Time Is Worth More Than Your Money

0:00There is so much impending doom. It is so crazy to see all our mindsets between AI and wars and upcoming elections and how everything's going in the world. This is the free outside show and I thought I would start with a really inspirational sentence. So, hear me out. I don't think we should all be terrified all the time that we're all going to die. But I don't think that acknowledging and seeing things from the picture of not everything is always going to be how it's always been is really healthy. The world has changed so much in our lifetimes. I mean, I think we're like one of the strangest generations. I'm 35. The internet came to power and now it permeates all of our lives in such a unique way. And now, in my mid 30s, when I'm supposed to be in my peak earning years, we're all being told that robots are basically going to take all of our jobs. So, that is sad. That is doom. That's

1:05existential dread. But it doesn't have to be terrible. It doesn't have to be this end all crippling everything. It should give us all a little leeway, a little ability to chase the things we actually want to do. I think one of the strangest things that we do in our lives is we sort of just assume we have an unlimited amount of tomorrows. Like time will just stretch out in front of us and then we can accomplish all these things in the future. And it's crazy because we protect our money so vehemently we put it in places we want to make more of it, we work harder, we want to accumulate more of it. But we're so careless with our time yet they can just print more money and make all your hard time that you turned into money essentially worth way less. So what this should do, I think, is give us a lot more ability to chase the things we actually want to do. No one listening

2:08to this, I don't think, thinks they're immortal. But if you are, you can text in on the free outside hotline. And that would be pretty cool to hear from an immortal person or you could just pretend to be one and it might be a good good read from that anyways. But we make a lot of plans for an imaginary future. Like I have had a lot of different plans over the years that didn't work out. And I think that that's just how we think of things like in the future, I'm going to do this no matter what it takes or I'm going to have more money so I can accomplish this thing. I'm going to have less responsibilities. I'm finally going to be ready to do something or I have to do these things first before I can take that dream trip. The someday conundrum, the someday fallacy, the someday issue that we fall into. I was in the big someday. I'll quit my job type of thing and it was just compounding one day. I just wrote an email to my boss and he didn't even see that email. So then I

3:08had to go in and talk to him in person. But someday just boiled over into it had to be today. And we don't have to upend all of our lives. I don't want everyone to think. But I think with a world where it seems like there's so much unease, I think we can take some of this in a positive respect of it should give you permission to do the things you want to do someday. If the world is going to look totally different in a decade and you don't know what that's going to look like, then you might as well work with the world that you know today to accomplish some of these dreams. So like you're up going to Europe over the summer was there were a lot of anxieties. I don't know why I'd attached so many of them to traveling overseas or being in a foreign country or having a different language permeate my life for vast majority of a month. But there were a lot of things pulling me back. But it was also something I'd really wanted to do and someday had to turn

4:09to soon like today. Wow, this is so beautiful. Oh my gosh. There's an alpine lake down there. The course come out and it's on a snow field. Wow, this is so cool. So grateful. And that's what I made it. I think sometimes we get a wake up call and you see people when maybe someone close to them dies or some catastrophe happens that they're exposed to that they get a little bit of this impending doom which can be kind of motivating for them to chase or do the thing that someday they've wanted to do. But I think it's kind of sad that we often need a wake up call like that. So I've had a number I've had I guess I've had this feeling a number of times in my own life. This plunge of well if suicides one option how about do a crazy stupid adventure and you don't need permission from anyone is the other thing. And so that was kind of the first decision

5:10where I didn't need the well wishes of anyone to go for it. And so I went after it but having to sit in kind of those thoughts and that beginning and that connection back to my earlier version of myself and just be really proud of that 25 year old that made a crazy decision because when you're back to get this wall you can choose anything and not just gonna act like I have everything figured out here but in a world where it feels like we're very scared of the future. Why don't we turn some of this into this motivation this push this drive to do some of the things we've always wanted to do because we won't know if we're going to be able to do them in the future. And then this kind of leads into the other unique point that I was ruminating on and I was trying to write some things for an episode here just trying to put my thoughts into a way that I could speak them into a microphone.

