055: Smart Homesteaders Fix the Problem

To be a successful homesteader, you also need to be a fixer. But I'm not just referring to hands-on fixing, I'm also talking about the ability to move past just complaining towards taking action on the issues we're dealing with. And believe me—there's a reason this has been on the forefront of my mind lately. (Listen to today’s podcast by clicking on the play button on the black player bar above, or find the Farmish Kind of Life podcast on your favorite podcast player!) A few thoughts from today's episode: — There is a big difference between blowing off steam and pointless complaining—and you will know if you ask yourself is there productive action after the complaint? — People complain for lots of different reasons: It's a way to bond with people. If you don't complain, you fear that people assume your life is easy. Complaining is easier than making the (usually) uncomfortable choice that will bring about the solution to the problem. — When an issue arises on your homestead and you complain and don't fix it, you're just making noise. And you can't run an effective homestead by just making noise. — How many times have you heard someone complain about their aggressive rooster, or that their free range chickens are tearing up their yard—but they don't take steps to remedy the situation? They just post again in another forum, asking the same exact question. — It is most effective to focus your efforts dealing with things within your circle of influence/things you can control (health, children, issues at work or on homestead), and give less effort to worrying about the things in your circle of concern (the weather, the national debt, terrorism). — Don't get caught up in complaining about the stuff you can't do anything about. It only takes you away from the stuff that you actually have to do on the homestead—and I know you have enough to keep you busy. — When you complain, be willing to take action on the things you're complaining about. What are you going to do about it? — Complaining is sometimes the way to identify what we need to learn more about. — Pay close attention to what's going on around you and figure out solutions to what you may be dealing with in the future—but don't get stuck in the complaining part. Move into action to make things better for yourself, your family, and your homestead. — There are a lot of people out there who do nothing but complain. They are hard to be around. Don't be like them. — There are also people who are dealing with a lot of stuff and they complain very little. As in, yep, there's a struggle, now let's figure out what to do. Be like them. Links referenced in today’s show: Cook With What You Have by Nicole Sauce Join the A Farmish Kind of Life group on MeWe Should You Keep a Rooster? (episode 15) Five Truths About Free Range Chickens (episode 7) Habit 1: Be Proactive (FranklinCovey.com)  Smart Homesteaders Keep Learning (episode 54) Check out all the episodes of the Farmish Kind of Life podcast Subscribe to my Farmish Kind of Life podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, PlayerFM, or other popular podcast players. All episodes of the podcast will also be linked under the podcast tab that you can find way at the top of this post in my menu bar.