Have you had second thoughts on whether to keep homesteading or not? Maybe you’ve felt like quitting during difficult moments?
I certainly have. In the past 10 years of living rural and homesteading on my own with my husband and two children, I’ve had those moments, too. And I’m not ashamed to share them with you today.
My hope after you read through what I’ve shared with you is that maybe I can change your mind about wanting to quit the life you set out to find for yourself. About feeling the need to get back to an easier life or try something else.
You see, homesteading is a lifestyle. Just like healthy eating and exercise. Just like mind-healthy habits you want to change for yourself. Homesteading and rural living is that lifestyle that you want for yourself.
At least you thought you did, right? Just like with healthy eating and exercise, there are always hard moments and temptations that make you want to quit. Am I right on this?
Well, in this post, I’m going to share with you:
- How to keep homesteading through hard times by changing a few ideas and taking action
- Things to consider when you think you might want to quit on your goals
- Some motivation and inspiration for you from my own experience.
Let’s jump right in to the very first obstacle. Your mind.
Think about why you started
Yes, your mindset is negative right now and longing to change to the positive, easier side. It longs for a break from thinking soo much about what to do and how to get it done.
But, I’ve learned that you don’t need to think about all the things. Just think about one thing right now.
I want you to go back and remember WHY you started. Why did you want to homestead? Why did you want children? Why do you want to raise goats? And the list goes on and on.
You see, friend, you have to go back and analyze if this is still something you want to pursue before you make any sort of decision about quitting. Quitting too early can result in regret and no one has time for regret in the back of their mind.
So, please sit down and remember why you started your venture. Talk with your team, your family. Here are some things to consider in this discussion.
Things to consider
- Why did I start this venture?
- Is this venture making me happy?
- Did this venture begin as a hobby I enjoyed?
- What are the problems going on in this venture making me loathe it?
- From there, what could be the one problem I can change right now?
- How will I change this problem?
What To Take Action On
- Have this conversation with your team or someone you trust.
- Decide what one underlying problem may be.
- Decide what action will be taken to change the problem.
- Decide who will take that action.
- Give it a month (or longer) to see actionable change.
- Follow up with your team and make the decision.
Follow Up Questions To Ask In A Month
- What problem did I attempt to change in my venture?
- Did changing this fix anything?
- How has this change made me feel about wanting to quit?
Focus Focus Focus
Quitting something is a HUGE decision. I want to encourage you to just focus on one thing or problem for now.
This is something I’ve really started paying attention to in my life in order to find that balance between life, work and play. Nothing in life is going to be peachy keen all the time. There will always be a problem to solve.
And sometimes we are too quick to just throw it under the bus. Mainly because our minds can’t handle that much disappointment and despair.
So, I want you to pick your biggest obstacle…your biggest failure. And just focus on that. I’ll give you some examples here in a minute. Just stay with me.
I’m about to motivate you now.
How to Stay Motivated When You Feel Like Quitting
A month is a LONG TIME when you feel like just throwing it all away right now. So, I wanted to share some motivating tips and tricks I have found very helpful through grace periods of my decision making.
- Communicate with your team and stay updated on progress
- Read positive books or articles related to the topic. Join positive online communities.
- Listen to audiobooks (A big one for me – Again, I’ll share soon).
- Start your day off right. Early mornings are huge for me.
- Keep three top things on your to-do list to focus on at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed.
7 Quotes to Keep You Going
- “Remember that sometimes, not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” – Dalai Lama
- “No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always become a better version of yourself.” – Madonna
- “Don’t keep allowing the same things to upset you. Life’s too short to live that way.” – Joel Osteen
- “Use your energy to create, not destroy.” ~ Mama
- “Don’t cry over the past, it’s gone. Don’t stress about the future, it hasn’t arrived. Live in the present and make it beautiful.” ~ Grandma
- “Never give up on something you really want; it is difficult to wait, but more difficult to regret.” ~ Grandma
- “Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself from negativity.” ~ Grandma
It’s all about being happy. Like I mentioned before, your mindset means everything to your success. What you choose to do daily determines the outcome of your happiness.
But probably the biggest and best quotes I’ve followed have come from God in the words of the bible. I started incorporating daily faith into my life and it completely began to change everything for me during one of my hardest moments.
