Driving up the winding canyon North of the San Fernando Valley to our RV spot I had a sinking feeling all was not well. I tried in vain to sweep the thoughts under the rug of my mind but it kept popping out. The road was still wet from the previous days rain. I made the decision to leave the tarp off of the roof because it honestly doesn’t work that well and the wind tends to blow it off anyway. In the last two hours of the drive I was thoroughly entranced in the story go Gail Lynn who invented of the harmonic egg. It was a great way to finish off what was otherwise a great holiday week. Google “Harmonic Egg”.
Previously I mentioned my morning routine of running or qi gong which kept me in the flow of my vision. I spent time in early December envisioning my ideal holiday time experience. I shared openly my journey of self discovery, easily articulated my emerging business ideas and had heart felt connections. We even experienced a Christmas miracle when my brothers flight was redirected to Las Vegas on the way to my sisters house in Texas. I was staying with my wife’s family and hadn’t planned on seeing him. Once I realized he was stranded I immediately picked up he and his wife. I hadn’t seen him in years and it was great to catch up with them for a day until his flight was back on.
Roof repair 101: I pulled up to the 78 Dodge and peaked in the door not sure what to expect. Sure enough, there was a steady stream of water flowing in through the ceiling next to the skylight. Water is a strange mysterious substance, a relentless slave to gravity. We started to wipe the floor to realized it had managed to hit the kids beds. That settled it, we were off to a hotel for the night. I was sunk at this point. My wife is usually more calm in the beginning of an emergency. She got stressed around day 3 of repairs. I think I was most bummed because I knew this would pull me away from my morning routine and other high expectations of the coming New Year.
Yes, I’ve been non stop sealing holes in the roof in between rain storms, pulling out the ceiling, running to the hardware store, installing insulation, new paneling, cutting trim, and finally painting finished today. Ten hours a day for four days. I love doing the work, don’t get me wrong. I do love my life, I’m free from a 9 to 5 job, I work on my blog and brainstorm my courses all day. Still it is tedious work, but a great challenge and practice when I finally build my A-frame house in the woods. Think of all the money I saved by doing it myself. Even if i could find a shop to do it. It would have been at least a two thousand dollar job. My cost about three hundred dollars. Plus it’s cleaner and nicer than it was before.
It felt as though my headspace was getting a makeover. So fresh and so clean!
The night in the hotel was harsh. I wouldn’t let myself sleep. I kept dwelling on the importance of monetizing Homestead Abundance now. I’ve got to start making money. I have to take control of my money. I’m almost fifty years old. What’s wrong with me? You get the the idea.
Basically negative self talk. Some truth in there, but without spending time on what to do about it. The loop pulls one deeper and deeper into creating self fulfilling prophecies. I decided to log into the Tyler Watson course work. I put on an alignment video on being unstoppable. Group alignments are recorded on Zoom as replays. They are a great way to stay on track and get refreshers on the process. Define the area you want to work on, redefine in to the direction you want to go and align it. Super simplified. I have a link to his Unstoppable Life School if you’re interested.(affiliate link) https://abundancemasters.clickfunnels.com/affiliate-logon1661207368651/aa2244dc886
Let’s talk about value. Whats more valuable? Time or money? During my ceiling refurbishment I was pondering the value of my time. Positives of DIY: learning new skills, understanding hand tools better, self sufficiency, saving money. For this type of work, I’m not even sure I would even be able to find a shop who would take on this job. RV shops are booked out for months. Plus they don’t like to work on older rigs. Negative: Took a lot of time I could have been working on my business in which I could actually be making money.
A great strategy for getting work done on your farm would be to offer housing or a space to park an RV. Negotiate hours worked per day ideally giving them enough time to pursue other income streams to take pressure off the farms overhead.
I currently do work trade plus pay by rate per hour. Sometimes it’s a good deal, specifically when I’m working 3-5 hours per day. Any more than that, then I don’t have time for my own work and I lose momentum and get frustrated. Right now I’m on call for work when its not raining which is a great deal because I get free rent and I don’t have to actually do anything except be available if needed.
I also thought a lot about tools this week. I realized the value of having mentors who know how to use tools you want to be able to use. This week I stayed at my parents house which allowed us to stay dry, but also have access to table saw, air compressor, electricity and just about any tool you can imagine. Without my dad, I would have spent a lot of time on Youtube and looking up how to use specific tools. Anyone can cut a piece of wood, but can you cut a piece of half inch quarter round to evenly meet up with another piece at a forty five degree angle? AHHH! It can be frustrating, but very rewarding.
We’ll be headed back to Chatsworth with a fresh ceiling, aligned goals and a clear path to success in 2023!