Summary
- A Second Brain is like an organism. I’ve decided to give my Second Brain the perfect name: Nosnorb Kroy.
- Now that I’ve personified my Second Brain, I feel more compelled to nurture it with care and diligence.
- The cohort starts soon, so I’m making final preparations including a two-part framework of approaching how to learn BASB as effectively as possible: theory and practice.
Taking the Red Pill - Why I Joined BASB (”Joining BASB” Series - Pt. 1 of 4)
Framing the BASB Experience - A Spiritual Retreat (”Joining BASB” Series - Pt. 4 of 4)
I originally wrote these articles in August 2020 for Cohort 11, then revisited and revised them in August 2022 with the launch of Two Brains One Heart.
The very first time I heard the phase "Building a Second Brain", I immediately thought of Frankenstein. I imagined a mad scientist with his head down in a contraption-filled laboratory.
I eventually came to learn that "Building a Second Brain" was much less ominous and painstaking and much more noble and joyful. I also have come to learn that viewing the Second Brain as an "organic organism" is appropriate, as Tiago so clearly communicates in this video:
(Side note: I added this video 12 days into the course and after I drafted this article. I saw the video in a Q&A archive. This is an example of the creative evolution and growth of an idea/note/article over time)
Say Hello: Nosnorb Kroy
Several years ago, I did a deep dive into learning about Walt Disney the man who built one of the world’s most beloved brands we all know as Disney. In the book "How To Be Like Walt", I discovered a fun fact: Walt Disney would use the backward spelling of his name “Retlaw Elias Yensid” or “Retlaw Yensid, for example in the movie “Fantasia”, the sorcerer's name is “Yen Sid”.
Ever since learning this, I've wanted to apply this idea for myself in something in my life. I could never find anything… until now!
"Nosnorb Kroy", or "Bronson York (my middle name)" spelled backwards, will be the name of my Second Brain. I think giving my Second Brain it's own name brings fun and levity through a powerful personification to the sometimes serious and abstract idea of a Second Brain: "an external, centralized, digital repository for the things you learn and the resources from which they come." I encourage you to come up with a name for yours too!
Giving Nosnorb Kroy My All
Nosnorb Kroy will not be like the villainous Frankenstein or Yen Sid (unless something goes terribly wrong in my experiment... in which case I'm going to blame Tiago and demand a full refund! 😆). Nosnorb Kroy will be my trustworthy BFF and empowering partner-in-good. Together, Bronson Chang (my first brain) and Nosnorb Kroy (my second brain) will bring Pure Aloha to the world!
As Tiago shares, effectively Building a Second Brain is not just fun and games nor easy work. It's hard and it takes commitment of time and energy. I liked hearing this because it sets the right expectations. It's also an indicator of how valuable it is because as they say, "Nothing worthwhile in life comes easy".
How to Get There: Putting in the Time and Effort during BASB 11
I am mentally and logistically preparing for the journey of BASB 11. Here is how I generally see it going down:
- The "core curriculum" of BASB includes sessions by Tiago and sessions by Alumni Mentors, the emphasis will be on principles/theory and practice respectively.
- Solo practice time for building sweet Nosnorb Kroy and learning reflections. My focus will be on taking the new knowledge from the sessions and applying it right away. Getting my practice in on my "mental yoga mat" (credit Alumni Mentor Carrie Ben-Yisreal). Racking up the repetitions, waxing on and off.
- I've selected eight Alumni Mentors to check out during Week 1 to get a wide sampling of the Mentors and a broad sense of what I could learn from each. I'll probably cut down to just a couple or handful after the first Week, but we'll see once it's all said and done.
✴️ Note from 2022: the features of each cohort changes and evolves, if the Alumni Mentors is a key feature for you be sure to check if it is available or not.
As I coming fresh off of reading Jim Kwik’s book Limitless and completing his bookclub, this quote comes to mind:
"Knowledge is not power—it has the potential to be power, but only becomes power when you apply and use it. We want your knowledge to become results—remember: unless you apply what you’re learning, your reading will be shelf-help over self-help." -Jim Kwik, How to Turn Knowledge Into Action
