An Excellent Wknd [25.49]
Some thoughts on putting first things first
Hello, hi, 👋
Greetings from the frozen tundra known as Maine. Here’s hoping you stay warm this weekend.
Let’s get into it.
WHAT IF HEALTH WAS YOUR ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE
Most of us organize our lives around work. Around status. Around what we think we’re supposed to be chasing.
We build our days around when we work. We squeeze health into the gaps. We fit in the workout if there’s time. We eat well when it’s convenient. We sleep when the work is done.
Then we wonder why we’re tired. Why we don’t have vitality. Why we feel like we’re always running but never arriving.
Here’s a different question: What if you flipped it?
What if health was your organizing principle and everything else fit around it? What if you built your schedule around when you train, when you sleep, when you eat well? What if work was the thing that squeezed into the gaps?
This isn’t about working less or sacrificing your career. It’s about working differently. It’s about recognizing that your capacity to do meaningful work depends entirely on the foundation you’re building.
When health is your organizing principle, decisions get easier. “Should I stay late or go to the gym?” becomes simple. “Should I skip breakfast or wake up 20 minutes earlier?” has a clear answer. “Should I say yes to this dinner invitation or protect my sleep?” isn’t really a question.
We’ve been taught that success requires sacrifice. That you have to choose between health and achievement. That prioritizing yourself is selfish.
But here’s what we’ve learned: the people doing the most meaningful work, creating the most impact, and building lives they actually want to live aren’t sacrificing health for success. They’re building success on the foundation of health.
They’ve made peace with being different. With making choices that don’t make sense to people who organize their lives around other things.
The question isn’t whether you value health. Everyone values health. The question is whether you organize your life around it.
Because what you organize around is what you actually prioritize. Everything else is just stuff you wish you cared about.
Introducing Momentous Creatine Chews: Pure Creapure® creatine in delicious lemon-lime chewable tablets.
No powder, no mixing - just 5+ chews daily for strength, muscle growth, and cognitive performance.
NSF Certified for Sport® with zero fillers or artificial ingredients.
🎧 Your Kids Are Watching: A Guide to Modeling Healthy Habits
Bringing together six powerful conversations on parenting — from applying the Five Factors to family life, to helping kids navigate adversity, to designing environments where healthy choices happen naturally.
🎧 Chase Club Q&A: How can I create a more trusting relationship with my son?
Ben and Patrick answer a parent’s question about building trust and connection with their child.
❤️🔥 The Daily Chase
Brief, focused essays delivered each weekday morning to Chase Club members.
#151: The Worried Well
#154: The Lone Wolf Dies
On Tuesday, we’re bringing back one of our most important episodes of the year. We’re combining two foundational conversations — one about the complete roadmap from daily habits to peace of mind, and one about why the people around you might be the single most important factor in whether you actually get there.
It’s both the map and the crew you need for 2026.
Until then, keep on chasing.
🤙🏼 Patrick
PS, I forgot to add this to our last edition, but Jamison put a bit more work into the short manifesto we talked about a few weeks ago, and you can read it for free right here. Highly recommend as a pairing to the episode.
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 & the ChaseTracker app.
Grabbing one of our books: Chasing Excellence, Unlocking Potential, or The ABCs of Being Happy & Healthy.
Supporting one of our fantastic show sponsors.