One of the most common traits of people who want to move off the grid, is lack of action.
At least once a week, I receive e-mail from a reader complimenting me on my move off grid and my setting up a travel trailer homestead. Most go on to say that they dream of doing it themselves someday, but can never find the right time or way to go about it, after all what if they fail - then what?
They suffer from procrastination and indecision, a debilitating disease. Thankfully the cure is simplistic and without pain.
The Symptoms
You know how you would like to live, every time you close your eyes you imagine it - you can almost taste the freedom. You think it has a chance of becoming a reality for you. You’re excited, but you’re not quite sure how to go about it or fear holds you in place.
So, you start reading magazines
and blogs. You start learning. You may have even bought a copy of Travel-Trailer Homesteading Under $5,000
with the hope of obtaining the skills needed to turn your dream into reality.
Yet you do nothing. You don't want to screw up. What if you fail? Fear holds you in place, you're afraid that if you move forward you could flunk the test, it is easier and safer to do nothing so that is what you do.
So, you keep absorbing information while gathering tools and emergency preparedness supplies . You tell yourself that you’ll make the move “when the time is right”. You fall into an endless cycle of self-doubt. You keep waiting for the perfect time and circumstances, when success can be assured, but the guarantee never comes - you wait.
The result? Exactly nothing. You remain trapped in a life you no longer enjoy, your only hope of salvation is the mental imagery of the life you really want and hope to achieve someday. You continue to dream, never taking that leap of faith in yourself or your ability.
I've been there before, the planning and dreaming without action - I don't think I would have ever made the move off grid if it had not been for a failed marriage and subsequent divorce. Sometimes blessings are hidden in what would appear on the surface to be tragedy
...
The Care
Fortunately, you don't need a doctor or magic pill - the cure is simple really, you need to stop overthinking. It's just a decision - you either decide to continue doing nothing or you take a leap of faith. You make a decision and follow through. It's that simple.
What's the worst thing that could happen? You make the move and it doesn’t go the way you had imagined, then you look over it and find an answer or you approach the problem from a different angle or perspective. Either way you learn and adapt.
Suppose, you decide this living off the grid thing isn't for you, you miss the life you had - secretly crying herself to sleep everynight with memories of plasma screen TVs and Monday night football ripping through your brain. You can pack it up and head back to town, I won't laugh - I promise
.
At least once a week, I receive e-mail from a reader complimenting me on my move off grid and my setting up a travel trailer homestead. Most go on to say that they dream of doing it themselves someday, but can never find the right time or way to go about it, after all what if they fail - then what?
They suffer from procrastination and indecision, a debilitating disease. Thankfully the cure is simplistic and without pain.
The Symptoms
You know how you would like to live, every time you close your eyes you imagine it - you can almost taste the freedom. You think it has a chance of becoming a reality for you. You’re excited, but you’re not quite sure how to go about it or fear holds you in place.
So, you start reading magazines
and blogs. You start learning. You may have even bought a copy of Travel-Trailer Homesteading Under $5,000 with the hope of obtaining the skills needed to turn your dream into reality.Yet you do nothing. You don't want to screw up. What if you fail? Fear holds you in place, you're afraid that if you move forward you could flunk the test, it is easier and safer to do nothing so that is what you do.
So, you keep absorbing information while gathering tools and emergency preparedness supplies . You tell yourself that you’ll make the move “when the time is right”. You fall into an endless cycle of self-doubt. You keep waiting for the perfect time and circumstances, when success can be assured, but the guarantee never comes - you wait.
The result? Exactly nothing. You remain trapped in a life you no longer enjoy, your only hope of salvation is the mental imagery of the life you really want and hope to achieve someday. You continue to dream, never taking that leap of faith in yourself or your ability.
I've been there before, the planning and dreaming without action - I don't think I would have ever made the move off grid if it had not been for a failed marriage and subsequent divorce. Sometimes blessings are hidden in what would appear on the surface to be tragedy
...The Care
Fortunately, you don't need a doctor or magic pill - the cure is simple really, you need to stop overthinking. It's just a decision - you either decide to continue doing nothing or you take a leap of faith. You make a decision and follow through. It's that simple.
What's the worst thing that could happen? You make the move and it doesn’t go the way you had imagined, then you look over it and find an answer or you approach the problem from a different angle or perspective. Either way you learn and adapt.
