Self-Reliant Living
LIVING (abundance)
Self-reliant “Living” is an intentional, wholistic approach to everyday life that is complete and balanced. It is an organic, abundant “living-style” built upon the principles of thrift, industry, and sustainable living practices. This can significantly improve quality of life, life satisfaction, and happiness.
The Living pillar is the action part of life where we apply focused energy to get things accomplished and build empowering resources. A key objective is to become more self-reliant and independent which in turn results in greater peace, comfort, and security. “Living” is in essence, how we spend our life.
LIVINGSTYLE – A personalized methodology, manner, approach, and style of living that is manifest in everything you do. It is a reflection of who you really are deep down. LivingStyle is driven by your purpose and what you stand for. It captures and reflects your beliefs and core values. It is visible and apparent to others in your actions. LivingStyle guides the lifestyle you choose (based on your interests and personal preferences). LivingStyle differs from lifestyle in that lifestyle is tangible and visible in your settings and surroundings. For example: lifestyle may include such things as: the type and style of living-quarters, the home furnishings, the ambiance of the home setting, clothing, the transportation type and quality, etc.
INTERESTS – Something that draws or captures your attention. Interests may be driven by needs and wants on one hand or by a desire to avoid pain and negative consequences on the other hand. The greater we perceive the benefits to be and/or the more intense the consequences, the greater our desire for results becomes. Our interests can be influenced by a myriad of things including: concerns, curiosity, arousal, the desire for improvement, threats, frustrations, peace of mind, hope, life satisfaction, happiness, etc.
Your interests can be used as an initial, engaging starting point or as an anchor for becoming more self-reliant and independent. The key is to start where you are with your interests then leverage what you already have to build and expand your desire, passion, and drive to greater accomplishment. This results in greater ingenuity, imagination, creativity, innovation, and resourcefulness which in turn can fan the flames of your desire and propel you to greater successes.
FRUGAL LIVING – An intentional approach to “living within our means”. The epitome of self-discipline, Frugal Living incorporates the wise use and management of all our resources not just time and money. It means to be resourceful, economical, thrifty, and to avoid unnecessary waste. It also means to avoid frivolous and impulsive choices. Frugal living is balanced, it does not mean to be miserly or extreme. As a general rule, it is easier to conserve and save than it is to generate new resources.
SUSTAINABLE LIVING – A self-sustaining approach to living that reduces or eliminates your dependence (on others and upon outside resources) while providing for your own needs. Sustainability incorporates the practices of: producing, regenerating, and leveraging resources. It means discovering and utilizing faster, less expensive, more streamlined, and efficient methodologies. This in turn reduces your personal footprint and puts you more in harmony with your natural environment.
At a minimum, Sustainable Living means taking care of yourself and your family. However, there are additional reasons to elevate your abilities. If you wish to help others, you may need to increase the level of your sustainability. And, in a world of growing uncertainty, we highly recommend that you become prepared and ready for the unexpected whether short or long-term, able to pivot and rebound at will.
Sustainable Living may incorporate areas of opportunity such as: home production, home manufacturing, investments, self-employment, renewable resources, renewable energy, etc. Recommended areas of focus include: transportation, food, water, shelter, clothing, energy, diet, financial, health, etc.
LIVING SPACE – A place of habitation with different areas used for the various needs and aspects of daily living such as: sleeping, eating, relief, sanitation, hygiene, relaxation, protection, privacy, learning, entertainment, socializing, etc. The environment, tone, ambiance, comfort, tranquility, and security are directly impacted by your choice of LivingStyle and lifestyle.
When optimized and operated for living with a self-reliant focus, your Living Space becomes an oasis, a place of order, a place of learning, a place of productivity, and a sanctuary and protection from the uncertainties and storms of life. It typically incorporates various elements of home production. It is also prepared for operation during challenging times when it is possible to be cut off from traditional resources with appropriate alternative systems such as backup heating, water, sanitation, storage, etc.
TRANSPORTATION – Any means or method of mobility utilized to move or ship anything or anybody from one location to another. This can involve the use of vehicles, aircraft, boats, motorcycles, bicycles, pipelines, power lines, tractors, trailers, horseback, backpacking, foot travel, etc. Transportation is essential to productivity and is the backbone of operations for such things as shipping, farming, construction, material handling, etc. It is a key activity in everyday living.
From the self-reliance perspective, this means having and maintaining functional, reliable transportation to meet our needs and optimized for the greatest efficiency. This not only includes our daily living needs but incorporates a special focus on transportation during any challenging times that may confront us.