6:12But I think a hard thing that we struggle with is it often looks especially in the through hacking world in ultra running world especially like a coca donas u50 it feels like there's this thing where it feels like it's selfish to do these things and I want to introduce another concept I think there's there things can be self in self interest or more selfishness and I think the difference is awareness of the cost to others. So if you're going to go run a 200 mile race or go do a through hike being aware of the cost to others maybe you're missing out on a wedding or maybe you're asking people to come pace you at that event maybe you're missing out on your college graduation to go through hike and that's sad for people around you or something. The self interest is being aware of that cost to others. I think the selfishness is blindly moving forward with no awareness. I built a

7:18lot of my life around doing things now like quitting in two weeks later being on a trail chasing records going different places writing running races trying stupid ideas like running a 5K and Crocs just because I can't stop thinking about them. And some of that came from realizing fairly young that I didn't want to spend my entire life without permission to live how I wanted to. I found slowly that the permission to live a certain way was not really what I wanted my life to be. But then as I started thinking more I'd swung way further to the opposite side of I'd given up so much community. In fact, I only stay in contact with like one person from my time before through hiking other than my family. So I gave up so much of that that is definitely more in the selfishness on taking on these dreams these plans these awesome things without the awareness

8:23of how that would impact the others in my life. And it negatively impacted them in the way that we didn't stay in contact and we still don't. Because I think I don't know it's just what I needed to do. At the time and that's how it goes. But we all grow and become something different. And now that I live in a community where I enjoy being part of the community sharing and I'm getting married in a month. I think that's where things kind of get interesting where selfish becomes more of self interest on what do I want to do and how does that work into the greater life that I want to have. So there are sacrifices we can't just pick up and move and do anything anytime anywhere, which is why I always gravitate to the idea of ideas goals plans. So ideas they are like your dreams. They're the brainstorming lists where no ideas are wrong idea and you write down everything you

9:24might want to do in the future. And it can be very motivating to have that it can be your bucket list type thing. And then slowly as you maybe think about the next year, some of those dreams or ideas turn into goals. So this is what you're going to do. And as you attack a goal, you slowly turn that into plans. Like what do I need to do to actually achieve this goal? It's just buy a plane ticket and go do it. Maybe it's train. Maybe it's hire a coach. Maybe it's do something in a different way. And in a world where in a world where we are so defined by the level of our fears and our incompetence at the top, I think it should just give us immense permission to chase some of these dreams or turn some of these dreams into goals into plans because if things are going to be totally different, then we might have what might as well have used some of our tomorrows to do the things

10:29that we wish we were doing today. So I think that's really the crux of where I've been at as I've spent so much time learning about AI and impending doom and where things are at. I just feel this really big pull to be educated on such a cross road topic here and it feels extremely scary things that are coming out. But if we live in fear, I think it's going to cripple all of what we ever want to do. If we look around and say it always used to be better, it's never going to be like that again and I hate it. That is where we just don't do anything. We waste our tomorrows. We treat our time as disposable and our tomorrows is endless and our money is sacred where it can just all be printed and blown up and so much is out of our control that I think we just really need to key in and focus on what is in our control. So that is where I'm at. I hope you guys have stuck with me. This is the

11:33free outside show. Thank you guys for being here. So I last episode I put out a number called the free outside hotline and encourage you guys to text or call in a lot of great messages. I'm getting married in month but you can text or call in anything. I won't answer. I promise it's just a Google number that you can leave a message or send a text to and I'll read them. I thought I would start with one which was really fun here. A funny piece of advice about getting married. And so here we go. The number to text in if you guys would like to is 541 903 8065. So just text or call. Don't worry. No AI agent or myself or my secretary that I don't have. It's going to pick up and make it awkward. It can just send anything. It'll be fun. We're going to make it interactive here. But here we go. So this is from Lori. Lori are congratulations on your upcoming wedding. My

12:34husband David and I have been married 47 years. The day we got married, my childhood priest who was marrying us told us to never go to sleep angry. I've heard that before. He then instructed my husband to take my arms back me against the wall and lick my nose. In the event we couldn't get unmad back her against the wall and lick her nose. Okay. I was shocked. Yeah, as am I. However, it has made me laugh several times over the years and we really don't get mad at each other anymore. So maybe Lori R has the secret. Just lick your partner's nose and that will equal a happy marriage 47 years. Congratulations. Not going on the door of the big 50. So if you want to send in other messages or things like that, I think it would be very fun. It can be any topic, any conversation. I wanted to make it pretty easy so you can simply send a text in. So the other big thing is we have a lot of new listeners here. I hopefully they're

