The Drop №. 103 with Chase Hobby

VRB’s weekly list of things to read, watch, listen to, and try that have helped us live better and be better. Brought to you this week by Chase Hobby.

the Paradox of American Freedom

Listen to the Paradox of American Freedom podcast with Sebastian Junger. Junger discusses the paradox of freedom - in America and as a person. Implied in our concept of freedom is both duty and responsibility. As one grows older, the personal definitions of freedom change. This is a thought-provoking discussion from one of the great writers of our time. Give it a go.

The Role and Function of Dopamine

Watch this clip titled ‘The Role and Function of Dopamine.’ This clip, taken from Jocko Podcast, features Dr. Andrew Huberman covering all things Dopamine, the molecule of motivation, pursuit, and desire. If we can manage our dopamine release and baselines we’ll improve our ability to get stuff done and, more importantly, improve our ability to choose to do the things that help us to live healthy lives.

The Confident Mind

Read The Confident Mind. Confidence can be developed through practice. Wait, that doesn’t sound right. You’re either born with it or you’re not, right? Wrong. Dr. Zinsser’s book, The Confident Mind: A Battle-Tested Guide to Unshakable Performance, explains the what, why, and how of developing confidence incredibly clearly. Zinsser is the Director of the Performance Psychology Program at West Point and has mentored numerous Olympians and professional athletes. The guy knows what he’s talking about.

Personal info opt out

Try Permission Slip. If you want companies to stop selling your personal information, install this app, called Permission Slip, from Consumer Reports. It automates the task of sending out email requests to companies that sell information it collects about you to data brokers. In minutes, the app sent out 18 requests on my behalf. The app’s data dashboard said it handled 54 emails and saved me 36 hours.