PhilosophersNotes: Why My Labrador Loves Brian Johnson

My dog loves nothing more than when I get out my Nordic skis. We joke that he wakes up every day and waits for one of us to put on the "slippery pants and long feet" so we can go play in the Breckenridge snow.

When the kids are in school, that's our lunchtime routine. By then, I need to get away from the computer and Ozzie needs to romp through the powder. It used to be that we'd stay out for an hour or so – but now I have something SO good on my iPod that we stay out much longer than that.

I have recently become a subscriber to PhilosophersNotes, and now I feel like my daily ski trips help me to re-energize not just my body, but my mind and soul as well.

PhilosophersNotes.com is a creation of Brian Johnson, who refers to himself as a Philosopher and (Professional) Student of Life. He is certainly all that - and more. He is really skilled at distilling timeless wisdom and putting it in a form that we can grasp even in the busiest of days.

Johnson describes PhilosophersNotes as mini-Cliff Notes for self development – or "concentrated wisdom for your hero's journey."

With these notes, not only are you turned on to some truly transformational philosophical works, but you have something abbreviated to come back to again and again. These are the same classics that have earned a permanent place on my own bookshelf, but Brian manages to pull out points that really resonate and then to drive them home.

He takes the 5 to 20 big ideas in each book and he distills the wisdom (in his signature style) in a 6-page pdf and a 20-minute mp3 for each title.

There are notes on some of my own favorite books – the classic, timeless wisdom - as well as some new stuff that's really fantastic. You'll find notes on everything from health & fitness to spiritual economics to following your bliss. From the wisdom of Rumi to that of Ralph Waldo Emerson. From Nietszche to Viktor Frankl to Byron Katie.

I haven't been this jazzed about something since I discovered audible.com – which offers a way to download the original unabridged (and abridged in some cases) books in mp3.

The titles chosen so far to become PhilosophersNotes are fantastic, but it's Brian Johnson's style that puts them over the top. There is a friendliness, an authenticity and an enthusiasm to his delivery (both spoken and written) that is very compelling - and inspiring in itself.

PhilosophersNotes could transform your daily chores, your workout, your carpool, or your commute.

How it works

Visit PhilosophersNotes to learn more about how to download his notes.

Brian has also collected quotes and videos that are sure to inspire you on the website. You can also subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter as well as his podcast.