it is what you think it is

I began listening to the latest Rich Roll podcast with Bryan Johnson, and early in the episode, something really jumped out at me; I made a mental note since I was driving to think about it more later so I could continue listening to the conversation.

If you don’t know who Bryan Johnson is, he’s the man living an extremely regimented lifestyle to reverse his biological age–he’s a successful entrepreneur with all of the money he will ever need, and he is investing $2 million a year into his health to avoid dying. Obviously, he’s a magnet for controversy and discussion–the podcast episode was really good because it was less about his diet, routine, etc., and more about the psychology behind his why. It is fascinating and layers deep that would probably take a couple of listens to begin to understand the person behind the headlines.

The comment that really grabbed my attention came from Bryan as he was describing why he only trusts numbers and data–part of his reasoning for this is that he sees the world as a crazy, messed up, chaotic place.

“I view the world as literally insane.” - Bryan Johnson

As I revisited his comment, I couldn’t get past the thought that, of course, the world will seem insane if that’s what you believe it to be. Don’t get me wrong, there are many things I’d love to see change in our world–there’s tons of room for improvement, but through the lens I’m looking at the world, it’s far from insane.

Your perception becomes your reality.

You may not have control over the world’s events and what happens to you, but you certainly have 100% agency over how you perceive and receive these events and experiences. These events and experiences will not always be ones you’d like to relive over and over–they aren’t always going to be happy and positive moments, but through your thoughts and words, you can make sure they do not change your perspective on life.

By saying the world is “literally insane,” Johnson is only reinforcing the narrative and belief that may be limiting his happiness despite his wealth and reversing biological age.

As I mentioned, there is a ton to unpack in this episode, but one of the first lessons I found was a reminder that your perception will become your reality–you have the choice of what type of world you live in. This doesn’t mean you ignore and are naive to the “bad” things that may occur, but these events do not define your experience.

As we head into an election year, it’s going to get very messy on the news, radio, etc., and many people’s worlds are going to change for the worse because of the influenced narrative they tell themselves.

Don’t let others control your perception and change your reality.

See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC