred books” when you buy the PhilosophersNotes program. That’s actually not the case and not what I meant to say, so be sure to read their website for the actual details of what you get.
Are You a Perfectionist? If So, Watch This.
Worried about failure. Don’t be.
This is a Nike commercial, and a great example of marketing that makes a difference.
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that’s why I succeed.”
- Michael Jordan -
How Well Do You Know Yourself?
“We will discover the nature of our particular genius when we stop trying to conform to our own or to other peoples’ models, learn to be ourselves, and allow our natural channel to open.” – Shakti Gawain
Most marketing gurus will tell you how important it is to know your market, and I completely agree. You need to have a thorough understanding of the wants, needs, desires and problems of those you serve. Without that information, how can you hope to make a difference in their life?
Further, no matter what type of product, service or information you offer, the bottom line is you are compensated in direct proportion to the amount of value you provide to your market, so you’d better know what your market finds valuable.
But here’s something the marketing gurus often overlook. It’s also important to know yourself. You may wonder why I say that, and to explain it, I’ll use myself as an example.
How to Work Less and Make a Bigger Impact; Abe Lincoln Style
On November 19th, 1863, the great American president, Abraham Lincoln, stood before a group of citizens assembled in a small, southern Pennsylvania field.
With his country deeply entrenched in the brutal and bloody Civil War, Lincoln gazed out at the traumatized, war-torn faces gathered before him and delivered a brief statement composed of no more than 300 words.
Clocking in at just under three minutes in length, Lincoln’s remarks paled in comparison to the two-hour, 13,700 word oration completed just minutes before by Edward Everett, a well-known and highly regarded politician of the times.
Chances are, unless you’re a student of American history, you’ve not heard of Edward Everett before this moment. Nor do you have a clue about the content of his speech that day.
However, you’d be hard pressed to find a single American citizen who’s never heard of Abraham Lincoln or this brief, but historic speech, which he delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Despite it’s brevity, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is regarded as one of the most famous speeches in American history. His words not only helped to re-unite a nation ripped apart by civil war, but they also now serve as a cornerstone of American government and democracy.
“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal … that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
As for the two-hour long speech of Edward Everett, although originally intended to be the actual “Gettysburg Address,” it seems his words merely drifted away on the gentle breeze of that cool, November day. Irony aside, when you imagine the amount of work likely needed to compose and prepare for a lengthy presentation like Everett’s, the inequity is palpable.
Still, there are lessons to be learned here. How is it that one person can work for hours, days or weeks on a project and achieve little impact, while another can – seemingly – invest a fraction of the effort and produce results that change the course of history? Here’s how Abe did it.
12 Tips on How to Become a Faster Writer
1. Get Your Mind Right.
Much has been written about the power of your mind to inspire or dis-empower you. I won’t say much more about it here other than to say your mind can be your biggest obstacle or your greatest ally as a writer.
Holding onto thoughts like “writing is a necessary evil” or “I’m just not a writer” don’t serve you. Release those beliefs, and adopt some new ones.
My core limiting belief was “I’m not creative.” It was based on my misunderstanding of what creativity really is and the creative process. So I let it go and adopted some new beliefs. First, I now energize the belief that “writing is my path to freedom.” Second, I believe “each day, I’m becoming a better, faster writer.”
Pick some new beliefs, and write them down somewhere you’ll see them often. Choose beliefs that are empowering, inspiring and believable. It does no good to try to convince yourself of something when you know deep down you don’t believe it.
Connect