Businesses, the traditional workforce, and a young woman’s desire to make a living off the land and be financially secure.

by AdobeStock / SNEHIT PHOTO

People in the traditional workforce are generally seen as an expense for the companies they work for, from an accounting perspective – neat, tidy, black and white, easy to use in a spreadsheet. And although many CEOs say their company’s workforce is their greatest asset, day-to-day management and financial machines struggle to capture the value of this intangible entity. Looking at my own decades in the mainstream workforce, I conclude that I could never have afforded my lifestyle with money, but the combination of a wise monetary investment, in addition to thousands of dollars. hours of my own job, allowed me to work towards the goals of financial independence and a life that I don’t need from routine vacations. Yes, I agree, I am lucky. Yes, I agree, I am slow.

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a young woman who desperately wanted to make a living off the land and create financial security for herself and her family. Her biggest concern was how she would get a sufficiently well-paying job that would provide the capital to purchase the land and other items needed to carry out her plan. Fully revealing that I am not a life path planner, I suggested that she think about how she could use money capital strategically to develop modest infrastructure that would allow her to immediately embark on the journey of life. desired life. And that she considers a lower paying job that wouldn’t consume her energy to do anything but crash at the end of the day. I suggested that her own skills and the actual work applied to her goal were her greatest wholly owned asset, and that she could choose to orient it toward her lifestyle goal, at least in part, rather than to sell it to a bidder who will gladly accept all that she has to give and then some. After considerable thought and research, she came up with a fairly specific short-term plan and a much more general long-term goal. If she sticks to it with enough flexibility to adapt to the changes, I think she has a good chance of achieving her dream.

Developers and real estate agents refer to it as “sweat equity” when it comes to property and various so-called property improvements. That’s one way of looking at it, but if effort fuels your passion and every hour you spend building an energy efficient house, fencing pastures and creating rich soils releases endorphins and provides great exercise and exposure to abundant fresh air, I would say your job is also a mental health asset, a physical health asset, a dietary asset and much more. In fact, the real value of your skills and work, when applied to your own self-reliance, is virtually impossible to quantify, but it is profound nonetheless.

The path to self-reliance is as varied as the individuals who pursue it. One of the hardest hurdles is getting started. I started to farm vacant lots in a big city. I partially supported my family through these efforts and fed us well. I would like to know how you started, or even how you developed your dream.

What has worked for you?

What was the most difficult obstacle? How did you use your own skills and your work to make it work?

Email me at [email protected], and if we get enough anecdotes and examples, we might compile a list for a future issue.

See you in April.

Posted on December 29, 2021