An Excellent Wknd

Peace of mind, happiness, & bravery this week

Hello, hi, 👋

A big virtual hug to each of the 21 fine folks who have joined us in the last week. You complete us.

Here in the U.S., we’ve got Thanksgiving this week - so let us take this opportunity to thank each & every one of you for being here.

I read this quote in Austin Kleon’s wonderful newsletter this morning, & it struck me as close to the perfect explanation for why Ben & I keep showing up every week.

The quote is from Vincent van Gogh, writing to his brother:

“I’m concerned with the world only in that I have a certain obligation and duty, as it were — because I’ve walked the earth for 30 years — to leave a certain souvenir in the form of drawings or paintings in gratitude.”

Here’s to you, & to the chase.

Let’s get into what came out this week.

---

🎧 THIS WEEK

You can find every episode we release wherever you listen to your favorite pods. Click here for links.

[ 💭 ] Balancing Peace of Mind & Ambition

Exploring the delicate balance between ambition and peace of mind as we navigate life's transitions.

You'll gain insights into how to maintain your drive while seeking fulfillment beyond personal achievements and cultivate a deeper understanding of what it means to pursue meaningful goals that enrich both your life and the lives of others.

[ 🗣️ ] HopperTalk: Bravery, Compassion, & Infinite Happiness

Using a segment from Kelly Corrigan's TED talk and a clip of Hillel Einhorn as inspiration, we’re exploring the themes of bravery, empathy, and happiness.

You'll gain insights into engaging meaningfully in difficult conversations and the importance of focusing on what you don't want and don't have to increase happiness.

[ 📚 ] Chase Club Book Club

We had a busy week in the Book Club. We released our Chase Club exclusive episode about our biggest takeaways from reading Build the Life You Want. You can watch or listen to it here.

We’re also squeezing in one more book before the year ends, which we announced would be Oliver Burkeman’s excellent book, 4,000 Weeks.

🤔 WORTH PONDERING

Here’s one of my many highlights from 4,000 Weeks:

[T]he choice you can make is to stop believing you'll ever solve the challenge of busyness by cramming more in, because that just makes matters worse. And once you stop investing in the idea that you might one day achieve peace of mind that way, it becomes easier to find peace of mind in the present, in the midst of overwhelming demands, because you're no longer making your peace of mind dependent on dealing with all the demands. Once you stop believing that it might somehow be possible to avoid hard choices about time, it gets easier to make better ones. You begin to grasp that when there's too much to do, and there always will be, the only route to psychological freedom is to let go of the limit-denying fantasy of getting it all done and instead to focus on doing a few things that count.

👋 FEATURED SPONSOR

[ Eight Sleep ]

Transform your sleep with Eight Sleep's revolutionary Pod 4 Ultra, designed to optimize your rest through advanced temperature regulation and biometric tracking.

For a limited time (ends 12.11!), get their best deal of the year with up to $600 off when you bundle your purchase.

Don't miss out on the best sleep of your life — visit eightsleep.com/excellence

• If you want discounts for all our sponsors, visit this page.

🙋🏽‍♀️ QUESTIONS

Do you have a question you'd like us to address in a future episode? We'd love to hear it!

• Submit Your Question

---

Here’s to an excellent weekend,

🤙🏼 Patrick