The Value of Sauntering

Yesterday I was listening to a podcast with Eric Zimmer. He was talking about something simple—but real:

We often have conflicts between our values and our desires.

Or even between two values we care about.

Funny enough… I ran right into that this morning.

I woke up tired and didn’t want to do my usual walk.

The desire for comfort was strong.

I wanted a slow morning. Have a little coffee, you know, sit around and relax.

I gave into it—for a bit.

But eventually I pushed myself out the door. No earbuds. No music. No podcast.

Just walking.

I call this sauntering.

I try to not have an agenda except to get out and move, and see what shows up.

And it’s always interesting what shows up.

If you’ve never tried it, even 10 minutes is enough, but I recommend 30 or more.

Here’s the ironic part:

I enjoyed the walk way more than the hour and a half I spent sitting around beforehand.

By the end of it, I felt… great.

I felt good about life and my choices. I was energized. Almost intoxicatedly happy.

The kind of state you forget is available when you just want to lounge around.

That’s the easier version of the conflict:

Desire vs. value.

In general, you want your values to win that one more often than not.

But the trickier version?

Value vs. value.

I run into this all the time.

Especially between:

• Time freedom (and the frugality that supports it)

• Health and fitness

…and then my more expansive values, such as:

• Adventure

• Creative expression

• Fun with friends and family

Sometimes those don’t line up.

A trip costs money.

A great night out might not be “optimal” for fitness.

So what happens?

If I’m being honest… I usually let frugality and fitness win.

And for a long time, I was okay with that.

Lately? Not so much.

As part of a recent quarterly reset, I made a list of things I want to do this spring.

There are about 15 items on the list.

At least half of them create tension with my “responsible” values.

Which means I’m going to have to choose—on purpose.

That’s what I’m paying attention to right now.

I will not be eliminating the conflict…

But noticing it.

And deciding, more consciously, which value gets the nod.

A couple things for you to think about:

Where in your life are your values in conflict?

Where are you letting short-term desires win?

And is there a way to rotate your priorities—so different parts of your life get their time?