Life in Ubud, Bali is uncomplicated. Ceremony and ritual blend into the everyday, and nature surrounds you in a rich tapestry of rice paddies and jungle valleys.
Pull up a chair in any café in town and you could be sitting sit next to a corporate executive on career break, a scriptwriter scrawling their next screenplay, or maybe an online marketer doing the virtual hustle.
It’s where I first met Brian Johnson, modern day Philosopher and everyday entrepreneur. He was on a year-long sabbatical creating his online learning program, Philosophers Notes.
He arrived a month earlier with two suitcases full of the best spiritual, philosophical, and personal development literature from the past 2000 years.
Johnson had just cashed out of Zaadz, one of the first online social platforms in the early days of web 2.0 and told me, “A philosopher is someone who is passionate about how to live and I couldn’t imagine anything cooler than that”.
Philosophers Notes became little gems of wisdom, like “Cliff Notes” for personal growth. And today, over 100,000 people have signed up for the downloadable PDF and MP3 shortcuts on the path to enlightenment.
Brian has built a brand on the idea that, “We can all be lovers of wisdom”. He has done that with the kind of enthusiasm that just makes you want to give him a big hug.
And with endorsements from folks like Whole Foods Founder, John Mackey, and Conscious Capitalism exec, Jeff Klein, – it makes good business sense too.
“The data shows – the more conscious the business – the more profitable it is” He said. This validates my experience working with organisations, governments, and businesses around the world. Personal growth has emerged as the key performance indicator for professional development.
Johnson is so dedicated to his philosophy that he even compensates his employees for regular meditation practice, fun exercise workouts and green juice for afternoon tea.
“Everyone wants that ultimate need met – to self actualise – and that’s where our business plays”, he says. His statement hits me as truth and it’s as though I am playing the funnest game in the world with him and it’s my turn. The best part about Brian Johnson is that there are no guru airs and graces, no pretence, no pitch.
He’s just a regular guy helping folks design an extraordinary life and making the world a better place in the process.
I was convinced that his secret to success had to include magic or supernatural powers but, when I dug deeper Johnson kept coming back to these simple fundamentals:
- Exercise
- Eat well
- Train your attention – meditate
You might think there’s more to it, you might have heard it all before, but Brian, as uncomplicated as a Bali rice paddie, distils 2000 years of wisdom down to these daily practices.
I mean, isn’t that what a philosopher does?
Many of us are notorious for overcomplicating things and we think in our relentless drive for results, the work will get done. But Johnson lives from a different perspective, “It’s an inside job” he says with the heartiest of giggles.
He uses his core principles of exercise, eating well, and meditation to get super-natural results. “Even 1 minute meditation a day and I find my ability to put my attention where I want it, when I want it, to be greatly enhanced.”
I felt a pang of guilt with the realisation of this simple truth. I’m always in reaction mode, putting out fires, building businesses, as the day wears on, even meditation get shunted down the to-do list.
But Johnson reminds me, “These fundamentals are non-negotiable if you want to show up and deal with all the emotional trigger points that happen every day”. He explained his meditations as a process of emptying his mind rather than filling it up. Then, the vision, idea, or right decision becomes clear.
When I asked Johnson what he would say to the Brian Johnson of ten years ago he said, “Stick with your fundamentals, and trust yourself. Trust yourself”
You could be mistaken for thinking he has taken a piece of Bali home in his heart with his cool, calm presence. It’s inspiring to realise that there is no airy-fairy fluff here, at the end of the day he is a successful entrepreneur.
These days, Johnson is Philosopher-in-Chief of the En*Theos Academy which hosts online conferences and digital learning portals designed for you to become your best self.
Johnson along with thought leaders across the world of personal growth and ‘conscious business’, share their everyday wisdom and slap it smack in the middle of your “reason for being”. This gives us all an opportunity to use personal development to change the way business is done.
“Ask yourself, what is my ‘business footprint’? What is it’s impact? And, is it beyond a purely economic return?” He poses these crucial reflective questions as a reminder to look beyond the dollar.
And this is where it gets personal again, “Our consciousness is our business’ most valuable asset, and so is the consciousness of our team members.” This is why meditating and caring for yourself not only allows you to care for others, but also, allows you to focus on the greater purpose of your business.
While we all may be tempted to learn Brian’s exact recipe for workout routines, green juice recipes and meditation techniques, this process is more about creating rituals with your own consistent fundamentals – your own sacred ceremony just like they do in Bali.
Imagine that, pulling up a seat in a café in Ubud, and sitting down to write your own philosophers notes.
This post first appeared in Aspire Magazine.
