Are you living your dream or dreaming of a life that's different than what it is now?
If you're not living the life you want to be yet, I want to tell you my story with the hope it will encourage you to start today to build the life you want.
Life is short. You deserve to be happy, fulfilled, and doing something you're passionate about!
When Jesse and I met 12 years ago our lives looked nothing like they do now. I was just out of grad school and I was BROKE with tens of thousands of dollars of student loans to start repaying.
Jesse and I were both making minimum wage harvesting tobacco. I was basically homeless and couch surfing. We owned nothing except debt.
The world and all the practical advice I'd ever been given said I should find a career with benefits and be content with that until I was 65 and could retire comfortably.
It took awhile, but I eventually got a "good" job, I advanced in my career, I had amazing experiences and mentors, met some of my very best friends, and accomplished things I never thought I would be capable of.
But it quite literally broke me. I couldn't accept that as my reality for the next 40 years.
I knew I was being called to do something different with my life, but I kept staying. It was safe. It's what all the people around me were doing. I had a family to support.
I made it 10 years in the agricultural lending world and I was a burnt out mess.
Everyone told me I was crazy for even thinking about leaving my "cushy" job to do something as unpredictable and risky as farming, but I didn't have it in me any more to stay.
In August of 2019, I made the decision to somewhat abruptly leave my job - the one that actually paid our bills, provided our health insurance, had all the so called "perks", so I could farm, be with my babies, and just try to put back together what all the stress of that life had broken in me.
It was terrifying, but I also had this strange peace that it was all going to be fine even though no matter how I penciled out the numbers the money in did not match the money out.
What I learned from this experience is that by letting go of that job I thought we couldn't live without, it opened up a whole new life for myself and my family.
The right people and opportunities came to us when I stopped letting fear of the unknown control me and took the leap of faith. While our income may have been cut, the abundance that has found us in other ways has been nothing short of amazing.
Maybe now is the time you let go and follow that dream. Make a change. Do the thing you're feeling called to do with your life even if it seems impossible. We only get one chance, my vote is that you go for it.
While I'm not going to say we live in some perfect utopia where there's no stress and everything is rainbows and chicken hugs, I love what I do. I’ve gotten to experience so many things I never would have if I hadn’t taken the leap to leave that job.
Maybe this won't be what my life looks like forever, I might need/want the stability of a steady income, health insurance, and a faster growing retirement account someday, but for now… this is exactly where I’m meant to be.
I’m excited for the possibilities. I have such a feeling of purpose and fulfillment. And I especially love all the connections and friendships this farm has brought into my life. I want you to have this too!
Leave a comment or send me an email to let me know - are you living your dream? Do you need some encouragement to get started? I'm always up for a lively chat about following a wild dream most people don't understand!
Thank you for your part in encouraging and supporting me as I've chased this farm dream. I love being your farmer, I love being able to serve our community by raising great food, and I am so beyond thankful you're part of our journey.
~ Dana
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