Last time, in Ep. 138, Jason Thomas shared stories and we discussed how to design your intentional life.
We talked about the main categories – wealth, health, relationships, and spirituality.
I was contemplating my journey to design my intentional life and I had more to add.
What does it mean to Live Intentionally?
Having an Intentional Life means:
- Aligning your life and actions with your values, as much as possible.
- Being deliberate in your actions and forming good habits.
- Taking positive steps rather than being driven by your circumstances and surroundings.
- Preparing for adversity – both physically and mentally.
- Being more at peace and having a positive view of your future.
- Focusing on your physical and spiritual health.
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Design Your Intentional Life – Where to Start
To design an intentional life you need to start with your values. What do you value? Write it down in statements.
For example:
“I value: Being able to walk in the garden or exercise in the morning rather than a commute to work.”
Evaluate things to Change: Most of these value statements would lead to the need to change. If you were going to change something, what would it be?
If you value being in the garden in the morning before work and skipping the commute, this would favor working remotely, being self employed, or at least working close(r) to where you live. If this is not an option, then you could get up earlier in the morning and do those things before work.
Make a Plan
Keep it simple. Start simple with a plan with incremental small wins. Start with the low hanging fruit first so that you can get those early wins. Prepare for some losses. See what doesn’t line up and pivot and readjust.
There are no solutions, only tradeoffs. You won’t get to 100% (unless you are very lucky, or you have the right situations). There will be some tradeoffs.
I value working from home and not having to commute. But most jobs (including mine) are moving to Return to the Office. Or a “Hybrid” model where you are in the office several days a week. In 2022 you had other options. In a tight economy, with rounds of downsizing, you may not have that option. Or a remote job may pay less. “There are no solutions, only tradeoffs”.
It’s not all or nothing.
You’re not going to get to an intentional life or your “Perfect Day” immediately; it will take a (maybe long) road of incremental steps. But start the journey today.
If you want to go off-grid:
- If you bought new raw land then “off grid” means starting from scratch.
- If you already own land, it will be your journey to go off grid, and you will likely do it step-by-step. Replacing your energy needs. Then your water needs, and growing your own food.
Get out of the “I am going to replace my job!” mindset.
Along the same lines of “avoid the ‘all or nothing’ mindset”, as you develop more sources of income you will slowly replace a percentage and offset your job income. It may not initially let you replace your entire income, but it can give you flexibility to do what you really want.
For example, if you commute an hour one way today, that’s two hours that are lost. If you have many sources of modest side income then you can have the flexibility to take a lower paying job that is either remote, work from home, or closer to your home. That is the kind of flexibility you should shoot for when designing your intentional life.
Redesign your life by changing your lifestyle and expectations
In Paul Wheaton’s (in)famous “Story of Ferd and Gert”, he tells about two people. Ferd is the standard American, working long hours, in debt, eating poorly, who works for someone else, and is not living an intentional life. And Gert is a lady who lives modestly, owns some land, grows her food, and lives an intentional life. Sure, Gerd is a thought experiment, and people complain that “it isn’t that easy!”. But you can have a more intentional life if you change your lifestyle and expectations.
Get out of the “progressive mindset”
You may be screaming right now, “I am not a progressive!”. I bet that I can convince you otherwise. (note that I am not talking about politics).
Do you have a view that you should have a better life than your parents? That’s a progressive mindset.
Do you think that you should get raises and promotions at work? Nothing wrong about that, but it is a progressive mindset.
It is not a politically progressive mindset, but a mindset that society, and you in particular, are always ascending. To make more money, more job title, and a cushy retirement at the end. Always progressing. That is the progressive mindset. Everyone in America, and the West in general, has this mindset. It is baked into us in school and a consumer culture. But we have not had that kind of life since the 1990’s. And the “always progressing” lifestyle is really only a post-WW2 economic anomaly – really made possible by cheap energy.
You can’t be content and have a progressive mindset. And you won’t be ready to handle adversity when it comes…and it will come.
Grow your own food
We talk about “Grow your own food”, but you might say “I don’t have the land to do that!”
Grow something. Grow greens in a tray in the window, tomatoes in a container on the porch.
Look for a community garden space to start gardening. Ask your neighbor or family member if you can grow a garden in the empty space in their yard.
Look for other ways to get land
It is hard to buy land. Prices have risen 2 – 4 times higher than just 4 years ago.
Maybe land ownership is not the way to go. A person on Permies posted, “I got off my ass, started doing my homework, and at the end of the summer in 2013 I was posting on craigslist and hanging fliers up all over town. Saying that I would come garden your yard for you, you supply the water and space, I do all the work and pay you in produce. Anyone who looked like they had a good yard I put a flier on their door. I had several potential clients who I had been in talks with when I got the phone call that changed my life.
This old retired electrician/gentleman farmer had 15 acres of relatively un-touched land. It was an historic farm at one point, was never used for modern ag. He told me that for some free produce I could use a roughly 2 acre valley surrounded by trees, unseen from any neighbors. And that I could do basically whatever I wanted.”
Curtis Stone and Joseph Lofthouse did similar. Gardening on vacant lots or in unused yards of old people.
Maybe that only happens in Xanadu, but if you try, you may be surprised. Especially if you live near people who value “Food Not Lawns” and they have vacant lawns.
Build your tribe
You ain’t gonna make it without community. We were made as humans to “commune” together.
Organize a meetup at a coffee shop. Have a BBQ. Help a friend. Even make amends as a family.
Using these design tips you can get on the path to an intentional life.
If you like this content and the podcast, here is how you can support the podcast and my Thriving empire of side hustles:
- Shoot me a tip on Venmo or CashApp @ThrivingtheFuture.
- Go to the Stuff page on Thriving the Future site and buy something.
- OR – click on one of the Amazon links on the Stuff page and then buy your other stuff that you want. Anything you buy on Amazon for 24 hours will give Thriving the Future a credit (a Piece of the Action).
- Buy comfrey crowns or cuttings on Grow Nut Trees. More trees will be available in Sept.
- Go to my other site AllGardenAdvice.com – Gardening Ideas and Tips, and check out the articles and stuff.
Permies digital marketplace is YOUR source for all things permaculture for your homestead, side hustle, and designing your intentional life:
from video courses, to blueprints, to books.
Get more insight into how to design your intentional life in Permaculture Business Design Course from Regeneration Nation Costa Rica – This course will guide you step-by-step toward designing a profession that cultivates your permaculture education into a regenerative livelihood.
Shameless plug – I have hazelnut and elderberry available at Grow Nut Trees. Buy now and they will ship in Sept/Oct.
I grow chestnuts, hazelnuts, elderberry, mulberry, and comfrey that are adapted to the Midwest. They will do better on your place if you live in the Midwest.
