A few years ago my family and I decided on a major lifestyle change by moving to this farm from Sydney to experience an exciting new adventure and to pursue our dream of living a more self sufficient and sustainable lifestyle.
It seems that we are part of an ever growing number of people who are choosing new lifestyles and who are now referred to as "downshifters." When you click here, you can read more about this trend in The Age newspaper.
The farm had been a sheep and cattle farm and although some natural bushland was in place, we started a major tree planting and revegetation programme.
The previous owners told us they had never been very successful at growing vegetables on their farm. Undeterred, we set about establishing our vegetable garden and orchard and it wasn’t long before we enjoyed our own home-grown produce.
We moved in just after Christmas in 1999 and have been on a rather steep learning curve ever since.
Here’s a short extract from my book, Cash Cows – How To Create Extra Sources of Income so that Money Keeps Pouring Into your Life . . . Forever! which explains some of the challenges associated with such a dramatic move.
“When people hear what we have done, they often tell us that they would love to do that too. That would be their dream as well. Soon after expressing their dream however, these people generally raise their biggest concerns around such a move.
Two of the most frequently asked questions we receive are:
1. How will you survive financially? and
2. How will you know what to do on a farm when you have lived in the city all your life?
Needless to say, these are very valid questions and ones that deserve quite some consideration. In fact, we also thought about them carefully before we decided to move. Most people raise these questions in their own minds and then quickly conclude that they cannot achieve their dream because:
A) They probably won’t be able to find a job in the country
B) There’s too much they don’t know, so, what if it all fails?
The choice we all have when considering how to deal with challenges and opportunities is to understand the situation and then to proceed boldly forward with the intention of dealing with obstacles as they arise. People with such a progressive mindset have the greatest possibility of succeeding during this new millennium.
Those who want to retreat into their comfort zone and play it safe will be less likely to prosper and succeed in our rapidly changing world.
For our part, we decided to find ways of making the move a success. We looked at how we could restructure our business so that our location was less of an issue. We also looked at new business opportunities that allowed us to capitalise on our new and more ‘remote’ location. (I think it’s only a state of mind!) Then we looked at extra business ideas we could implement to complement our existing business and which are in line with the changing face of business in the new millennium. Now, after several years, we are delighted with our move and secure in the knowledge that we can operate our business activities from wherever we choose to live.”
A year after moving to the farm, I published the book, Health, Wealth & Wisdom In The New Millennium with my co-author Stephen Skelton. In this book we analyse the core belief systems and the type of mindset we need to prosper in these fast changing times. Here’s some more from the Cash Cows book:
“The key to creating abundance in this environment is to be aware of signs of changing trends, to recognise opportunities when they arrive and most importantly to act on them. This is a time when we are witnessing the re-emergence of the entrepreneur as the predominant business structure. Increasingly, people are running businesses from home in order to enjoy greater flexibility, personal satisfaction, recognition and greater rewards for their efforts."
We can design the life we choose for ourselves
Years ago, we discovered that we all have the power to choose the life we want to live. We can choose to just make a living or we can design the life we want for ourselves.
Throughout our lives, the life we wanted to live has changed. When we started our careers, my wife and I had a strong focus on work and having a good time with our friends. When we had children and became a family, many of our activities became family oriented and we juggled a larger variety of activities and responsibilities. Now that our children are young adults and following their own dreams, the life we want to live has changed yet again.
Our move to the country was part of that ever-changing desire to create and live the life of our dreams. We wanted to grow our own vegetables, have some space around us and enjoy a cleaner environment. We wanted to be more in touch with nature and we wanted to live and teach a more sustainable way of life. To this end, we established the Quindalup Permaculture Farm and Education Centre.
What is Permaculture?
Permaculture is a design system for creating sustainable human environments. The aim is to create systems that are ecologically sound and economically viable, which provide for their own needs, do not exploit or pollute and are therefore sustainable in the long term. Permaculture uses the inherent qualities of plants and animals combined with the natural characteristics of landscapes and structures to produce a life-supporting system for city and country, using the smallest practical area.
The word Permaculture® was first coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978 with their book Permaculture One. It was formed from the words permanent agriculture. The main aim of Permaculture is to create living systems without waste.
Most Modern agriculture works in the sub-soil with artificial nutrients, bulky machinery and fuel, and artificial pest control to keep feeding the world's people a food that is low in nutrients and vitality.