Suppose, you decide this living off the grid thing isn't for you, you miss the life you had - secretly crying herself to sleep everynight with memories of plasma screen TVs and Monday night football ripping through your brain. You can pack it up and head back to town, I won't laugh - I promise
.
This is the best blog post I've read in months.Procrastination should be on of the deadly sins. Keep up the good work.
LIVING OFF GRID IS A LOT OF HARD WORK,THOSE NOT USE TO THE LIFE STYLE WILL PROBABLY FAIL.IF YOU ARE FORCED TO MOVE THE CHANCES ARE YOU WILL ADAPT TO YOUR SITUATION.I THINK OUR EXAMPLE OF A SUCCESSFUL GUY IN THIS IS MD.GOOD JOB,KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK MY FRIEND.FROM JAY IN NC
I bought a used diesel truck and a used 5th wheel trailer last week while my credit is still good. I am not going to pay any more on my mortgage and will instead put the mortgage payment towards savings. I will continue to live in my house until school is out next summer, selling off everything I don't need. Next Jun/Jul I'll hit the road and leave the house for the bank - get away from the city, and away from the b.s. of everyday life. The wife & kid's with me, and we're not procrastinating, we're moving out and Going Galt!
Procrastination has always been my biggest problem. Need to get it in gear. Thanks M.D. for the kick in the ass.
Procrastination is a very widespread problem. I know it affects me. I was going to write a much longer comment, but I'll get to it later....
It's hard enough to get anyone to start preping, getting them to move off grid is almost impossible. They won't even listen. Anyone that moves off grid has a big hats off from me. Thanks again M.D. for an excellent blog.
trucks which is the best diesel or gas. any comment or have you touch on this before in another post. Long term, dependable before 2000 i would bet.? I ask this so i can determined what to use to pull the trailer. dodge chevy, ford?
I'm showing my age. The 70s version of this was 'turn on, tune in, drop out'. I had several acquaintances who did this,out of choice, just idiot kids. It was difficult watching their comebacks. They came back into the recession of the early 80s and treaded water. One never got back, and in middle age, is still cobbling together short term jobs with no benefits. The two with families who could give them a leg up for a couple of years were ultimately OK, although who can say what they might have done if they'd stayed the course. I think success in going off the grid hinges on understanding straight on that it's going to be a lot harder work than what you've been used to doing. If your back is up against the wall, that's good motivation. It's probably not the kind of thing you can do to express yourself, as my acquaintances did. Just my observation.
Actually I'm just giving you a hard time. I like your blog. Keep up the great work!!!!!
People used to write to me saying I was living their dream. I had a homestead, underground house and organic farm. Something like 90% of Americans are richer than me. If I could live that way, anybody could! Finally I wrote this page on how NOT to become a homesteader :-P
http://peaceandcarrots.homestead.com/HowNotToBecomeAHomesteader.html
Moving slower than I like to totally offgrid lifestyle. Going through a divorce so am no longer at the farm. Living in a tiny one room cabin in my daughters backyard. Have electric at the moment but carry in water but use daughters bathroom and shower. I cook on a hot plate and toaster oven at the moment but am saving for a small woodstove I can heat with and cook on. Considering all the crap of the past 6 months I am happy with what I have accomplished and looking forward to seeing myself totally off grid. I have gotten lots of help and encouragement from your blog... thank you
Great post. I think there is a line between planning/ having a trigger point and just getting into a cycle where all you do it plan and never act. For example lets say you want to move off grid to some land out in the boonies but your kid is in high school. When they graduate you are going to move. That is a plan. If you are waiting till you save the 8k (or whatever) you figured you need and are putting a regular meaningful amount toward that monthly you are planning.
For me personally I am going to end up on a small piece of land with a modest house. Big enough to have a barn and a big garden and some animals but still relatively affordable. Depending on my career choices this goal will be achieved in between 5 and 10 years.
As The Other Mike said once "a plan without a time line is a wish".
Great topic. Personally, i think it's 50% procrastination and 50% fear. Most people are to scared to make the change because they worry about what people will think of them. People are scared of a negative label and not being able to keep up with the jones'. This is definately a personal decision that will likely have a lot of social/societal consequences. The flip side is the personal benefit. People have to choose.
