If you take a scroll down Instagram lane, especially on the conservative side of town, you’ll see hundreds upon hundreds of homesteading accounts with the goal of being “independent” and “free from the government.” These accounts feature huge and beautiful gardens, modern and adorable chicken coops, or even vast, roaming cattle.
The people who live that life are blessed for sure, although such blessings don’t come without work or sacrifice.
But while it is great to have such goals, most people don’t live this way, and I believe that this trend is overwhelming, discouraging those with fewer resources from participating at all.
We are such an all-or-nothing society. Social media has probably contributed to the pressure we feel to be all-or-nothing people. Hustle culture tells us that if we aren’t all in all at once, we are doomed to be failures.
“In order to live healthy, you have to exercise every day,” they say. “In order to be independent, you must own 50 acres and cows and chickens. In order to support your community, you have to know everyone in town.”
We have bought into these lies, and they have left so many overwhelmed with the fact that they can’t do it all, that they end up doing nothing. Because they don’t have five acres, they don’t build a garden. Because they can’t have a lavish, custom chicken coop, they don’t get the chickens. Because they can’t exercise every day, they don’t do it at all. Because they don’t know everybody, they don’t meet anybody.
Because they can’t do it perfectly all at once, they don’t start small with what they have.
In reality, no one reaches their goals all at once. Things like this take years to work up to or build. Social media presents these lifestyles in 30-second increments of time-lapsed videos; in reality, they have been built little by little, one step at a time, over a long period of time. Even just thinking about doing it all at once is overwhelming; why would we think that doing it all wouldn’t lead to burnout?
When we see these things, we shouldn’t be asking, “How can I have all of that by tomorrow?” The question we should be asking is “How can I start with the things I have today?”
Start with what you have in the place where you currently are. Make healthy swaps in the grocery store that fit your budget. Get outside each day for some sunshine and movement. Start a small garden with one raised bed. Get out and meet one person. Start with one small DIY project at a time. This is how these dreams become reality.
So make a plan and do the first step today. Maybe the next step won’t even be until next year, but next year you will be two steps ahead of where you are today. And maybe you will realize that all that hard work in slowly building what you want is part of the fun of the journey.
Be encouraged that it’s not all or nothing. There is no shame in doing things little by little. In fact, the secret is that this is the way most people outside of the 1% get things done!
Don’t let comparison shame you into inaction. You are capable of simply making a start today in making whatever dreams you have into your reality tomorrow one step at a time.
Lauren is a wife, mother, and writer with a passion for boldly speaking truth. Writing and speaking for over a decade, Lauren has reached millions worldwide. She is known for her Biblical approach to controversial topics and humorous approach to counteracting the lies of the world. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @laurendemoss.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to Commentary@1819news.com.
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