On Determining What You Actually Value

Mont Blanc, Hellbronner Point, Italy

At the end of the day, the question of whether or not committing to Outside 365 is worth it comes down to a discussion of values. Over the course of this challenge, I’ve interrogated myself regularly, asking “exactly what DO I value? And am I living in a way that is in accordance with my values?”

Asking these questions, if you truly dig in and are willing to be real with yourself, can be dangerous. 

Asking these questions, if you’re brutally honest with yourself, can tear down big parts of your life, things that you thought—no, that you knew—were true. Be careful if you venture forward into such a thought experiment.

But identifying what you truly value and believe in could simultaneously liberate you from so much unnecessary weight that's holding you down, trapping you in a suboptimal life, or even a life that might seem utterly meaningless. Leaving that baggage behind could prove to be the most revolutionary turn that your life has ever taken.

Asking these questions helped lead me to Outside 365, which is now one of the defining characteristics of my life. 

Try this thought experiment on for size: Let’s say you look at your life and evaluate the finite time you have to live and the various things that you’re doing with that time. At the end of this analysis, you determine that you’re happiest when you’re outside moving through the mountains, on the river, or through the trees. Not only are you happy, but you feel fulfilled, content, and satisfied both during and after said activities. In fact, you determine that your absolute best moments in life are spent out in nature.

If you arrive at such a conclusion, why wouldn’t you try to increase the amount of time that you’re out in nature? Why wouldn’t you try to get outside and breathe the fresh air, observe the world around you, and move your body through that world every single day?

Oh, we all have excuses. There are so damn many excuses… I’ll get to those in a future blog post (probably more than one). But if you determine that you value living your life outdoors, viscerally connected to the world around you, why would you let your excuses stop you from magnifying that beauty in your life?

First off, never cave to your excuses.

Second, I encourage you to spend some time determining what you really truly value. It might surprise you.

Read Part 2 Here: “How to Figure Out What You Value: A Quick Guide”