Summary
Joe presents a framework for measuring transformational progress across three “brains”: the cognitive (prefrontal cortex), the emotional (heart), and the nervous system (gut). He emphasizes that measurement should serve as a map, not a tool for self-criticism.
For the cognitive brain, progress is measured by the expansion of one’s sense of time and sense of self — from narrow and personal to universal, eventually collapsing into pure presence. For the emotional brain, progress is measured by emotional fluidity — the capacity to feel and express all emotions without reactivity, which naturally produces more joy. For the nervous system, progress is measured by one’s capacity to receive and enjoy pleasure, which signals safety to the body.
Joe frames the entire measurement process with a caveat: the endpoint dissolves the very concepts of “better/worse” and the self that’s being measured. The journey isn’t about becoming a better person — it’s about recognizing what’s already here.
Key Concepts
- Transformation is measured across three brains: head, heart, and gut
- The sense of self expands from personal to universal, then dissolves
- Pleasure capacity signals nervous system safety
Key Quotes
“Some people will use a measurement tool to beat themselves up. I’m not there yet, I haven’t done it yet. Incredibly counterproductive.”
“Joy is the matriarch of a family of emotions and she won’t come into a house where her children aren’t welcome.”
“One of the greatest definitions I’ve ever heard for pleasure is the awareness of energy moving in your body.”
“On the other side the idea of better or worse goes away, and the idea of a you that’s there to be measured starts to fade away as well.”
“At the beginning you’re like, what do you mean I can enjoy feeling sadness? What do you mean I can enjoy feeling fear? And the answer is yes.”
Transcript
hey everybody I’m Joe Hudson and today I want to talk about measuring transformation how do you measure your progress in transformation and before I even start to talk about that some people will use a measurement tool to beat themselves up I’m not there yet I haven’t done it yet I’m not high enough yet I incredibly counterproductive so if you’re going to use a measurement tool it’s more of like a map and it is not the territory right so it’s a map it’s not you’re not actually driving on the road you’re looking at a map that’s the most important thing about using any kind of measurements tool so the way I like to measure it is to say we have three brains one is a prefrontal cortex and that’s your cognitive ability that’s your Human Side then you have the emotional component which is the meleon thing where you have those the feelings and so some people would call that the heart and then you have some people would call the gut which is The Reptilian Brain which is all nervous system it’s more like in the amydala you want to measure how the progress is in each as far as measuring trans transformational progress in the head so you can look at your sense of time and you can look at your sense of self and how they develop over time and the more Universal that they become the further along on the path you are so let me give you a direct understanding of this little kid 2 years old and you say hey your birthday is in 8 months they don’t get excited but when you’re like 50 years old and you’re like retirement in 8 months you’re like oh you can feel that that excitement what happens is when you’re younger you can’t see time in long periods you see it in you get excited in a week or two and then as you get older you can get excited and think about and plan for stuff that is 2 3 4 years out the next stage would be like generational oh I’m doing something today for my grandkids and then at some point the thing implodes on itself or seemingly implodes on itself and there’s just the present similarly the same thing happens with the sense of self ask a little kid we know this cognitively say hey what do you want for Christmas they’re going to say I want a GI Joe with a Kung Fu grip and what does Mom want for Christmas GI Joe with a Kung Fu grip and what does dad want GI Joe with a Kung Fu Grip but as they get a little older they can see oh I want a GI Joe with a Kung Fu grip and dad wants a tie and Mom wants a Tesla and they can see the difference and so that sense of self starts changing sense of self that is me to family to community to tribe to nation and then it continues to grow into Humanity and they contines to grow into like the Earth right like oh I see myself as part of this entire ecosystem and to take care of myself is to take care of the ecosystem or I see myself as as this family and to take care of the family is a way to take care of myself but at some point again it implodes on you and all of a sudden you see yourself as everything everything is you and you are everything and or nothing and so the the sense of self becomes Universal on the emotional side of things are on the mamelon side of things are on the Heart level the way that you mark progress is through emotional fluidity and emotional fluidity basically means that you can feel what arises in a non reactionary way Express what arises in a non- reactionary way no matter what it is so you can feel the pain of life you can feel the sadness of life you can feel the fear the joy the excitement and the result of that the symptom of that is a lot more joy one of the same that I have is that Joy is the matriarch of a family of emotions and she won’t come into a house where her children aren’t welcome and so I work with a ton of people where I see they’ve been holding on they’ve repressed a lot of anger they move that anger and boom they feel so much more joy or they’ve repressed a lot of sadness they move the sadness boom they feel a lot more joy and so that allowing all those emotional experiences to happen is that Mark of of the heart opening up the interesting thing that happens is that as you start feeling all these things at the beginning you’re like what do you mean I I can enjoy feeling sadness what do you mean I can enjoy feeling fear and the answer is yes and because you’re not resisting them they actually feel different and a lot of the pain of the of the emotional fluidity at first is your resistance to the emotions it it becomes less like there sadness and there’s fear and there’s excitement and it becomes far more like aspects of a diamond with like slightly different tonalities to it marking the transformational process in The Reptilian Brain or the nervous system brain is All About Your Capacity to en enjoy pleasure Your Capacity to allow pleasure in one of the greatest definitions I’ve ever heard for pleasure is the awareness of energy moving in your body I would say that it’s more awareness of Sensations in your body without resistance and the more pleasure that we can feel feel the more that our nervous system thinks it’s safe if we are safe then naturally we take pleasure in being alive if you think about that moment when you were like just looking over the sunset or the wind was hitting you in that right way or you were in that great conversation you felt deeply connected there’s this experience of safety where you’re not looking for the other foot to fall you’re not looking for the punch in the face the attack that’s coming you’re not thinking you’re going to get in trouble you’re just like in this place of enjoyment and pleasure pleasure pleasure like anything is something that you learn to to to grow into as you learn to accept pleasure as you learn to feel the sensations in your body then your ability to have pleasure grows and grows and grows and it doesn’t really ever end there’s not like oh now I have maximum pleasure that’s it’s like not how it works and I don’t mean pleasure like okay now I’m going to go like have a massage and do yoga I mean like the pleasure of Right Here and Now the pleasure of a breath in so to sum it up it’s really important not to beat yourself up through the measurement process the measurement process is more of a map there’s no rush to get anywhere is you’re not going to be a better person on the other side actually on the other side the idea of Better or Worse goes away and the idea of like a you that’s there to be measured starts to fade away as well but if you are measuring yourself the three ways to do it that I highly recommend is from the human brain the cognitive prefrontal cortex the heart the emotional part of your body and through the gut all right thank you very much for watching if you are interested you’re welcome to subscribe and or just tell us what you want to hear about and that’ll give me good things to create content on