Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View

Is a Simple Life Really for You?

May 09, 2022 Julie @ The Farm Wife Season 1 Episode 6
Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View
Is a Simple Life Really for You?
Show Notes Transcript

Changing lifestyles can be a lot of work. But choosing one that fits best with who you are, your dreams, and passions can be well worth the effort.

Before you take the next step in changing your current lifestyle, it’s time to determine if living a Simple Life is really for you. 

To do this, just ask yourself a few questions, then think hard about the answers. No one know you better than you. When you determine what you want, like, and need for yourself, you don’t have to fake it. 

This podcast has the questions. Do you have the answers? 

To find out, pull up a rocker, grab a glass of lemonade, and get comfortable. It’s time to 

Relax and Enjoy!

Find out more about living a Simple Life at The Farm Wife

Get helpful links and transcripts for this episode and others at The Farm Wife/podcasts
(To make it easier to ask yourself the questions, download the Free Questions List!)

If you want to learn more about living a Simple Life or just have a fun visit, you can contact me at: thevirtualporch@gmail.com

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Welcome to Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View. I am so glad you stopped by.  Grab a glass of Lemonade, pull up a rocker and join me for conversations about living the Simple Life. Go ahead. Get comfortable and settle in for a good visit. It’s time to relax and enjoy!

Episode #3 – What is a Simple Life?

Welcome back to the porch! I hope you are ready for a good visit, because today we are going to be talking about whether living a Simple Life is really for you. 

So far, you have created your own definition of what a Simple Life is. Hopefully, you have done a bit of dreaming of what that lifestyle will look like if you do pursue it. And you have had an opportunity to address any fears you may have which threaten to hold you back. 

Before we get into the goal setting stage, you need to determine if this is the right move. Trust me – I have tried quite a few things that sounded good in the moment but ended up wondering how in the world I could get myself out of it with my mind, body, and wallet still intact. I would hate to be the reason that happened to you. 

A great thing about living a Simple Life is that you don’t have to do it all at once. It can be a gradual process, where you work on one thing for a while, until it becomes comfortable. When you are ready, you can implement another, and then another. In fact, I don’t even recommend you doing it all at once. It can be a lot to take in, and if you aren’t careful, you can become overwhelmed. 

The best way I can see to get started is by asking yourself a few questions, and then thinking hard about your answers. No one knows you better than you. When you determine what you want, like and need for yourself - you don’t have to fake it. 

Just remember, when you answer these questions, it doesn’t mean you have to give up all the things you are currently doing, or what you love to do. Instead, living a Simple Life is a manner of realigning your lifestyle to fit better with your priorities. You don’t have to give up your day job to do it, nor do you have to turn into a hermit. 

Let’s get to the questions. There are nine of them, so to help you out, you will find a free download of them on the Resource Page for this Podcast. That way, you can look them over and take your time with your answers.  

Question #1:  Is the current lifestyle you are living one that offers encouragement, contentment, and room to grow?

To me, being stagnant is almost like suffering punishment. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy my quiet time. I need that moment of solitude, to be honest. But on a continual basis? No. I am always finding new things I want to do to fulfill my own Simple Life journey. I enjoy spreading my wings, even if I do lose a few feathers in the process. 

And my lifestyle, all the learning curves included, is a very important source to my contentment with life. With each step I take, I am encouraged that I am on a journey to becoming the person I was meant to be.  And with each step I take, I am adding richness, definition, and quality to my life.

 Question #2: Do you have enough time in the day to pursue the things you love to do – faith, family, home, passions, etc.?

Time is one of those rare commodities we never seem to have enough of. Our lives are so busy with so many activities, we sometimes wonder how we even have time to sleep! Having enough time is one of the cornerstones of living a Simple Life. It means learning how to set your priorities, reducing the activities you are currently involved in to just those you need and want to do, and getting rid of the busyness – just for the sake of being busy.

 Question #3: Do you have control over your finances, and are free from worries over money? 

One of the biggest issues most people have is achieving freedom from financial worries. Some are desperate to simply keep the electricity turned on, others pray daily that there are no costly emergencies, such as health issues or vehicle maintenance. And others are wondering how they can afford to pay for their children’s college education and still having enough to retire. 

When you live a Simple Life, one of the goals is to learn how to live on less than your income and maintain a savings plan. It can be done. And because it does take time, work, and dedication, I will be covering it in more detail in an upcoming Episode.

 Question #4: Is your home a place you love to walk into – warm, welcoming, a place of comfort, and a safe haven? 

Have you ever walked into someone’s home, and knew instantly whether or not you wanted to be there? Some homes are so filled with upheaval, sadness, or hostility, it seems to pour right out of the walls.

In other homes, the moment you step across the threshold, you feel as if you have just been surrounded by a warm hug. Your body immediately relaxes, a smile hovers on your face, and you are excited to start your visit with the one who lives there. 

A home that is warm and welcoming says ‘comfort’. It is a place you know you can go to enjoy a few moments to visit with a friend, or a safe haven you can run to in a time of trouble. 

