Are you All In?
I listened to a brief YouTube video a few days ago and the person talked about how to be successful You must be All In. Totally dedicated to what you’re seeking/pursuing, for if you’re not you’ll never find the level of success that you hope. So that got me thinking, am I truly all in on my pursuits? Or am I only going through the motions?
In another lifetime ago, my ex used to tell me that I was only “play farming”. Everyone knew, according to him, that goats weren’t real farm animals. This always infuriated me and hurt me, which, of course was his intention. How many of us in this journey are told by our naysayers that what we are doing is not enough? That we are not serious in our adventure because we are not doing X, Y, Z. While this can absolutely hurt, we also need to take a step back and evaluate what it is we are doing. Could there be a nugget of truth in their negativity?
Let’s say we have a dream to quit our job and homestead full time. First we need to look at what exactly is that going to take? Among many requirements, having minimal expenses is key. So that means a person has to work towards being debt free. Saving money to pay for projects with cash, recognizing the difference between wants and needs and learning how to make do with less. It’s hard to secure a debt free status if you “need” a new car every couple years, designer clothes and a Starbucks every morning. If you aren’t willing to change your mindset and sometimes sacrifice, then you aren’t All In to obtain your dream and are “playing”. Now that might hurt, but think about it and tell me I’m wrong.
We need to repeatedly ask ourselves the question periodically am I dedicated to this pursuit? Am I all in? Am I giving my venture the time, the attention, the capital that it needs to be successful? Am I willing to make hard decisions and sacrifices to see my goal over the finish line? If the answer to any of these is No then perhaps we need to reevaluate our dedication to the pursuit. We can look at our activities. We can look at our relationships. We can look at our careers and we should ask ourselves the same question for each of these.
If we are not dedicated to the pursuit and willing to put in the work, thought and often money it requires, then perhaps we should step back. Is it fair to us? Is it fair to the people or animals in our lives if we are not giving the full attention, the full effort that is needed to be successful? Stepping back, changing direction, saying this is not the right time for this, is not failure and honestly, so what if it is? Failure makes us stronger! If we were successful in every single thing we do. Where’s the fun in that? Where is the challenge? Challenges make us grow. They make us stronger. I can tell you the chickens and I have eaten a lot of baking failures, but each one has made me a better baker.
So back to the homesteading pursuit. Homesteading is a full-time job in and of itself if it is done correctly. There is seldom time to relax like one would if they were only doing a 9 to 5. If one is doing it correctly, there are always projects, always small successes and always failures. Sometimes the line is very blurred between what is success and failure, trust me.
There are people that will try the homesteading life for a short period and find that they are not truly dedicated to what it takes. I see people, mostly women, posting on Facebook about not being able to take vacations, juggling kids’ activities, the workload, even being lonely. You can’t have it all. If you are All in and dedicated to make it work there are sacrifices. I haven’t taken a vacation in more than two years. The most I get is an overnight trip to see my Dad occasionally. To me that’s ok. I’ve build a life from which I don’t need a vacation. This farm is my happy place and this farm is where I AM ALL IN.
Until next time, friends. Stay happy. Stay dedicated. Stay focused.