Hello, hi, 👋
Happy Saturday, my friends.
The big news of the week, in case you missed it, is that we just launched a new app - the ChaseTracker - exclusive to our Chase Club members. You can learn more about it here!
Let’s get into everything else 👇🏼
❤️🔥 THE DOPAMINE TRAP
Daily Chase #111
We’ve moved from entertainment to addiction, and most people haven’t noticed.
The shift happened gradually. First, we had slow traditional culture - albums instead of tracks, courtship instead of hookups, newspapers instead of clickbait. Then came fast modern culture - everything sped up but still had substance.
As the writer Ted Gioia has written, we now live in dopamine culture.
We don’t watch sports, we gamble on them. We don’t listen to songs, we scroll through six-second clips. We don’t date people, we swipe through profiles like slot machine handles.
The companies behind this aren’t evil - they’re economic.
Facebook started as a way to connect with friends. Instagram began as photo sharing. But somewhere along the way, the algorithms learned something powerful: addiction is more profitable than entertainment.
Think about how you use these platforms now.
You’re not entertained - you’re compulsive. You swipe not because you’re enjoying what you see, but because you can’t stop swiping. Like a gambler pulling the slot machine lever, you’re chasing the next hit of dopamine.
These attention cartels have figured out how to hack your brain more effectively than any substance ever created. Their drug is legal, celebrated, and considered essential for modern life.
They don’t care if you’re fulfilled, educated, or connected to real people. They care about keeping your eyeballs on their screen because that’s how they get paid.
The first step in escaping a trap is recognizing you’re in one.
When you mindlessly pick up your phone and start scrolling, that’s the moment to pause. Ask yourself: Am I choosing to be here, or is something else choosing for me?
Your attention is your most valuable resource. Don’t let someone else own it.
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🗓️ THIS WEEK
What we put out into the world over the last 7 days.
The Default is Decline: How Performance Medicine Builds Resilience Before You Need It
Talking about a radically different approach to health with Dr. Rich Joseph — instead of waiting for disease to strike, Performance Medicine builds resilience before you need it.
The Knowledge-Action Gap: How to Stop Consuming & Start Living What You Know
Breaking free from knowing and starting to do with a practical system for consistent action.
The Daily Chase
Brief, focused essays delivered each weekday morning to Chase Club members.
On Tuesday, Ben and I sit down with Robert Glazer to explore one of the most important questions you’ll ever face: how do you know if you should quit your job, leave your partner, or sell your house?
Robert walks us through the practical process of discovering your core values - not vague one-word platitudes, but actionable phrases that actually help you make life’s biggest decisions.
Until then, keep on chasing.
🤙🏼 Patrick
Chasing Excellence is an audience-supported project. To go deeper & to help us do even more, consider:
Subscribing to get our free posts or upgrading to receive the Daily Chase posts & our new app.
Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.
Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors.