by Texas Homesteader ~
A dream without action is simply a dream. So even if it’s just baby steps, start chasing the dream today! Come see our story.
Becoming Bored With Daily Life
Several years ago we decided we wanted something more than the day-to-day concrete jungle we felt stifled within. We both longed to be in more control of our lives but we didn’t know where to start.
How To Chase Your Dream
If you’re wanting to make a change, live a life you dream of, you’ll need to turn those dreams into action:
How would you like life to change? What do you want your future to look like? Identify those dreams.
What needs to happen to start the ball rolling? Whether you want to put your love of cooking into a new restaurant or begin writing that novel, decide the best path to reach your dream.
Identify financial targets. Do you have enough money to quit your job & chase your dream? To pay the startup costs for your new dream life? If not, start a saving plan now. You can still keep your corporate job as you funnel as much money as you can into savings.
Get started today! Whatever path you decide to take, get started NOW. Step by step you’ll get closer to your dream life.
I’ll share the steps we took to become full-time Homesteaders as this article continues.
(You can read all our self-sufficiency posts by clicking the button below:)
Our First Steps: Finding Property & A Mentor
After deciding we needed a change, we found this little piece of paradise in Texas and decided to call it our own. Dreams of a different future for us began to form in our minds.
Shortly thereafter we met a wonderful man that took us under his wing and became a trusted mentor. He helped us buy our first cows and taught us how to care for them.
He even worked those first few for us in his chute, giving them their immunizations to keep them healthy and then delivering them to our own fledgling ranch afterward.
His adult son has also been a great mentor, selflessly helping us in many ways at all hours of the day or night as we felt our way through those first unsteady years.
We’re happy to say both men are still cherished friends of ours today.
How We Prepared For Our New Dream Future
We were fortunate in those early years that we still held corporate jobs in that dreaded concrete jungle we desperately desired to escape.
Corporate salaries earned during those early days helped us go through the sometimes emotionally and often financially painful learning curve.
We needed to repair that poor old 1880’s barn. The skeleton of the barn was made of Bois d’Arc wood so it was still sturdy. But it still needed lots of repairs (thank goodness we still had corporate salaries for that!)
Yes, this is the same barn before repairs as the first photo of this post!
Learning About Livestock & Improving Land
Step by step we discovered how to properly care for our livestock and property. We updated fences and outbuildings.
There were ponds to be dug and pastures to be planted.
One step at a time we drew closer and closer to the life we dreamed we could live.
Someday…
Making The Leap To Chase Our Dream
But then came the time to make that leap from the corporate world to our long-awaited dream world.
We knew this was where our hearts were, but were we ready to Pull That Plug on guaranteed salary, annual bonuses and retirement funds?
YES!
RancherMan & I sat down and talked. REALLY talked. And we crunched the figures taking into account our current finances, savings and earning potentials.
Then several years ago we came to the mutual decision together that it was time to be full-time Homesteaders.
It was scary to jump hand-in-hand into the unknown future. But what a blissful ride it’s been!
Providing Food For Ourselves
We’ve learned to provide more for ourselves. That kind of self sufficiency is so refreshing!
Our Homestead garden is planted and harvested each year. The abundant healthy harvest is enjoyed fresh and preserved for later too.
You can read more about our garden and food preservation by clicking the links below:
Texas Homesteader Gardening Posts
Learning As We Go
Together we’ve dealt with the uncertainties that are to be expected when you’re self employed.
We discovered – many times to our dismay – that although the weather is out of our control it has a huge impact when your livelihood revolves around the health of your animals as well as your grass.
We’ve learned about pasture rotation and artificial insemination breeding. About gentle cows and difficult calf births.
Start Today To Make Your Dreams Reality
There have been both good and bad days over the years. But we are pursuing our dream and it’s a beautiful thing.
Are you ready start taking those first baby steps toward the future you desire?
A dream without action is simply a dream – take those steps today!
~TxH~
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See All Our Homesteading Posts
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I live in a part of Texas that is all small towns comprised of ranchers and farmers. I’m going to share this on my FB page because I know they’ll also enjoy your story.
Awesome Shelley – thanks. Couldn’t we all use to see a little kindness in our FB newsfeeds to push aside the rampant ugliness crowding it these days? ~TxH~
Simplifying my life to continue my dream ! Inspirational thanks again
I love that you just “went for it!” My husband and I keep dreaming about making a huge change, but right now it is just a dream — mainly because we can’t agree on what that change should be, haha. I would love to open a bed and breakfast, but that is so far off of his “dream radar” that he can’t even fathom it. Oh, well, one day… 🙂
I know what you mean Wendy – both partners have to be on the same page to make the leap successful. RancherMan & I spent many months/years discussing what each of us wanted, what was important and what was not. When our desires for the future finally aligned, we knew it was time to leap. It’s been every bit as blissful as I hoped it would be. 🙂 ~TxH~
It is so easy to feel paralyzed with fear at trying something new, especially something you’ve had your heart set on for such a long time! I’m really trying to step outside my comfort zone and meet the life goals and dreams that I have so I don’t have regrets later. It’s tough, but worth it!
How wonderful! You make me want to get in the car and drive to the land we just bought to start move some rocks around… Sometimes I think that maybe we are just crazy to hope for a dream like this one, but then I read a post like this one and I just know that if you are willing to get dirty and believe, your dreams can come true.
Beautiful story! Thank you so much for sharing. It is good to hear from someone in the same boat.
Thanks Jenny. Sometimes it’s just comforting to know that someone else has had the same hopes & fears you are experiencing. Dreams do come true! ~TxH~
Thanks Gary, we love to share the story! 🙂 ~TxH~
Wow what a great story. Love to hear of the history of your ranch.