The Drop №. 82 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.

"B” Movie Box Car Blues

Listen to this live version of “B” Movie Box Car Blues by The Blues Brothers. Headed up by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, the Blues Brothers were initially conceived of as the subjects of a Saturday Night Live skit. After a few rehearsals, it turned out these guys could play. Give this one a listen, and you’ll hear why the Blues Brothers became quick legends.

Grizzly Man

Watch Grizzly Man. This doc by Werner Herzog has been recommended to me for over a decade. It’s a journey through the twilight mixture of beauty and madness. Not for the faint of heart. Description: “A devastating yet enlightening look at the grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among the endangered beasts in Alaska.” At a minimum, watch the trailer here.

The Lessons of History

Read this profound work of History and Philosophy. The Lessons of History is a concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind. Pulitzer Prize-winning historians Will and Ariel Durant take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the themes of history and help to give meaning to the forces affecting us today. If current events over the last handful of years feel unprecedented and particularly terrible, read this book.

Morning Pages

Try this form of journaling. Try incorporating Morning Pages - three pages of stream-of-consciousness journaling done first thing every morning - into your morning routine. This type of journaling is a cathartic, ritualistic writing process that clears your mind, builds confidence, and creates a path for greater creativity. I’ve been doing 2-3 pages every morning for almost a year and have seen very real benefits, including an increased overall sense of well-being, decreased anxiety, along with, in a lot of cases, a shortened and more efficient decision cycle on hard problems. Turns out that sitting and writing about problems forces you to think clearly about the drivers, consequences, and potential solutions.