Why You Should Always Take Shortcuts

June 10, 2011 by Dave Asprey

Performance-focused people tend to be fascinated with doing things better. On the east coast, they call that taking “shortcuts.” In Silicon Valley, they’re “hacks.” No matter what you like to call them–shortcuts, hacks, unfair advantages, outside-the-box insights, cheating, or tool, (as long as it doesn’t sacrifice quality, or hurt others) there’s a certain elegance in doing something in a way that’s just plain better and more efficient.

No matter the task – be it winning a game, earning top grades, making money, solving a health problem, improving your physique, or intelligence, there’s always extra joy and a net benefit in meeting goals with new kinds of hacks.

When it comes to hacking, the friends who accuse you of cheating are the most important, because you can measure how good your hack is by how many people say it’s not fair.

Hacking a problem is nothing more than solving it faster, or with less effort. Many of the best inventions are improvements upon existing products.

Accomplishing something via hacking is rewarding because you exceed your own expectations, which came about from being conditioned to conventional norms. Learning to hack your life is the process of evaluating “conventional wisdom,” finding new ways to do things, and measuring the results. As you’ve read on The Bulletproof® Executive, there are many tools and methods for quantifying your results to find out what works, and what doesn’t.

When I began The Bulletproof® Executive blog, I embraced the notion of hacking as a vital part of being a thinking entrepreneur. When I come across a conventional approach to a problem, my first thought is, “How can I hack it?” Herd behavior leads to being average. Creative thinking makes you exceptional! This mindset empowers you to solve problems like how to upgrading your mental performance, how to get into better shape, how to be more business savvy.

I am always excited to try new supplements, new technology, and new processes that improve my life. When I find great information, I will make sure and share it with you on the blog!

USDA MyFoodPlate.gov scam vs. The Bulletproof Diet

June 8, 2011 by Dave Asprey

I got quoted http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/china-rejects-google-allegation-of-mas… this morning in the Washington Post about the most recent hacking of Google users, but my eye was drawn to a much worse abomination printed next to my quote: the new USDA dietary recommendations, obviously designed to prioritize agricultural economics over human health.

In fact, that’s not strong enough language. Words like negligence, ignorance, or just plain evil come to mind, and after completing 40 years of Zen meditation in 7 days, and being a practicing Heart Math executive coach, I’m not usually drawn to that line of thinking. But this really is that bad. After spending more than 10 years perfecting the Bulletproof Diet and modifying it for fertility and pregnancy health in “The Better Baby Book,” I was able to show it in one (long) screen, with enough detail to be useful. [Read more…] about USDA MyFoodPlate.gov scam vs. The Bulletproof Diet

Bulletproof is Real – How I Hacked My Health & Brain

June 2, 2011 by Dave Asprey

I began hacking my metabolism in 1992 and eventually used complex system engineering techniques to upgrade my own biology, losing 100 lbs, turbocharging my immune system, upgrading my brain, becoming an expert in nutrition, and achieving an amazing physique that doesn’t even require exercise to maintain. I learned that if I managed my energy levels, I performed better in the office, I was a better father and husband, a better leader, and I was happier. I had the power to do – and be – more.

Being bulletproof doesn’t mean I’m indestructable – it means I know my limits but focus on constant improvement and efficiency so that I can transcend them.

Here’s a small sampling of how I hacked my health and mental performance:

I lost 100lbs and have kept it off for more than a dozen years…without dieting…and without needing exercise to do it.
I went from being in the high risk category for stroke, heart attack, and diabetes at age 30 to being in the lowest possible risk categories as quantitatively measured by my world-class anti-aging physician. See where the picture below says, “High risk of stroke/MI?” MI means “myocardial infarction” or heart attack.

I added 12 points to my IQ using an $11 million custom EEG setup & a dozen more with other techniques.
In one week, I learned to reach an Advanced Zen state that traditionally takes 21-40 years of daily practice.
I can sleep 5 hours a night for months on end and perform at my best
I rejuvenated my knees – arthritic since age 14 after 3 surgeries – to the point I could do high altitude mountaineering in Nepal and Tibet.
I even gained so much flexibility through my program that I can put my feet behind my head…and I haven’t stretched or taken regular yoga classes in 2 years.

Look what it did for my career…and I have years to go before I’m 40:

In 1992 at age 19, I started my first company from a dorm room, one of the first 2 companies to sell anything online. Entrepreneur Magazine and dozens of other publications featured stories on me.
I made my first million at age 26 as an executive for a publicly traded $36 billion company, while simultaneously teaching dozens of classes for the University of California.
I got my MBA from Wharton while working full time for a startup that sold for more than $500 million.
I invented two early cloud computing services, before we even called it cloud computing, and played a hand in the emergence of two network industries, WAN optimization and Load Balancing.
I owned strategic planning for two public companies with more than $1 billion in revenue
I worked as an Entrepreneur in Residence for a leading venture capital firm, and I’m an advisor to several more.
My writing has been published by the New York Times, Fortune, and Salon.com.
I was on IBM’s advisory board and I’m a sought-after advisor to startups looking for venture backing.
I was elected President of Smart Life Forum, an 18-year-old nonprofit that works with top anti-aging physicians to share their knowledge
I am about to publish my first book about how to make higher-IQ babies starting in the womb.

This is all true and verifiable even if it sounds like too much in too little time. I’m sharing this because I want you to believe this kind of performance is possible for you too.

