Congratulations! You’ve come a long way! But country living is a journey rather than a destination. It’s time to stretch yourself and reach for the next milestone. Consider setting fresh farm goals, adding new projects, refining old processes, and giving back.
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Review
Every so often, it’s great to take stock of your progress. For one thing, you’ve likely made a lot more progress than you’re giving yourself credit for, and realizing this can be encouraging. For another thing, it can be easy to drift into lazy habits, so this is a great opportunity to readjust so that you stay on the path to your vision.
The key to a positive review is a positive focus. The purpose is not to beat yourself up over all the ways you fell short—it is to prepare yourself to move forward.
So every so often, look at the progress you have made toward your goals and vision. List three things you’ve done well. Pause for a moment to take pleasure in your work, and be sure to give thanks for your growth and progress. Then write down one area in which you need to improve.
How often should you take stock? That’s really up to you. At the end of a project is a great time, as is at the end of a year. However, for continued motivation, you may want to go through this exercise every night if you find it helpful.
Revise
From time to time your vision and the path you choose to get there may change. Probably not earth-shattering seismic shifts (although that is not impossible), but certainly minor tweaks here and there. Your vision will hopefully continue to evolve and become richer. New circumstances may arise that have to be addressed (especially when it comes to farm goals!). You might think of a better plan to reach your milestones than the original plan.
Embrace these changes as they arrive. No one’s vision is static. Your dreams will grow as you grow.
Again, these shifts will probably not be radical. If you do find yourself contemplating a dramatic change of course, take the time to make sure it is a real, heartfelt desire, not a passing fancy. Then incorporate it into your vision and move forward.
It’s not a bad idea to revisit old goals and set new goals on a regular basis. How often is up to you, of course. The beginning of a new year is a classic time to re-envision the future. To maintain your interest, however, you may want to consider updating your plans more often, about every 90 days or so.
Repeat
If you have made it this far on your country living journey, we congratulate you heartily. Too many give up before realizing their dreams and the satisfaction that comes from abundant living.
Be sure to take time to enjoy all your work thus far. Give yourself permission to enjoy the fruits of your labors.
But then move forward and begin the cycle anew. Challenge yourself to dream even bigger. Implement all those skills you’ve already learned, and then pick up some new ones to create a fresh masterpiece. Never stop setting new farm goals, or new goals for all the other areas of your life, for that matter.
We wish you all the best on your path to abundant living in flyover country.
Homestead on the Range 