Michael Bungay Stanier interviews business leaders, writers, and other interesting folks about what’s inspired them and the challenges they’ve overcome in pursuing their Great Work.
These interviews are the sole property of Box of Crayons. No reproduction, distribution or exhibition of any kind is permitted.
Brian Johnson, Philosophers Notes
Brian is the Chief Philosopher of Philosophers Notes, a website and business I discovered about a year ago and think is absolutely terrific. Brian’s role as Chief Philosopher is to study and share the the world’s greatest wisdom. He has picked the hundred best, wisest, smartest books, he has articulated the thousand best ideas in those books and from those he has extracted the ten core principles behind the real works of wisdom that guide us and shape is in our 21st century.
What makes this sweeter still is that Brian Johnson is also a brilliant entrepreneur. Brian founded an organization called E-Teams that grew, was massively successful and sold it in 2000 to The Active Network then came back and founded another brilliant online company called Zaadz which is now known as Gaia.com and which is also terrific – it’s like a Facebook or LinkedIn for people who want to save the world and change the world.
This is a really juicy call, full of ideas and in our interview Brian and I talk about:
How you know if you’re ‘following your bliss” (and what Carlos Castaneda has to say on the point)
One of the deepest choices of life: do you step forward into growth or back into safety
A brilliant mapping system to help you keep track of your path
And what Brian learned from Jim Loehr about projecting his shadow
The importance of ritual
And of course, a whole lot more.
You can find Brian at Philosophers Notes and follow him on Twitter at @BrianJohnson. (And if you do so, you’ll see he’s just announced he’s getting married. Woo hoo!)
0:16 Michael introduces Brian Johnson
3:26 How you know if you’re ‘following your bliss’ (and what Carlos Castaneda has to say on the point)
9:05 One of the deepest choices of life: do you step forward into growth or back into safety
11:17 A brilliant mapping system to help you keep track of your path
15:13 And what Brian learned from Jim Loehr about projecting his shadow
18:18 The importance of ritual
24:28 How to find out more about Brian Johnson
25:36 Brian’s new book
26:07 Michael closes the interview
Brian is the Chief Philosopher of Philosophers Notes, a website and business I discovered about a year ago and think is absolutely terrific. Brian’s role as Chief Philosopher is to study and share the the world’s greatest wisdom. He has picked the hundred best, wisest, smartest books, he has articulated the thousand best ideas in those books and from those he has extracted the ten core principles behind the real works of wisdom that guide us and shape is in our 21st century.