My photo from the 1999 UC Santa Cruz Course Catalog:

Why I Do This

June 2, 2011 by Dave Asprey

This info is here:

Because I’m happier when I get to help people.

Because it took nearly 20 years and $250k to learn how to do things that aren’t supposed to be possible and then to use them to be a better entrepreneur, husband, and father. Things like how to upgrade my brain (12 IQ points!), get lean quickly (after weighing 300 lbs 15 years ago), have more energy, or just give a press conference in 4 different countries in 4 days without getting sick.

Because David Pottruck, the ex-CEO of Charles Schwab, shared with me at Wharton Business School that one of the biggest reasons for his rapid career growth was that he paid close attention to his own internal reactions and behaviors. And because Stew Friedman, author of Total Leadership, pushed me to think about how I could gain even more efficiency by choosing activities that met multiple needs simultaneously.

Because I’ve spent years helping hundreds of people be better entrepreneurs and executives by showing them how to naturally perform better at work and at home, and how to hack themselves. People like VCs, CEOs, and senior executives from government agencies, startups, and large companies.

Because when I was 30, doctors told me I was going to die of a heart attack or stroke, but now I have the lowest possible risk.

Because no matter how many lunches I have with friends seeking advice on how to perform better in less time, no matter how many calls I take from people who need what I know, or how many Smart Life Forum meetings I moderate, or how many books about increasing your baby’s IQ I write, I’m only helping a tiny fraction of the people who want to learn how they can be happy and successful while doing more than they think they can do, and even make it look easy.

I’ve spent more than 2 decades hacking my biology to get an advantage in business and enhance my family life. I will show you what works best – in the least amount of time – and what doesn’t work at all, even if it’s supposed to. I shouldn’t have had to waste so much time and energy learning this stuff. It’s our birthright.

Most people go on normal vacations to places like Hawaii, which is always relaxing in its own pre-packaged way. But as a Bulletproof Executive, I tend to go out of my way to have fun, to see what I am capable of, and to learn to do more. That’s why I tend to favor high mountains in Nepal and Tibet, shamans in Peru, mountains in Ecuador, brain hacking retreats in Canada or Arizona, Buddhist meditation, fasting in caves in the desert, and James Bond-style spy classes in LA.

Bulletproof Mind

June 2, 2011 by Dave Asprey

Our minds are capable of incredible things when they’re trained. After years of abusing mine with bad food, poor sleep, and lack of training, mine didn’t look so good. This custom $4,000 SPECT scan, taken before I embarked on Bulletproofing my brain, shows areas where my brain isn’t working as well as it should. Seeing the red made me very motivated to upgrade my brain!

I’ve since added at least 20 IQ points and trained my mind to do all sorts of things it couldn’t do before. I used these techniques and more to Bulletproof my brain. I’ll blog about them in more detail over the coming months so you can tell which ones are worth doing for you.

Brain hacking techniques that work – EEG, sound, electricity and more
Brain training exercises that actually help
Smart drugs in the workplace
Brain nutrition
Audio & visual neural improvements
Breathing and meditation for executives

Here’s a picture of one of my brain hacking sessions!

Bulletproof: The State of High Performance

June 2, 2011 by Dave Asprey

Join half a million people who follow Bulletproof – the number one resource for how to supercharge your body, upgrade your brain, and be Bulletproof.

What Is Bulletproof?

Discover how to upgrade your body and your mind using the proven Bulletproof® blueprint to enter your state of high performance every single day. And it’s easier than it sounds. Simple tricks like upgrading your cup of coffee, sleeping smarter, all the way to consciously controlling your brainwaves, are possible with the right information. You can think faster, have limitless focus and energy, laugh at food cravings, and…

No matter who you are, you can get even better. Belonging to a community of people who care as much about personal performance as you do will make your performance better, and it’s even easier to win when you have expert guidance from someone who walks the path of peak performance with senior executives around the globe, and shares the map. For free.

Bulletproof (adj.): The state of high performance, resilience and vibrant health where your body, mind, and life work together in unison, providing performance beyond what you’d expect.

Biohacking (verb, noun):
(v): To change the environment outside of you and inside of you so you have full control of your biology, allowing you to upgrade your body, mind, and your life.
(n) The art and science of becoming superhuman

If you’re a new reader, welcome! Read more here.

Why Do I Do This?

My name is Dave Asprey, and I’m the founder of Bulletproof. I do this because I’m happier when I get to help people, and because it took nearly 20 years and $300,000 to learn how to do things that aren’t supposed to be possible and then to use them to be a better entrepreneur, husband, and father. Things like how to upgrade my brain (12 IQ points), get lean quickly (after weighing 300 lbs 15 years ago), have more energy, or just give a press conference in 4 different countries in 4 days without getting sick.

If you’d like to take this journey with me, and upgrade your performance in every aspect of life, then please sign up for my email newsletter. You’ll gain instant access to my Biohacker Toolbox, including a copy of The Bulletproof Diet; which I used to go from a tired 300 pound young adult, to a lean, high-performing VP, coach, and father.

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Why You Should Always Take Shortcuts

What Is Bulletproof?

Why Do I Do This?

Get on “The Inside Track” with Dave

See What Trouble Dave’s Getting Into on Social

Start hacking your way to better than standard performance and results.

Get on
“The Inside Track”
with Dave