
Show Notes
Hard things don't get easier when we pretend they aren't hard — they get easier when we stop wishing they were different. In this solo 5x5, Ben answers one listener question from each of the five factors: dealing with a chaotic home situation with a napping toddler, chasing a federal special agent fitness standard, eating clean on the road, deciding whether to have more kids in your 40s, and navigating a child's fear of the dark. Acceptance is not approval. When we stop spending energy wishing our circumstances were different, we free that energy for actual solutions. That's the thread running through all five questions — and the foundational move of the Awareness → Intention → Action cycle. 🖐 We love your questions! 👉🏼 Get the full Listener's Guide here ❤️🔥 Free Newsletter & the Chase Club 👋 New to Chasing Excellence? Start here
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
More from Chasing Excellence
We're revisiting the difference between doing health and being healthy - the gap between the supplements, gadgets, and biohacks we chase and the simple, sustainable fundamentals that actually move the needle. By naming that distraction out loud, we build awareness around what's essential versus what's just noise, intention around sleep, food, training, mindset, and relationships, and action that turns a few degrees of change into a completely different life - one built on health, happiness, and purpose instead of drift, dissatisfaction, and disease. Keep Going 🐾 Start your Free Trial of the ChaseTracker App ❤️🔥 Free Newsletter & the Chase Club Reach Out ✋🏼 What questions do you have for us? 📧 Got feedback? Send Patrick an email. About the Hosts Patrick Cummings is the author of two kids’ books and has been building and making things inside the health and fitness world for two decades. Find him on Instagram. Ben Bergeron is the founder of CompTrain, a longtime gym owner and coach, and the author of the bestselling book, Chasing Excellence. Find him on Instagram. About the Show Chasing Excellence is a show dedicated to the daily pursuit of health, happiness, and living with our hearts on fire. Episodes drop Monday through Friday.
We're talking about Greg McKeown’s concept of Essentialism, exploring how choosing one clear focus over a dozen scattered priorities creates outsized results. Trade-offs aren't something to escape — they're how we build awareness of what matters most, set intention around where our limited energy goes, and take action that compounds instead of dilutes. This isn't about emptying the calendar or chasing balance for its own sake - it's about filling our days with the few things we're truly unwilling to sacrifice, on the way to a life of health, happiness, and a heart that's on fire. 🎯 Learn more about our Focus Challenge here! Keep Going 🐾 Start your Free Trial of the ChaseTracker App ❤️🔥 Free Newsletter & the Chase Club Reach Out ✋🏼 What questions do you have for us? 💬 Got feedback? Send Patrick a DM. About the Hosts Patrick Cummings is the author of two kids' books and has been building and making things inside the health and fitness world for two decades. Find him on Instagram. Ben Bergeron is the founder of CompTrain, a longtime gym owner and coach, and the author of the bestselling book, Chasing Excellence. Find him on Instagram. About the Show Chasing Excellence is a show dedicated to the daily pursuit of health, happiness, and living with our hearts on fire. Episodes drop Monday through Friday.
We're revisiting a conversation with best-selling author Cal Newport on cognitive health and exploring what happens when we treat our attention like an all-you-can-eat buffet of ultra-processed content. We build awareness around the gap between casual scrolling and true cognitive exercise, intention around cutting out what Cal calls "ultra-processed content," and action toward deep reading and focused thinking that build a life of health, happiness, and purpose - instead of the drift and mental fatigue that comes from consuming whatever the algorithm serves up. 🎯 Learn more about our Focus Challenge here! Keep Going 🐾 Start your Free Trial of the ChaseTracker App ❤️🔥 Free Newsletter & the Chase Club Reach Out ✋🏼 What questions do you have for us? 💬Got feedback? Send Patrick a DM. About the Hosts Patrick Cummings is the author of two kids' books and has been building and making things inside the health and fitness world for two decades. Find him on Instagram. Ben Bergeron is the founder of CompTrain, a longtime gym owner and coach, and the author of the bestselling book, Chasing Excellence. Find him on Instagram. About the Show Chasing Excellence is a show dedicated to the daily pursuit of health, happiness, and living with our hearts on fire. Episodes drop Monday through Friday.
We're exploring why counting how many times we pick up our phone each day matters more than tracking total screen time. By paying attention to that one number — and setting a realistic weekly limit instead of chasing zero — we build awareness of where our time, energy, attention, and money actually go, and we take action toward investing our focus in a life of health, happiness, and purpose, rather than letting it drift away one pickup at a time. 🎯 Learn more about our Focus Challenge here! Keep Going 🐾 Start your Free Trial of the ChaseTracker App ❤️🔥 Free Newsletter & the Chase Club Reach Out ✋🏼 What questions do you have for us? 💬 Got feedback? Send Patrick a DM. About the Hosts Patrick Cummings is the author of two kids' books and has been building and making things inside the health and fitness world for two decades. Find him on Instagram. Ben Bergeron is the founder of CompTrain, a longtime gym owner and coach, and the author of the bestselling book, Chasing Excellence. Find him on Instagram. About the Show Chasing Excellence is a show dedicated to the daily pursuit of health, happiness, and living with our hearts on fire. Episodes drop Monday through Friday.
We're talking with installation artist Christina Watka, to explore the quiet practice of noticing — meeting life as it is, without judgment, right in the middle of the noise and chaos of raising young kids. Noticing sharpens our awareness of what's actually in front of us, builds the intention to slow down instead of letting ego fill the silence, and moves us toward action rooted in presence rather than distraction - away from the drift of rushing past our own lives. 🎯 Learn more about our Focus Challenge here! Keep Going 🐾 Start your Free Trial of the ChaseTracker App ❤️🔥 Free Newsletter & the Chase Club Reach Out ✋🏼 What questions do you have for us? 💬 Got feedback? Send Patrick a DM. About the Hosts Patrick Cummings is the author of two kids' books and has been building and making things inside the health and fitness world for two decades. Find him on Instagram. Ben Bergeron is the founder of CompTrain, a longtime gym owner and coach, and the author of the bestselling book, Chasing Excellence. Find him on Instagram. About the Show Chasing Excellence is a show dedicated to the daily pursuit of health, happiness, and living with our hearts on fire. Episodes drop Monday through Friday.