The Elevator: What Longevity Obsessive Bryan Johnson is Really Teaching Us
The Elevator: What Longevity Obsessive Bryan Johnson is Really Teaching Us
It’s interesting to me to see the juxtaposition between someone here in LA spending $2M on extreme dedication to their health, and then someone in Greece spending $0 and not even thinking about it.
Hey and welcome to The Elevator from David Sherry – on here I help entrepreneurs discover the services, ideas, and products that help them see the bigger picture of creating a unique life and business.
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By now, you’ve probably seen longevity-obsessed Bryan Johnson with his project “Blueprint.” He’s the most studied individual in the world when it comes to longevity. A few examples of the extremes he’s going to…
Spends $2M a year on tracking every organ/aspect of his body to determine the rate of aging for every part of his body
Reversed his “biological” age by ~7 years.
Has a roughly 100% sleep score on his whoop (extremely difficult to achieve).
Was receiving plasma blood donations from his son.
He’s controversial because he is so dogmatic. He doesn’t take days off. Such extreme lengths have brought blowback. Lots of people like to say mean things about him.
But what is Bryan teaching us, outside of aging?
“What if being healthy was your #1 Goal?”
I think for entrepreneurs (of which by the way, Bryan was the founder of Venmo/Braintree and exited for $800miillion) it’s easy for health to become secondary. Work becomes so all-consuming that your health takes a back seat. Sleep can be out of wack. Stress is high. It’s tough to find the time to get to the gym the way you used to.
I think what we’re learning from Bryan is not so much the specifics of a healthy routine we should all follow, rather we’re seeing what someone making health their #1 priority, truly, looks like.
Here’s a nice clip of Kamal Ravikant on the topic:
Watch on Twitter or Watch on Airchat
Why do we need to put such a focus on our health?
We shouldn’t need to make health our number one goal.
But in a culture where so much of our lives is disruptive to our health, it becomes necessary. Ironically, modern life has extended our life span, but not our health span, that is more people than ever are struggling with their health despite our abundant, technologically advanced world.
In the Book, “Young Forever,” Mark Hyman writes a book about best practices for health and longevity. Ironically, you learn that longevity needs no devices, tracking, doctors, or workout plans when it comes to certain parts of the world.
You will learn about people in Sardinia, often 90-100 years old who are perfectly healthy without ever considering their health and longevity. While luck and genetics are a factor, how they live is enough. Walking, often up and down hills. Growing their food. Living a simple life around the community.
It’s interesting to me to see the juxtaposition…
Someone here in LA spending $2M on extreme dedication to their health, and then someone in Greece spending $0 and not even thinking about it. I imagine both will have similar health outcomes. It will be interesting to see. This isn’t a knock on Bryan Johnson at all. And I recognize that his purpose goes beyond his own healthy life, that it’s a mission and exploration. He’s running an experiment that we all benefit from.
I fall into the camp of healthy living for a full healthspan, without being attached to living forever or wanting to eliminate death. Making health your number one priority is an interesting frame to consider, especially if you’ve ever had experiences where you lost your good health, it’s incredibly destabilizing.
What if your health and well-being were your #1 goal? How would that change how you work, and prioritize work?
Book: Young Forever, Mark Hyman, MD
“Dr. Mark Hyman presents the definitive guide to reversing disease, easing pain, and living younger longer that “will revolutionize how we approach aging” – Jay Shetty
Book: How Not to Die, Michael Greger, MD
“This book may help those who are susceptible to illnesses that can be prevented.”
—His Holiness the Dalai Lama
Petra Segreta Resort – Sardinia
The resort, nestled on 12 scenic acres of verdant forest, has 25 rooms and suites set in traditional Sardinian stone houses with private patios and modern interiors.
Coming Soon: Bryan Johnson’s new line of longevity products
Unique blends of vegetables and supplements battle-tested by a human guinea pig.
Available sometime in 2024.
Rooftop: Look deeper underneath the extreme
I’ve learned to not bet against “life-changing” movements where people are deeply passionate about them. Investment into this category will only increase as will mindshare. In this process, extremes can sometimes become norms. And the deeper reasons for the extremism are equally interesting. The extremes shift the center towards a new pole.
Practically I think many of us would be best served at incremental shifts; hiring a dietician or finding a trainer.
This is the time of year for resolutions, so maybe making health a higher priority on your list could be a good step…
Show me / ask-
What lesser-known products, services, or ideas have most improved your lifestyle as an entrepreneur? Please share with me as I’d love to explore further and potentially share here to help it get more visibility.
As always lmk what you think or how else I can help,
xx David
I’m David Sherry, founder of Death to Stock, and partner to 15+ Modern Founders & CEOs with a new vision for how we build companies. X, Instagram, Tiktok, Linkedin.