Permaculture is about reducing pressure on the remaining forests by bringing productive gardens and nature to where the people live. We can minimise soil loss and build multifunctional food forests. We can all be productive in our home systems and we can satisfy most of our needs and waste management locally.
Permaculture aims for self-renewing natural systems of food production: Self-seeding annuals, perennials, trees and herbs and self seeding annuals; choosing species high in nutrition and producing it where people live.
Many people now see Permaculture as a productive and responsible lifestyle and culture. People active in permaculture gain daily insight into their impact on the environment, they eat fresh seasonal produce and so have a heightened awareness of nature, they become physically active as they work their site, and they bond with the land through their needs and leisure. Moreover, they realise that they are part of a community, and share their surpluses and support local business and activities.
Permaculture reduces waste and disharmony by integrating more people into the natural world on which their survival depends. "It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way. Without permanent agriculture there is no possibility of a stable social order." Mollison 1988
Sustainable human habitats have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. [Fanton 1995] Permaculture builds the relationship between productive ecosystems, buildings, town planning; water supply; sewerage; social and economic structures.
Permaculture is about taking responsibility and control of our needs and wants and being part of a global solution rather than part of the problem.
® Permaculture is a registered name with the Permaculture Institute of Australia.
As we develop our infrastructure and facilities more fully we plan to hold weekend workshops on the following topics:
Bush Foods
Cheesemaking
Organic Vegetable Growing
Free Range Poultry
Preserving the Harvest
Converting/Designing a Green HomeThe benefits of having and creating reserves in your lifeOur move to the country has given us a new perspective on the benefits of having and creating reserves in our private and business lives. It was an interesting change of thinking for a “city slicker” like me to have to make.
Whereas previously we could “just duck down to the shops” and get something we had run out of, we now live 40 kilometres (one way) from the nearest large shopping centre and therefore we have learnt to plan our shopping trips with greater care and foresight.
One of the first farming jobs I performed on moving onto our farm was to bring in the bales of hay that we had made earlier. You see, the agent who sold us the farm suggested that it might be a good idea to have contractors come in and bale hay in one of our paddocks to ensure that we had enough feed for the leaner times. I took on this suggestion and then it became my job to bring in the hay bales soon after we moved in.
As a result I’ve found that driving a tractor can be quite therapeutic because it gives you the opportunity to reflect on life and how you play the game. Just like rich people think differently to poor people so farmers think differently to city folk. A sensible farmer plans ahead and creates reserves for the leaner times. When the pastures are at their best he prepares the hay for the winter time. When the weather is hot and when most people wouldn’t spare a thought as to how they will heat their house in winter, the farmer gathers and cuts his firewood. (An even smarter person has planned further ahead and harnessed solar energy to provide the heat they desire)
I think these are important metaphors for us as we go about our daily lives and the way in which we plan our finances or run our businesses. Often someone tells me that they have just run out of fax paper and that they need to go out and buy another roll before I can send them a fax. These are the same people that are wanting to build wealth! That is living life without any reserves. That is poverty behaviour!
An astute investor, a person with a prosperity mindset and a smart businessperson always creates a reserve because that is also a sign of abundance, provided you are not just squirreling it all away for a rainy day. What reserves have you created in your business and private life that allow you to perform more efficiently and effectively?
There are many types of reserves that we can consider. There are reserves of physical items such as stationery, food, stock for sale, timber, building materials and so on. Then there are non-physical reserves such as time, energy, love, compassion etc. I’m sure you can think of many more.
Wherever you live, I suggest you will be far more successful when you allow for adequate reserves in all areas of your life. Apply this concept and enjoy greater levels of abundance in your life because you will no longer be living from “hand to mouth.” You will no longer be thinking “that’s good enough” because you will always be allowing for that little bit extra in whatever you do.Here’s a thought for you to ponder on:
When you next go into a supermarket to purchase pre-prepared and packaged food, take a moment to reflect on the source of that food, what it actually looks like in its natural state and how little the farmer actually earns for his part in bringing food to your table.
Could there be a better way?
Have you ever given a thought to growing your own vegetables?
Would they taste different to what you are currently eating?
What would you do if one day, you found your supermarket shelves bare? (Don't say it won't happen. It happened in my lifetime as a result of a truckies blockade.)
How would you get on?