Book Report: Arete – Activate your heroic potential. Ancient wisdom and modern science to move from theory, to practice, to mastery by Brian Johnson
The basic premise of this 1,000 page manual (biggest book I’ve ever read) is that small, meaningful changes to affect our love (God, marriage, family, friends), energy (nutrition, sleep, exercise, meditation, health) and work (serving others passionately with our gifts) over a significant period of time through discipline, persistence, patience and excellence. Expressing the best version of yourself moment by moment, to create a great, joyful life where you give your God-given gifts to the world, through compounding interest. Brian Johnson has created an app and business around summarizing all the top self-help, business, relationship, life, parenting, athletics, mental/physical health, leadership, psychology etc. books and pulling out the key concepts with the ultimate goal of creating a life that has been fruitful and blessed others with the special gifts you’ve been given. This book is a summary of probably close to 400-500 books, from everything from ancient wisdom to current cutting edge scientific research.
So how do we accomplish this according to Brian Johnson and all his reading and research?
-Creating antifragile confidence
-Understand life is challenging
-Face fears with “Bring it on!” or “I’m excited!” or both
-Obstacles make me stronger
-WIN mentality – What’s Important Now?
-Mistakes are opportunities for retakes
-Scars equal Medals of Honor
-GRIT is a combination of passion with perseverance
-Fall down seven times, get up eight
-What are you thankful or grateful for?
-If I had a week to live, what would I want my children to know? (Exercise)
-What are your 5 year energy, love and work goals?
-Create checklists (decrease surgical errors 47 percent)
-Book end key AM and PM activities that create or position one for their best day
-Parenting tips; 1)Model/example 2)Be present 3)Embrace challenges, reward effort
-Be cautious with cell phone use first thing and end of day or around anyone you care about. Basket at home.
-When you feel bad or your worst check in with yourself first for a possible wound or issue
-NEGU Never Ever Give Up
-Embrace pain, uncertainty and hardwork
-Effort with talent, skill and then achievement equals mastery
-Eating, moving, sleeping – what needs work?
-Visceral fat is a good overall predictor of health and longevity
-Limit food intake to a 8-12 hr. window per day
-Decrease sugar and flour use
-Noses are for breathing, mouths are for eating!
-Meditate 1-10 minutes per day
-Walk over 5,000 steps per day, ideally one 2-3 mile block
-Cold plunge or cold shower
-When challenge equals skill one enters into a flow state
-Be “meek” really means “tamed or disciplined”
-Consistency times compound effect (dominoes/pennies)
-Live by your highest virtues daily
Some of these things I have implemented into my life are walking 3-9 miles per day, meditating and focusing on nose breathing (I was a mouth breather), limiting my food intake window to a 12 hr. window or less, while decreasing my sugar intake (no candy while at camp so far). With these changes, and a consistent workout schedule I have lost 15 lbs. in a little less than 3 months.
I have given some significant thought into how my AM and PM bookends would look like when I return home with things like bible reading, sauna, breathing, meditation, coffee, eggs, oatmeal, vitamins/supplements, Qi Gong, in the morning and making sure I’m getting 7-9 hrs. sleep, decreasing cell phone usage especially after sundown, breathing, workout, walking, and stationary bike for my PM routine or book end.
This book also encouraged me to write down or put into words what I would like my 8 children to know if (hypothetically) I only had a week to live. Things like having and enjoying an intentional walk and relationship with the Lord, creating structure and routine in their lives, finding something to share their gifts with the world, and finally get up one more time than you get knocked down.
Contained with in this book were two poems that reconnected me to my high school English years at Notre Dame, “If” by Rudyard Kipling and “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Both really speak to my last 5 years approximately…
“If” spoke to how going through this situation, from investigation, sentencing and incarceration, that if you can keep your head (mentally and emotionally) with God’s sustaining strength, when people are trying to say how bad you are or that you had bad intentions, you’re doing good! And the other “The Road Not Taken” just makes me appreciate the road the Lord has me on, and even though it’s not the traditional path or path I would have chosen, I’m forever thankful and grateful for the road He has chosen for me, the gifts He has blessed me with, the people He has brought into my life, His provision and the experiences, even at this camp!