My home is one of the most important aspects of my life. It is not only a place where we live, eat and sleep. It is also my safe haven. For friends and neighbors, we have an ‘open door’ policy – all are welcome and will most likely be greeted with a cup of coffee or a glass of lemonade at the very least, and a plate of fresh cookies if it is baking day. 

When you live a Simple Life, it is much easier to reflect that warm and comfortable home, because that is the very essence of the people who live there!

 Question #5: Do you feel 100% secure in being able to depend on outside sources in order to feed your family?

This can be a tricky question. As close as five years ago, you might have been able to say yes. But with recent events, food seems to be getting scarcer. Grocery store shelves are bare, and what is available is often imported from other countries. 

The price of food has risen, but your paychecks haven’t. In some cases, you may no longer even have a paycheck, or have had to take a job where your income was cut. 

Learning how to not only grow as much of your own food as possible, but also knowing how to cook it and preserve it are becoming very important skill sets. 

 Question #6: Do you spend as much quality time with your family and friends as you need and want?

Have you heard the one about the workaholic that missed out on all the wonders of being part of the family? Of course, you have.  We use the excuse of the paycheck and financial support for our family as the reason we work so many hours. 

Have you also heard the one about how the family would rather live on less, if it means having more of your time? 

Neither one of these are myths. Your friends and family love you. They are your support system. You are theirs.  Spending time with your family and friends helps to create strong bonds that can last a lifetime. These people love you – and you love them. 

Find time to spend with them. Living with fewer material possessions won’t hurt you. And that housework can wait awhile. Your friends and family can’t.  

 Question #7:  Are you actively pursuing your dreams and passions? 

Following our dreams and passions are what makes us feel alive. Our lives are filled with a sense of adventure each time we begin something new. Our curiosity awakens, and we have a sense of pride and excitement when we fulfill them. Our dreams and passions are what keeps us moving forward. 

Without them? We can almost feel like something is missing in our lives. Like we didn’t arrive in time to board the ship, and instead are just standing on the dock, watching it pull away. I have something you need to think about:

‘Why are you waiting for your ship to come in? Get in the dinghy and row out to meet it!’  

 Question #8:  Do you have time to just sit, breathe, and rest? 

Let’s face it. Even living a Simple Life can keep us busy. But sometimes, we need to just set aside everything and take time for ourselves. Resting our minds and bodies is what keeps us healthy. 

It took me a while to figure this out. But when I finally did, I instituted an Afternoon Tea break. Each day I set aside at least 30 minutes to just sit and relax. I don’t worry about what isn’t getting done. I don’t create mental lists of things to do. Instead, I just sit and either think about nothing, do a little bit of dreaming, or lose myself in a book or a craft project.  

And once my Afternoon Tea is over, I feel refreshed, and ready to face the rest of what is on my agenda for the day. 

 Question #9: Would you truly describe yourself as the person you were meant to be? 

A great source of personal contentment is to be who you were meant to be. So many of us struggle to fit into the mold that someone else created for us. That may be family who ‘groomed’ you to follow in a parent’s footsteps, or a parent that pushed you into a career based on the paycheck because they wanted a ‘better’ life for you than they had. 

But all too often we can understand how that round peg feels when being forced into a square hole. To get the peg to fit, part of it has to be shaved off, and even then, it doesn’t fit properly, or securely. 

If you have become or are in the process of becoming the person you were meant to be – congratulations!  Keep up the good work. But if you aren’t, it may be time to sit back and re-introduce yourself to that person. No matter what you think or how old you are, it really is never too late.

 Bonus Question: Just how deeply do you want to go with your new Simple Life? 

I almost didn’t add this question, but in the beginning, every time I discussed my goal to live a Simple Life with the Country Boy, he frequently asked me the same thing. Just how deeply do I want to go? 

Living a Simple Life can be as simple as finding more time to spend with family or on pursuing our dreams. It can be what I call ‘the middle ground’ – and growing most of your own food, preserving the harvest, and even learning how to live on one income so more time can be done pursuing other goals. 

Or, if it is your fondest dream, it can go as deeply as an off grid, fully self-sufficient life. This is definitely a worthwhile dream and is doable. You just need to be prepared to work harder, set goals, and be fastidious with your finances. 

How deeply you want to go with your Simple Life is up to you. But no matter how deep you choose to go, just know that your plan for your new lifestyle is going to be a great way to live!

 If you want to learn more about the topic at hand, get a transcript for this episode, or download the free List of Questions – just visit my website at www.thefarmwife.com/podcast. That is the Resource page for this podcast and I have it set up by episodes to make things easier to find. To help you out, this is Episode 6. 

And while you’re there, take a look around at other posts to help you learn even more about living a Simple Life.

If you have questions or need some help figuring out your answers, you can stop by for an email visit at thevirtualporch@gmail.com. And be sure to subscribe – you don’t want to miss a single conversation. I'll be sitting on the porch every Monday morning waiting for your visit!

Thanks again for stopping in. I will see you next week on Living a Simple Life with a Back Porch View. And while you are waiting on the next episode, grab that glass of refreshment, pull up a rocker, and sit back for a while. It’s time to relax and enjoy.