Before I go into my 2 hardest moments, let me explain how I let faith in and how I now walk with faith held high each and every day.
Let Faith into your Life
God and I have a long relationship but it’s been a rocky one.
I was baptized into his house as a baby and attended our rural church regularly clear up into high school. But when I was a Junior in High School, our relationship changed when my grandfather passed away from cancer.
To make a long story short, I turned away from God in my life. I didn’t understand why my Grandpa had to be taken away at such a young age.
It wasn’t until about 10 years later that I let him back in. Want to know why?
Well, have a seat and let me tell you about my two hardest moments ever where I felt like I wanted to quit. These moments are when I started to let my faith back in.
My Hardest Moment Ever #1
Raising goats shouldn’t be hard for someone with an Animal Science degree and a lifetime experience raising beef cattle.
But it seemed to be for me. My goats kept having babies born too early or underdeveloped. What was I doing wrong?
I felt like their nutrition was top notch. I know they weren’t wormy because they were fat, happy and their fecals showed to be worm free.
Well, in year #6 after a lot of research, Hubby and I decided to synchronize the does for breeding using natural hormones before turning them in with the buck. We knew exact breeding dates then so we could treat them for a disease called chlamydia. That’s the problem we focused on and guess what?
It worked. We used a very small dose antibiotic in our doe herd halfway through their gestation to prevent any more abortions from happening in our goats.
I had felt like quitting because I hadn’t figured out what was happening. However, when I focused on the problem, got my team of veterinarians together, we came up with a solution that worked.
Amazing feeling. And this was an easy fix. Let me tell you about another moment when I wanted to quit homesteading that was even harder to fix.
My Hardest Moment Ever #2
When I became a mom, I got depression. Postpartum depression. It was a low, low time when I felt compelled to quit homesteading. Even at times, my life!
Worst yet, my partner didn’t understand the extent of what I was suffering. He just saw what I WASN’T doing. He saw me napping in the afternoons and not getting the gardening or canning done. He saw me throwing away important tasks and having to pick up the slack. He said I was lazy.
To make a long story short…I wasn’t going to get any assistance from him. And seeking a therapist alone was out of the question due to my anxiety of going to see one. Nope – No way!
When I felt like everyone had their backs turned to me that’s when God stepped in. HE really does work in amazing ways. HE said, “I will help you get through this. Just turn to me.”
So, I did. And things started happening for me.
And that’s when I started my podcast. I listened to audiobooks. The best book I read was by Lysa Turkherst called Uninvited. Get the book and feel inspired!
Here’s what started happening: I started my farm market business. I began to feel my purpose in my community and it motivated me. Oh my word…I have tears in my eyes just telling you all this.
But when God and I had our conference calls in the quiet dark early morning hours, I realized the one problem was ME. It was my own mindset that needed changing. So, I let him change me.
Then, HE took me to a church 20 minutes away that has a faith-based school for my children to attend. As well as an amazing congregation with deep learning opportunities.
And remember when I said I turned from HIM when my Grandpa passed away? Well, coincidence or not, the preacher of the church looks, acts and talks LIKE MY GRANDPA! I think this is a gift from him, saying… “Here’s some comfort for you and a reminder that I love you.”
What a gracious gift. All worth the wait.
My faith in the Lord and turning to him is what changed it all for me. I hope my story inspires you to grow your relationship with your God so you can have faith in the big decision you have to make.
Biggest Lesson to Learn from My Experience
The biggest most valuable tool to keep with you during your times of trial is your faith. Keep your bible and your positive community with you to turn to. And just focus on one thing.
Friend, I know if you’re reading this, you have considered quitting one or maybe all of your homesteading adventures. That’s a big decision that will result in some even bigger changes in your life and I hope I have inspired you to take a step back, evaluate and change something for the better.
Today, I’ve given you some tips and methods to go back to the beginning and work through problems instead of just up and quitting. Quitting is not always the answer, even when it feels right.
The truth is, friend, that you have to realize you don’t know everything. And you never ever will because you don’t have to. You just have to enjoy your life and enjoy being and doing you. Today and every day.
~ Much Love ~
MINDY