We all need to get lost (outside).

Today I want to discuss a topic tangentially related to my passions of fitness and the environment. The world is moving faster than ever before--new technologies, government corruption, skyrocketing obesity rates and pollution are only some of the by-products of the planet's most influential societies. What these societies have in common is that the people that live within them are spending less and less time outdoors.

Getting outside and away from the daily grind, has, for as long as I have ever known, been a popular relaxation method--being outside is a form of detox, but it shouldn't be perceived this way. Spending time outside is much more than a beach vacation.

There is a lot of really cool shit to do in this world! Being outside, therefore, has to be about exploration and getting lost in landscapes bigger and much more powerful than us. If we continue to only get outside to cool our jets or take a lunch break, we are missing the bigger picture that exploration provides.

Spending time outside should feel freeing; liberating. It should be something you do not to escape your hectic work life, but something you do to gain perspective, to learn about yourself and to realize that we are Earth's visitors, not the other way around.

Time outside could mean a walk down the street, a cool dip in a river, a ski trip--a million things.  Just do more of it! By spending more time outside you will most certainly come to the conclusion that many of the daily work decisions you make are made in an "employment vacuum."  And, any type of vacuum is hardly a good representation of authenticity.

A quick question: Every other living species on Earth lives outside (or underwater), so why do we spend the majority of our time doing the opposite?  Yes, we have the means to add a little more comfort to our lives, but have you ever considered that this comfort is locking us inside and slowly diminishing our ability to make clear decisions, friendships and remain healthy?  That spending less time outside is creating a jaded view of reality?

I think many of the world's problems exist because we fail to view life perspectives through other people's lenses.  The only possible way for us to pave a smoother road into the future is to spend more time outside developing and sharing our own perspective. By doing this we will have a better idea of how our actions affect the rest of the world and the rest of the world will understand how and why we choose to do the things we do.

Get off the couch, put on your shoes and get outside.


--Schmidty