August 31st, 2017
Planning vs Doing
Huh? How is it almost fall already? I would have thought living in a camper for the whole summer would have gone by slower.. But it has actually been so much fun! Something about being stripped down to the essentials has become so attractive to Nathanael and me. This entire summer have been filled with planning out what is priority to get done before winter here on the land and with our business. So with the anticipation of winter what do we find coming barreling down the hill faster than we thought? Winter. Yippee. Our minds are more powerful than we think. They are so simple yet we make them so complex. GAH. *Clenches fists and awkwardly shakes them in the air*
“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” -Romans 7:15NLT
However, this summer has been so exciting! We've gotten to know the incredible people that live nearby who have taken in the "new kids" and have treated us like family, we've enjoyed living in our little camper more than we originally thought (for what ended up being 9 months) and have fallen in love with small living and the whole concept that goes along with it, watching the deer pass through the fields every morning and evening, sitting in the valley together while Nathanael teaches me all about the different birds that fly by and sing their songs in the distance ( As if he couldn't get any more freaking adorable, a treat early on in our relationship is when Nathanael surprised me with how much of a bird nerd he is. I mean really? I melted.), walking around the property and day dreaming of what each specific area would look like and purpose it would fulfill... It's been dreamy. And we've got some big far out dreams for this place. I don't know how long it will take to get there but its odd, I can close my eyes and visualize myself early in the morning, a little fog blanketing the hills in the distance, the sun just starting to make the sky orangey-pink, I'm wearing a white flowing robe and holding a warm cup of coffee, standing on the edge of my balcony looking over the land and all that has been created, repeating to myself how grateful I am for all of it. It's strange I know, but its the same thing every time, like an old memory.
“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge. Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought.” - Napoleon Hill
We actualize what is dominating our subconscious. And why is it even in our subconscious to begin with? Because we continually feed it through our conscious. So now our subconscious operates on autopilot. I'll be the first to admit that I have trouble explaining whats going on in my chaotic brain, but try and follow me here : A quick example is someone whose initial *natural* instinct is to see only the problem in every situation vs someone whose *natural* instinct is to acknowledge the problem but instead looks for the answer. You will always find what you’re looking for even when you don’t consciously realize you’re looking for it. It’s hard to rewrite our DNA.
We have been experiencing this in an overwhelming amount on the land. We have so many dreams and ideas but deciding where to begin is an entirely different trial in itself. Looking at a blank canvas can be wonderfully exciting and yet so cripplingly at the same time… Where do we start? What will make the biggest difference? What if we make a mistake?! These are some of the questions that have plagued us this summer. All the negative side-effects to the crippling "what if's" in life.
PSA: Very cheesy analogy ahead - Skip over if necessary.
I have learned that when standing at the bottom of a mountain it does you absolutely no good to try and plan out every step, every obstacle, and every turn because there is no “right way” to climb it. And most likely your plans will change with the situation as you go because there will always be something you didn’t anticipate. But as long as you learn to be adaptable and keep moving you will eventually make it to the top. So start with a good plan of action and move, dangit! A “plan without a plan”. No matter how well you scheme you’ll never get to your destination if you don’t actually take the first step. Again, cheesy yet simple right? So why the heck are we so good at making it complicated? One of my absolute favorite quotes...
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” - Theodore Roosevelt
Remember that you can learn from success AND failure! Acknowledge failure for what it is, a lesson, not a defeat. Learning is SO important but you can't learn unless you take action first... "If what you learn leads to knowledge, you become a fool; but if what you learn leads to action, you can become successful. Remember: rewards come in action, not in discussion."
LOOPHOLE!
And with that... *drum roll please* LET THE BUILDING COMMENCE!!! Remember how the county wouldn't allow a primary residence to be less than 24'x24'? Well after a million trips to the Warren County office, gaining the zoning ladies trust and convincing them that we weren't conniving rednecks that just wanted to live in a shack, use an outhouse, and get out of paying more in taxes, but in fact were just kids with a dream of creating a venue on the land, Im proud to say we found our loophole ladies and gentlemen... Porches count towards that overall measurement!!!! All those years of Ashley day dreaming of sipping coffee on a rainy day on her front porch - well that dreams coming true!! Now to build our 16'x24' house with a 12'x24' porch!!! Can you tell I'm excited or should I use more exclamation points?? (Funny how we're pumped to build a house that is the size of some peoples master bathroom.. HA!) First things first though... Lets get an entrance to the other side of the property we want to build the venue utility building/house on! Can you see in the first picture the celebratory pizza and ice cream? Yes, my husband knows me too well.
*entrance completed September 8th, 2017*
Want To Follow Our Venture?
If you’d like to follow our venture I’d love to see you follow our pages @ThePreludeXII on Facebook and Instagram. I hope to encourage people to not deify common sense and to go all in for their passions and purpose and if this only encourages one single person to do that than it's more than worth it!