Keep up the good work.
Andy
To anonymous 12:02am:
Early 1990 to 1997 Dodge trucks deisel trucks had a problem with their transmissions not being able to handle the horse power that the motor could produce and their pront end suspension couldn't handle the weight of the big deisel motor either. Avoid GMC & Chevy Trucks in the years from 1989 to 2006, trust me on that one. I did however buy a 2008 GMC half ton in 2 wheel drive and it is an excellent truck. Ford trucks were at their best from 1991 until 1996, almost perfect in my oppinion. Now, wouldn't touch one that is newer than that. The 1998 to 2009 Dodge trucks are very good, that is the 1 ton with the deisel. Their 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks have too many aluminum components in the front end steering and they wear out at an alarming rate. My best advice would be a 1998 or newer Dodge 1 ton deisel, just make sure that the turbo charger is o.k. and that the motor had propper maintanance done. If the oil is not changed on schedule then it screws the deisel motor up royaly. And a deisel motor is the only way to go, gas is better if you are using it in severe cold where you have to idle the motor when it gets too cold to start a deisel but in a warmer climate the deisel will give you way better fuel mileage and cost savings. Happy motoring, just my $.02
Owners of businesses start businesses because there's reward. People go to college in their 40s and 50s and there's reward. Moving to chunk of land, growing your own food, making the place look the way you want it to...now there's a real reward. No neighbors to get in your face because your house isn't the right color, because you planted food and not decorative plants, because you dropped an engine out of your ride and you got grease on your driveway pavement, you want to walk around in your robe outside and sit on the porch but it's very 'unbecoming' to anyone who might see you and the good old-fashioned bathroom in the woods. I am one that loves shotguns, rockin' chairs and that good ol' warm evening in the summer on the porch with a roaring pit fire and friends. There's nothing like it in the world! Isn't it nice when you own your land and all that you have to do is worry about your day-to-day existence, normal maintenance and yearly taxes to your local county. Anyone who fears going off-grid ought to think again. The benefits are worth more than anyone could ever relate. Congratulations, M.D.! What a fine article it truly is. :)
hey anonymous 8:23, how do you simply stop paying your mortgage? Won't the bank repo your house?
M.D., what about an income?
goingrid,
The good thing about living off grid (at least the way I do) is you need very little money once you get setup. I have no rent or mortgage, utility bills or car payments. My only monthly payment is my internet hook-up through Verizon.
Before I started blogging full time I worked as a freelance handyman and gunsmith.
goingrid said...
"hey anonymous 8:23, how do you simply stop paying your mortgage? Won't the bank repo your house?"
The bank is welcome to repo the house, I live in Florida where the housing prices in my area have fallen about 40-50%, so anyone who bought a house here in the past 6 years owes more than their house is worth. Everyone is dumping their houses here, EVERYONE! Also, it is taking banks a year or more to foreclose on a house, so I can stay here for quite a while and put the mortgage payments into my savings.
I am curious how off the "GRID" you really are i mean u appear to have a computer and access to the internet to run this blog???? I mean r u just being fake and do you mske money off of this site preying on the fears of mass of peoples insecurities of the future??? I think you are about as far off the grid as Grandma is her Rocker!!!
Anonymous 2:40 AM,
Your comment is a testament to your ignorance of survival and the topic of being off-grid. I usually don't answer dumb-ass comments but since you sound dumber than most I'm making an exception here.
If you had read my previous posts on homesteading and the travel trailer homestead you would have been informed of my internet hook-up - but for your amusement here we go..
I have a laptop computer it has a battery. I plug it into my inverter connected to my 12-volt batteries to charge to computer or I can leave it plugged into the inverter and run the computer directly from the 12-volt batteries.
For internet service, I use Verizon wireless - the modem plugs into the usb port and works off cell towers.
It's simple enough even you could do it.
From dogear6:
For various reasons, living off-grid will not work at this time in my life. Having said that, there is still so much I can do right where I am at - i.e., adapt in place.
For those who want to live off-grid but cannot get it going, you aren't trying hard enough. Start where you are at! There are so many skills to learn and know, ways to reduce expenses and become self-sufficient even if you are not off-grid.
It is hard work to be self-sufficient and self-reliant. Doing it right where you are at this time is a great way to get started (and survive the learning curve!).