Great Goals

BIG IDEA
#330. The (Seemingly) Impossible
by Brian Johnson

“It takes great goals to lead us out of our everyday limits into accomplishing more than we ever thought we could or would.”

~ Robert Cooper, 21st century optimal living expert from The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership & Life

What are your great goals?

I said GREAT goals!

Give yourself the freedom to really dream.

What would you do if you KNEW you could not fail?!?

Really let that soak in.

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?!?

Write it down.

Start to align your life with that intention!

(Now good? Rockin’. :))

…

More Big Goal Love:

As Tom Peters says, “I don’t want an epitaph on my gravestone that says, ‘He would have pursued some big dreams in his life, but other people wouldn’t let him.’”

Per Thoreau: “If you have built your castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”

Per Vaclav Havel: “We must not be afraid of dreaming the seemingly impossible if we want the seemingly impossible to become a reality.”

Get Excited About Problems

Get Excited About Problems
by Brian Johnson

“The only people without problems are in cemeteries. If you don’t have problems, get on your knees and pray.”

~ Tony Robbins

Problem occurs.

How do you respond?

“Ah, sh*t! Again?!!?”

1. That’s one option.

Or, perhaps:

“Yayuh! Here we go again! Another chance to rock it. Let’s get it on!!” 🙂

Problems are good. How else are you going to show what you’re made of?!?

Truly believe that and let me know how you’re doing. 🙂

“Problems are God’s resistance to create spiritual muscles.”

~ Tony Robbins

Lines of Development

Lines of Development
by Brian Johnson

Stephen Covey calls them “Roles (& Goals),” Tony Robbins calls ‘em “Categories of Improvement,” and Ken Wilber and the Integral Institute call ‘em “Lines of Development.”

Just think about the different aspects of our lives we can improve: our cognitive line of development, our spiritual, physical, creative, emotional, professional, moral, artistic, interpersonal, etc.

The idea is that we’re at different stages of development/excellence for each line. An extreme example? Hitler. Very high cognitive development. Very (!!!) low moral development.

So, we can be highly evolved on one line and not on another. Take a peak at how you’re doing in each. Are you particularly strong in one or more lines? Are you being pulled down b/c of lower development in another?

May want to take an inventory today and start building practices to develop a line or three!

(One of my favorite lines from Ken during one of his talks was his admonition to not become a “metaphysical glutton”—trying to do everything at once. 🙂 So pick an area or two or three to focus on and play with it!)

And, you can learn more about lines of development with the Integral Life Practice at www.myilp.com. Fun.

What Do You Want?

BIG IDEA

#18. What do I want?
by Brian Johnson

That, my friends, is a powerful question.

If you ever find yourself complaining, please stop for a moment and say to yourself, “What do I really want right now?!?”

Robert Kegan once said that behind every complaint is a deeper commitment. Meaning: If you’re complaining about something (i.e., being a Victim), the complaint simply points to a deeper commitment you have for yourself that is currently being thwarted.

For example, if I’m complaining about not having the freedom to pursue my creative ideas and putting someone or something in the position of Persecutor, I need to recognize that I’m falling into Victim-mode and ask myself, “What do I want?” In this case, the answer would be something like, “I want more freedom to create.”

The moment we ask that question, we’ve shifted our focus from the problem to the vision/solution. We’re no longer helpless Victims in the clutches of some Persecutor but Creators dealing with a Challenger (or challenging situation). That’s a powerful shift.

Let’s make it!

(For more on Victims and Creators and all that jazz, check out my summary of the great book by David Emerald called “The Power of TED*”!)

Research Questions and Journal Prompt

100 Questions
by Brian Johnson

“Great minds ask great questions.”

~ Michael Gelb from How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Everyday

Got a journal? If not, time to get one!

Da Vinci carried his everywhere. So should you.

Jot down your ideas, thoughts, questions, dreams, whatever. As you gain more clarity and creativity, you’ll be glad you did.

[Did you know: In 1994, Bill Gates bought 18 sheets (of the 7,000 existing) from da Vinci’s notes for 30.8 million bucks. Not bad, eh?]

