Self-sufficiency means different things to different people. My own definition goes something like this:

“I want to balance my basic living expenses (food, rent, etc…) and my income without the need to hold down a traditional job.”

Now, where we get into different shades of gray is the definition of expenses. Many of my former friends would scream bloody murder at the thought of giving up their “essentials.” To them, self-sufficiency means having enough money to keep the big house, 2 cars, and blah, blah, blah… Read the rest of this entry

So the way I see it, there are three paths available to me at the present time. These are:

1. The wage-slave path
2. The “nothing” path
3. The self-employed path

Number 1 is out because, as I mentioned, there is no way I will go back to the spirit-crushing world of the wage-slave. I will do whatever it takes to avoid that.

Number 2 is also out because that is just not me. I need to have a little stability. I, at least, need to know where my next meal is coming from and where I’ll be hanging my hat for the night. I suppose I could stay with friends and family, but I need my independence and self-respect – that is very important to me.

So, that leaves me with option 3. Ideally, I would like to find something that would, at least, support my meager requirements. I don’t need much, and I don’t want much – just enough to survive independently.

It would be naive of me to think that this is the easiest path – it certainly is not. However, it seems to be the key to providing me with everything I need. And what I really need now is a source of income that is entirely location independent.

I sat down with a pen a paper yesterday and really did some brainstorming. Yeah, I know it sounds kind of strange, but I have always been a “list” kind of person. This is my way of organizing my thoughts. And let me tell you, my thoughts have been all over the place in the last week or so. Once I wrote everything down, it seemed more organized and less daunting. Lately, I’ve experienced a lot of anxiety with feeling the need to be doing something – anything. Read the rest of this entry