Living the dream can be uncomfortable; it can be down-right nasty at times!



We all have those days when we feel like “throwing in the towel” and calling it quits, wondering why we are doing what we are doing. 

How do we get through those tough times so we can keep moving forward? 

Self-Talk is definitely your best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to living the dream. 

When I do consulting, one of my first questions is: “what is your intention”.

Everything we do, we do for a reason. Even the poor choices that we make, aren’t bad choices because they are serving a purpose for us.

Empowerment is about knowing what that purpose is and then making conscious choices about what we do next.

With living the dream, knowing what the dream is and why we are living it (or working towards it), is the #1 best self-talk message that we can tell ourselves.

For me, this morning, hauling buckets of woodchips that were partly frozen, with a cold wind blowing on my face and hands, I had to remind myself that the dream is living a simpler life by working with nature to grow my own food.

To achieve the dream, to live the dream, I want to use woodchips to keep the weeds in check rather than using weedkiller. To do THAT, I have to carry buckets of woodchips. … before the spring season … and that means getting cold… now.

The Yah-buts: knowing what your “yah-but” thoughts sound like is also important. When you hear them, you can stop them. 

Be ready to turn those messages off!
They block you from living the dream. They are detours and time-wasters.

Mindset follows right along with that self-talk. 

… all help to create the feeling of empowerment and self-sufficiency that are key to the dream of homesteading. 

Today, I smiled as I shivered in the cold and my fingers ached. I smiled because the uncomfortableness of the moment was also part of the journey of  living the dream. In that moment, the dream became very real and I loved it.

That last part? The action? Just do it. Put one foot in front of the other and just do it. The only thing stopping you is you.

Checklists: For me, checklists are my best friend. I don’t make them long. One or two items is enough. These are my “get done today” items.

Pushing through those two tasks is so rewarding, on a psychological level. It is very empowering and motivating to be able to say that I did it, I worked through the yah-buts, I accomplished my goal.

If I make the list too long, it is overwhelming and I, usually, end up doing none of it. Today, I checked off my two tasks before eleven in the morning.
Today was a good day.

Dangling Carrots: sometimes, that pep talk just doesn’t cut it. Sometimes my “yah buts” are winning out. That is when I pull out the reward system. 

“When I get this task done, then I get to …” 

It works for me, when I need it.

What about you??
What do you do to work through the uncomfortableness?

Believe
You’ve got this!

(Did you hear that, Debbie? I believe in you!)
- Debbie