13:39still around after the up and down intro here of Chase your own dreams. But I think it just frustrates me that when things feel really bad, it feels like we get crippled and not go after anything. I think we should be able to turn like doom or feeling like we don't have control of things into this permission to chase the things we actually want to do with our life. If we get to have decisions because we're free to obligations by living in a world full of unknown, then I think there should be a little bit more permission acceptance or support to go after the things that we want to do. Maybe it's run a marathon. Maybe it's run a race. Maybe it's just learn a new language. So treat your time a lot more respectfully than you are your money because it seems like that might change and get devalued so quick. Just look at our look at the debt across the world

14:44and things are crazy. So this should be your permission to in the present make a plan to accomplish your goals and turn them into plans. So also I wrote a book. A lot of you new people are here and it's a it's a decent book. It's about hiking the calendar year triple crowns I did the App Latchin Trail Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail. In the same year, I really found myself essentially I was 25 years old. I think it's a good read. So it's available anywhere books are mostly if it's at least in stock there. You can order it online. There's an audiobook but I thought it would be fun to drop in a bit of outtakes from when I was reading my own audiobook. So I hope you enjoy and laugh a little bit because I think with the heavy start to this episode we all need a little laughter. All right. So here are the free outside audiobook outtakes as compiled by

15:47me. Jeff Garmair. Amicalola State Park. That's not even the name. It is officially part of the trail. No, it's not. I'm an idiot. Okay. The approach. The approach? Yeah. No. What am I a robot? That is a mouthful. Rick learned to read, idiot. Okay. When I pass the visitor's center, now do I have a list as if it were nice spot to burp? Okay. What am I doing here? I painfully made it to the top of the waterfall and was on my way back. Back. I've never even been there ascending from high shoals. Wow. Geez. I'm not like a grandpa. Can I read? Okay. Can I even see? Whew. Descending to nimblewilgrap. Glap gal. But what springer lacks? That's a pretty big but okay. But what springer lacks in true

16:51moat map. But what springer lacks in true mount? Can I even fucking read? Through with no word. Words are really fucking hard. I felt the same. Did I? Where am I? I... My first shelter was cold, empty, wet, ebb, wow. Whatever. I tossed my light foam pad. This is so fucking hard. Reading is for losers. Ease of finding food. I'm not finding food. I'm not a f*** outdoors trapper. Davy Crockett. Bonneville. Revenant. F*** this. Okay. Now I don't know where I am. All the floor. Empty the... F*** in the same mistake every time. At the top was a shelter. I wasn't alone. I had I had over... Bonnie Clyde, Slipknot and Sundown. Had also decided to start

17:57their 2,200 mile through. Ha, f***. This is stupid. I swept the inch thick. I would later learn that they had come very close to being successful in their own through hike despite facing incredible problems. Jesus, that's not even right. I would later learn... I would later learn that came only 6 miles away. There were half a dozen hikers. Still... No. That was just word vomit. Another cold icy morning as I passed only 6 miles away. There were half a dozen hikers still nestled us. Another cold icy morning as I passed the next shelter. Another cold icy morning as I passed the next shelter. Two in loud. Another cold ice. E. Okay. Now a couple other things I wanted to hit on today. It's going to be a shorter episode because I don't know. I was just feeling like

19:02not connecting this to a longer interview. But we have Andy Jones Wilkins coming up on Monday. That'll be fun. We kind of talk through the progression of the sport. Where things have come. But first off, our sponsors. We are sponsored by JohnGJANJ.com. They have an amazing release of some reflect... Like the coolest... What do you call it? Glow in the dark light up reflective gear right now. So whether it's tight, they have jackets and stuff. And it's really cool stuff. So go over to johngie.com and you can get 10% off with the cut free outside. But it just released today or yesterday. So it should be in stock in your size. So at least go check it out. Tell them I sent you. That helps the show. And then garage ground gear is our other sponsor. They... I've been friends with Lloyd the owner of that for a long time. So it is fun. They are supporting the show. And over there, just browse. They literally have everything. Just go browse. It's just outdoor. Heaven, you'll discover products that you didn't even know you needed and realize how innovative people are. They have a toothbrush that can attach to a long handle spoon. Just like a little tiny one. So that could

20:07save you weight. That might be good if you're a runner and happen to run with a spoon. I don't know. But go check them out garage ground gear.com. Also a couple other things that I was going to hit on before kind of my next thing here is free inside me and Allison have a fun conversation every single Wednesday. What was one of the first questions you asked me in our dating life? How do you believe in dinosaurs? Yes. Jeff kind of nervously maybe a month into dating said I have a really important question to ask you. I've dated someone who didn't believe in dinosaurs and it creates the number of questions. So I wanted to just not have to go through that again. So I wanted to make sure that there is some belief in dinosaurs existed on that podcast feed. So jump over to that. Enjoy it. It's fun. Happy go lucky. This show sometimes goes through highs and lows and stuff.

