I’m on a 2,000-Day Streak
Ecuador
I'm on a 2000-day streak of covering at least one human-powered mile outside, every single day, without fail.
Those are words that I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would write. When I set out to go outside every single day for 365 days straight, I knew that I was beginning a streak challenge, but I never thought that it would lead me here: to reaching the 2,000 day mark.
When I hit 1,000 days, I wrote about the power of the streak. I've written about how many times I failed before I hit the first 365 days in a row. I've written about almost every angle imaginable related to this goal (almost... but not quite all).
Today, the thought of hitting 2,000 days in a row really drives home the power of persistence. While walking one single mile or going on one single bike ride might seem insignificant, when added up and compounded over time, the persistence and relentless forward march of stacking these daily accomplishments can create something that is truly exceptional.
As I continue to beat the drum for the benefits of living a life outdoors, closely connected to nature, more and more people are joining the counter culture, flocking to the cause.
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But as more and more people add their cries to mine, others cry out in opposition. They lob their excuses at me, as if they're grenades that will somehow detonate my motivation or punch a hole in this belief system.
At the end of the day, the reality is that most people won't buy into the belief that exercising outside is a vital and necessary component of what it means to be human, of what it means to be alive. And, statistically speaking, those people will be anxious, depressed, and obese, spending their lives sitting on their couches mindlessly watching television and scrolling social media on their smartphones instead of doing the one thing that truly matters.
Exercising outside every day can solve all of those problems. It is a panacea that can cure many of the ailments that afflict the modern man. It is the ONE Thing that can make so many other problems easier or irrelevant.
And yet, so many people continue to hate on it, continue to reject this idea.
Fine, they can object. They can hate. And we—those of us who have dedicated our lives to going outside for hundreds if not thousands of days in a row—can still live beautiful, happy, healthy, vibrant lives.
It doesn't matter if they try to shame us into being as sickly and depressed as they are. It doesn't matter if we're a part of a shrinking minority. (Or is it a growing minority, since the minority-ness is increasing? Inquiring minds want to know!) It doesn't matter if we can't convince society as a whole of our position.
We don’t need anybody’s permission.
As long as we keep putting one foot in front of the other, one day after another, with persistence that knows no bounds we can continue living happy, healthy, beautiful lives.
One daily adventure at a time.