Here’s an incredible exercise for that new journal of yours. It’s called “100 Questions” and goes like this:

Find a comfortable place. Sit down. Write. Make a list of 100 questions you find interesting. Write about whatever’s on your mind. Questions can range from “Why is the sky blue?” and “How can I optimize my health?” to “What are my greatest strengths?” and “What am I most passionate about?”

Odds are that the first few questions will flow and then it will be a little tougher. Fight through the desire to walk away and finish them all in one sitting. Then read through your list and note the themes that emerge. Consider these emerging themes without judging them. Are your questions about Business? Relationships? Self-Growth? Money? The Meaning of Life?

Top 10 Questions.

Once you’ve done that, review your list of 100 questions and choose the 10 that you find most significant. Then rank them in importance from 1 to 10.

The questions I came up with 6 years ago when I first did this exercise have guided my life since. Without exaggeration, this is probably the most powerful exercise I’ve ever done.

So what’re you waiting for?!? Go find some quiet time and start asking those questions! 🙂

(Extra: I highly recommend the book. In it (along with allllll kinds of other great ideas), Gelb provides a host of other exercises as well as a set of “power questions” including one of the most powerful questions I have ever pondered:

“What if I could find some way to get paid for doing what I love?”

This one simple question has shaped my life more than any other.)

…

[ My questions? On Saturday, June 8^th, 2001, I wrote these ten questions:

1. How do I master myself and control my will/how do I become a warrior? [I was into Way of the Peaceful Warrior at that stage.]
2. What is love? How do I live with agape, philos and eros?
3. What is the optimal life? How do I live this life?
4. What is health? How do I achieve optimal health/energy/power?
5. What is important to me?
6. How can I inspire others to reach their potential and to love life?
7. Who are the 10 greatest wisdom philosophers?
8. Who are the 10 greatest examples of this wisdom in action?
9. What is living in the moment? How do I do that?
10. Why is religion so widespread?

Wow. Just typing those out gave me goosebumps… seeing how much they have influenced my life…

I hope you do the exercise!!! ]

Remember, doing research is a matter of collecting information and properly organizing it. You will begin your research for your final research paper in this assignment. In this assignment you need to do four things: 1. select a topic; 2. make a list of questions that you want to be able to answer about your topic 3. develop a list of sources, at least three books that you will use in your research, and three online sources you will use and 4. take notes from your sources.

 1. What is your topic? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. Create at least ten questions that you would like to answer about this topic:

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List Your Sources:

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Source2

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Not Afraid – A Journal Question

A BIG IDEA
ThinkAreté.theManifesto
by Brian Johnson

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

OK…

So…uh…what exactly are you waiting for?

This isn’t a dress rehearsal…

Wake up!

Here’s the deal: What we can be, we MUST be.

Period.

There’s no getting around that one.

So, turn off your TV. Put down your drink. Get off the medication.

Quit numbing yourself. The pain’s not going away.

Not until you Think Areté.

Think Areté?

Yep.

Gandhi got it. Einstein got it. Mother Theresa got it.

Tiger gets it. Gates gets it. Oprah gets it.

The Greeks got it.

Get this: Guys like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle said that if you want happiness you better live with Areté–a word that literally means virtue or excellence but has a deeper meaning…something closer to “constantly striving to reach your highest potential.”

Areté.

How beautiful is that? It was one of the highest ideals of Greek culture.

It should be one of ours.

Tragically, it’s not.

We seem to be more interested in resumes, accolades and 401k’s.

Speaking of retirement…

Who came up with that? Work our asses off doing something we’re not passionate about so we can accumulate enough money to pay the bills from our stress-caused illnesses while we bitch about what we should have done when we were still young.

Hmmm…can’t quite figure that one out. Seems like it makes a bit more sense to go ahead and dare to live now…

Why not Think Areté?

Live to your highest potential–moment to moment to moment.

Not in the mood?

Fine. Then live with regret, anxiety, and disillusionment.

Your call.

Think about it. When do we feel most alive?

