Overtraining For Financial Independence

“Holy crap” I yelled to my climbing partner Phil, “wait till you see this!”.  We were 14 hours into a punishing day of climbing, and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.  While traversing a gully that we weren’t sure was traversible, I found a heavenly level patch of ground in what was otherwise a dangerous vertical world.  Best yet, it had actual grass on it. 

The last hour of climbing had been hair-raisingly dangerous, with nothing but loose rock and unforgiving terrain.  A slip meant certain injury, and possibly death.  We were more mentally drained than physically at this point and the 7×10 patch of oasis I just found might as well have been the pearly gates to heaven. 

We were attempting half of the Grand Teton Traverse in one big push, and it was proving to be everything we bargained for and more.  With every hour of brutal physical work we were getting weaker and weaker.

 

Into The Suck

It’s an act of courage to start a run or a big day of climbing in the mountains.  When you start a five mile run you’re pushing into something that’s just going to keep getting harder, every second.   You feel best in the beginning, and unless you’re a freak you’re not going to get stronger as the run goes on.

As the run progresses the pain and discomfort increase.  The suck-factor grows.  Maybe you slow down to ease the pain, but even then it’s still way more pain than you felt on step one. 

You may not look at running or any endurance endeavor this way, but that’s how I see it.  And I think it’s beneficial to view it through that lens. 

Because once you realize you’re a person who voluntarily and routinely does things that for certain get increasingly difficult every second, there’s not much you can’t tackle.  Other challenges in life become easier and less daunting. 

And you’re actually overtraining for one big challenge that readers of this blog are probably interested in.

 

Overtraining

Unlike a five mile run or a big day of climbing in the mountains, the path to financial independence actually gets easier as you go. 

When you start to practice frugality, it gradually becomes more natural and part of who you are.  Choosing the less expensive option eventually becomes routine and automatic.

After a few years of owning a sensible and functional used car, you don’t miss the wealth draining overpriced new SUV you had back in the day.  That transition might have been a hit to your ego at first, but now you can’t even imagine what all the fuss was about. 

As time goes on you don’t miss all the extra things you had in your life that you thought were “needs” but were actually just “wants”.  And because of this transformation, the money you saved and invested keeps compounding and growing. 

Every time you check your net worth it’s a bigger number. 

All of these things – the change in your spending habits, the letting go of possessions as identity, and a growing net worth – they build momentum.  Next thing you know you’re on a proverbial train going downhill.  Financial independence is at the bottom of that hill and nothing’s going to stop you. 

Unlike that long run you do on Sunday morning the journey to financial independence actually gets easier as you go.  Heck, you’ve been overtraining with your silly runs. 

 

Volatility

Sure, there will still be bad times on your journey.  There will be stock market crashes, unexpected expenses, times of sadness, and even tragedy.  But you’re the runner, the endurance athlete, you’ll get through those.  You’re used to starting things on a regular basis that only get harder every second, like your Sunday long run. 

You’ve trained, maybe even overtrained.  You know the drill.

That’s why I love mountaineering and those massive days in the alpine.  That day in the Tetons with Phil, we experienced everything – amazing highs, crushing lows, periods of monotony, joy, pain, fear, and invincibility.  In other words, it was like life condensed. 

And when we set out in the pitch black night under headlamp at 1:00am we knew what we were getting into.  Both of us are experienced and have endured through days like that before.  We were willingly stepping into the pain and joy, the unknown.  We knew we’d be getting weaker every hour, every step. 

When we finally made it back to the car 22 hours later we were different.  We were almost a day older, more hardened, a few pounds lighter, and a bit wiser. 

And damn that cold pizza we left in the truck was the best thing I’ve ever tasted.

 

Easier Is Easier Than Harder

I’m way way past financial independence.  I’m no guru, but I have learned a few things.  Here’s the deal, if you can regularly and voluntarily do things that get harder and suckier every second for your well being, then you can surely do things that get easier. 

Sure, the journey to financial independence takes way longer than a 5 mile run, but as you level up you’ll find yourself on cruise control.  And if you’re smart you’ll do lots of 5 mile runs, and they’ll all get harder.

So make a habit of doing hard things in life like running or endurance sports, and you’ll be overtraining for financial independence.