21:08That one is more even killed fun. And you might learn something. So the other thing that has been driving me crazy is it feels like we've shortened our years. So it's September and we're already starting to talk about who the ultra runner of the year is or the FKT of the years. And we have a third of the year left. So we're just like chopping off a third of the year and we usually don't start talking about it until April. So we're really only focusing on a middle third. It feels like we become way too reflective on things and way too like we prognosticate too much into the future. It's driving me crazy. It's almost like we're back to the beginning of this thing. It's like we're missing out on the full purpose of everything of like live in the present. Enjoy go after the things. Turn your some days into today's and instead we're just only living within this tiny amount of summer. We only have so many summers left. And if we're just going to ride off fall,

22:09winter, and spring every year, what is the point? So that has been driving me crazy. We don't need to year in review stuff this quickly. We don't need to do coconut owner preview episodes six months early. We don't need to do top 10s all the time. We can just do the top right now. We can go after whatever we want to go after. So that has been a little wild out there. So that's that's my thing that I'm standing on. Let's talk about some good things going on. So I'm going out to my friends wedding. John who's in the movie rewritten. If you haven't watched it, watch it. It's free on YouTube. We just give away everything for free. Free outside. I should have rebranded probably into expensive outside. But I'm going out to that wedding and man, I have gone to so many more weddings since being in a relationship. I think it's like the craziest thing, but it's good. It means I have friends, community and people who want me there because in my 20s, I really didn't.

23:15So it is a stark contrast, a stark change. But that is what it's all about. All right, I think I'm just going to give you guys like a 25 30 minute episode here today. But I think I just really want people if you're worried about the world or worried about the future, use that as fuel for going after what you want to today. Don't let it steal anxieties from you. There's this quote that's like, don't borrow problems from the future. Don't borrow anxiety from the future. So what today is giving you anxiety or problems and can you solve it? And don't borrow some of this from tomorrow. I think we're going to go through such a time where our brains are not designed to think in the way that we're receiving information. How much are we actually retaining from these 10 to 30 second videos? What are we getting from these fake interactions online? If ultra sign up is

24:17going to be a dinosaur or your FKT things someday might live somewhere different or people might not care because there will be bigger issues. That should give you immense permission to go after the things you actually want to do and find your true motivations versus what you think motivates people or what you think gives you standing in the world. So I'm just trying to hit this home because I've struggled with this doom scenario on wow things are so crazy right now. They're scary. It's wild. How are we in this? My parents said to me on the phone, we feel so bad for people your age. Yeah. But then we should be able to use that as the fuel of we don't have to just go through the motions and do it the same as it ever was because it's not going to be the same as it ever was. So just find those moments of pleasure of satisfaction of joy of pride and hang on to those in a really wild world. And on top of that if you can do something if you do care deeply about something that you can make

25:20a change in then jump in with everything you got and do what you can to make that change. So find that middle balance. Find a purpose, find the change and chase the things that you actually want to chase. All right Montana meltdown it's a race we put on it's in two weeks out here in Bozeman Montana. It's incredible. We might be in three weeks actually but you guys should come out check it out. You will enjoy it. It's really fun to just get to put on a fixed time race and there's a four hour 12 hour 24 hour option a great aid station. It's at a great park views of the mountains around a couple ponds. You're gonna love it. So check that out we try to keep prices pretty reasonable just to cover our cost but there's no fixed time race around and it should be perfect weather. So check that out. What else do I have for you today? Are you talked about writing a book? Watch rewritten. There's I have a sub stack. I'm trying to write more but by time is valuable. Also I think Allison Powell has some coaching spots open if you want to

26:27check that out. She's starting an FKT so we'll try to download with her and maybe record with her and put something out on Friday on how that went. All right thank you guys for being here kind of a unique episode but with that stay with my friends. You worked really hard grandma. So do washing machines.