Exactly. When we’re being ourselves–our highest selves.

You want happiness?

Think Areté.

Dream. Grow. Stretch yourself.

Rip off the tie. Jump out of the cubicle.

Dream. Think. Dare to be crazy.

What are you waiting for?

Think Areté.

Live. Love. Smile. Hug. Laugh. Dream. Do. Create.

Have fun. Be intense. Be audacious. Be unreasonable. Act impeccably. Breathe.

Be you. Be different. Get paid to do what you love. Dance in your underwear on your way to work…

Why not?

Ditch the tie. Escape the cube. Leave the 8-5. Trash the resume.

Ignore the critics. And the cynics. Burn the corporate ladders. Laugh at the ceilings.

Quit the bitching. Open your mind. End the laziness. Overcome the fear. Transcend the conditioning…

Why not?

Move the world.

Change the world.

Push the human race forward.

Whatever you call it, go out and do it.

When?

Now.

Not when you have enough money or once you do this or do that. That’s nonsense.

It’s not gonna be easy, but go out and live your dream. Now.

You deserve it.

And, if that doesn’t move you: The world deserves it.

Think Areté.

1.   What would you do if you if you weren’t afraid?

I ask this question, because I think it is one of the most important questions that could ever be asked. Fear holds us back from so much in life, and if we confront our fears, and then more importantly overcome them, we are well on to our way of living the life of our dreams. (And that is our focus for this semester, at least beginning to get you on the path of living the life of your dreams.) So think really hard about this question, what would you do if you weren’t afraid.

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Spring 2015 English 111Weekly Journaling

Daily and Weekly Journaling (300 points)

Purchase a notebook for daily writing assignments, and taking notes in class. Every week, you will be required write in your journal daily. Every week you will be required do at least two types of journal entries that you select from below. These entries are worth 10 points each, you should try to accumulate 300 points total (that is 30 journal entries)

You may complete entries to gain extra credit. Please place a date and title on all journal entries. You must work on this journal all semester! You must use this journal to help you with your formal writing assignments! You must bring these journals to class to discuss important ideas.

Process and Format of Journal Entries and Portfolio 

For your journal entries always have the date of your journal entry and the type of journal entry.

I need to see that you have been working on these journal entries for the entire semester and so I will be checking over them weekly. You should have your thoughtful/emotional journal assignments completed prior to class. You may work on grammar and note-taking journal entries in class.

You will show me your journals every week, if you want to get credit for the week. Additionally, KEEP ALL WORK IN YOUR JOURNAL. If possible purchase a notebook with pockets so that you can place formal writing assignments in the pockets.

Keep all article summaries, all formal writing assignments, all notes, all journal entries, EVERYTHING THAT YOU WORKED ON THIS SEMESTER MUST BE KEPT IN THE JOURNAL. Your final grade will be based upon all of the writing that you completed this semester, as well as how much your writing improved throughout the semester, and your ability to show all of your work and evaluate all of your work at the beginning of the semester.

Private Journaling

Emotional, Psychological and Thoughtful Journal entries are worth 10  points each.

There are different types of journaling that you can do. You will use different websites that will allow you to engage in different types of journaling.

Emotional Journaling – http://yourskillfulmeans.com/knowledgebase/emotional-journaling/

Self- Compassion Journaling – http://yourskillfulmeans.com/knowledgebase/writing-for-self-compassion/

Gratitude Journaling – http://yourskillfulmeans.com/knowledgebase/gratitude-practice/

Affirmation Journaling – http://yourskillfulmeans.com/knowledgebase/affirmations/

Anxiety Journaling- http://yourskillfulmeans.com/knowledgebase/scheduling-worry-time/ 

Public Journaling

Journaling About Ted Talks – http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_eigen_how_to_expose_the_corrupt

Journaling About Big Ideas- https://www.entheos.com/ideas/popular?page=8

Journaling About the Good Life – http://www.goodlifeproject.com/video/

Journaling About Upworthy – http://www.upworthy.com/

Journaling About The Way Through– http://www.wattpad.com/user/Amberlisa