Join me, Intently Amy, for an exclusive tour of our tiny slice of Texan paradise! I’m so proud of my first YouTube video.
Watch, subscribe, comment!
Please support by watching the video all the way through, clicking that subscribe button, and leaving a comment to let me know you did! Share the video with fellow Texas enthusiasts and let’s spread the joy of Texas living far and wide.
In this video, I provide a mini introduction to the best world of country living, showcasing the unique features of our Texas property. From a tour of awesome barn and patio, to the 20 trees that line our property, get a glimpse into what makes this Texas living truly special.
Looking to bring a piece of Texas into your own backyard? I also share some insights into how we’re preparing for sustainable living, gardening our own fruits and veggies, and raising a family in the heart of this great state. And you don’t need acres of land to do it – I prove that a little slice of Texas can go a long way!
Want to learn more? I cover a range of topics in this video, including:
A guided tour of our Mini Farm Property
Insights into the Texas lifestyle
DIY Homestead Projects to enhance your living space
Gardening and Homesteading Tips for beginners and enthusiasts alike
Family Life in the Heart of Texas, from birthday celebrations to everyday adventures
Ready to embark on this Texan adventure?
And if you’re curious about the plant life featured in the video, be sure to check out the plant identifier app I mention: PictureThis. It’s a handy tool for any aspiring gardener or nature enthusiast!
Stay tuned for more Texas-inspired content and more insight into our life on the Texas Mini Farm. Thanks for joining me on this journey! 🌟
Well, hello Intently Community. It’s been a while…
This is me… Intently Amy! I want to start by thanking YOU. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably been part of my community and my journey since my child free by choice days. Or maybe you’ve followed me more recently for the motivational and intentional living content.
As I embark on a new journey in my life, I am saying hello to one amazing conscious choice I’ve made and that is to have a family.
Just last year, my husband Derek and I were living about a 5 minute walk from the beach in Oahu, HI. We were living what we could only explain as a dream.
Our YouTube channel, Live in Texas, has been introducing us to new people looking to find homes in the Dallas area. The real estate business is doing well (enough) for now.
So, when we moved back we employed ourselves to find a perfect starter Texas homestead. For many, this 1.7 acre plot on the outskirts of Dallas is enough. But for us, it’s just the beginning. This is where we’ll meet our children for the first time, learn to raise our chickens and goats, and then expand to our forever dream farm and ranch.
This plan has been cooking in our minds for a long while and it’s finally coming to a reality. Last year in September, we had our first baby girl. She’s an absolute incredible little one with so much personality already for a 6 month old.
We’re eager to raise her on the farm life and are sharing our experiences along the way!
As for this first blog in a long time, I’m keeping it short. Please subscribe to our emails by joining the community, and subscribe to my YouTube channel – Intently Amy & The Texas Mini Farm Family. Here’s what you can expect:
Texas Mini Farm Family Topics:
What it’s like raising kids in Texas
How to start a mini farm with less than 2 acres
What are the best things to do in the Dallas Fort-Worth for families
Family farming and gardening
Beginner’s Farm and Garden Journey – Mistakes we want to help you avoid
Listen, no one is going to do the work for you. Every day is a new day and trust me, it doesn’t always feel like it’s getting easier. In fact, some days it can feel like you’ve taken 3,000 steps backward and it’s harder than it’s ever been. Feeling that? Why put in so much work then?
You put in the work because it DOES get easier. You put in the work because the bad days are just that… bad days. Even when you are feeling like you haven’t made any progress whether it’s in the gym, in school, or at your work, you’ve made the progress.
I like to talk about the power of compound interest. Compound interest is a great financial tool, but you’d be surprised how much you can leverage it in your daily habits and life as well. All it takes is a little more effort today than it did yesterday. If it’s harder than it was yesterday to do half the work, so what? If it feels hard, then you’re doing something right, just keep at it.
My promise to you is that if you keep up the hard work, even when it feels like it’s too much, you’re going to cross over that hump and you’re going to enter into a world of infinite possibility.
Ok, so how do you leverage compound interest in life? The math on this is easy.
If you are working an 8 hour day, work 1 more length longer. Maybe you work 15 minutes more today than you did yesterday. The next week, work 30 minutes longer. I guarantee you that extra work doesn’t feel as hard as it did when you first tried it.
Just tell yourself… one more.
How about at the gym? If you’re doing 20 reps, I want you to do just one more! Go for 21. Does it burn? Does it feel like too much? Great! It’s not too much, it’s just one more!
Being the hardest worker in the room means you have to be willing to cross the barrier of what you thought was possible. Remember, it’s not what you were born with, it’s all about what you’re mindset is and how hard you’re willing to work for it.
I’m going to give you my secret to staying motivated. Watch this video. In fact, save this video and play it every day. Maybe you move on to other motivational videos after that, but I can tell you that if you put the time in to grow your mind and change your mindset, you will change your life.
The word grind means a lot of things in our culture, but what does grind mean in life? It clicked for me finally what this word really means and how we can apply it to our lives. You hear entrepreneurs and athletes say it all the time – they’re in the grind. I’v even been saying it a lot lately!
Can anyone find their grind? I’ve been doing a lot of deeper thinking lately. Critically asking myself questions of how or why we do certain things. When it comes to self development, I really wonder if every person is able to find their grind, or if it’s reserved for people who have a certain trait.
For example, if you’re someone who seeks spontaneity, then do you find yourself able to get into the grind? Or, if you’re someone who enjoys doing something different every day rather than repetition, do you avoid “the grind” altogether?
First, let’s start by answering the most important question.
It’s unfortunate because so many of us our programmed now to think that “difficult labor, study or routine” is negative. Why must it be dreary or dull? Why can’t repetitive work just be that, monotonous and hard. Should’t we decide whether the monotonous, hard work is dreary or not?
In fact, that’s exactly what we have to do to ensure the grind continues to hone us. We have to be willing to do the hard work every day to get better at something and to grow. If we aren’t willing to do that, or we shy away from the grind because of a negative connotation then we are doing ourselves a disservice.
What if the grind is something we need in our life? Then, we need to change the way we define it and the way we view it.
Repetition
Students working hard at their skills. Photo by Andrew Neel on Pexels.com
Repetition is key to getting better at something. You’ve heard the term “practice makes perfect”. This is the more simplified version of that statement. Just do the hards things every day over and over and over again until one day you wake up and that hard thing is no longer so hard anymore.
Repeating the task or the effort will eventually lead to an outcome. Really, just think about probability. If you roll a dice over again, repeatedly until you get the outcome you want, it will happen. It may take a lot longer than you expected, but there’s a chance every time when you roll that dice that you’re going to land on the outcome.
As with probabilities, there’s a guaranteed chance you will get your outcome if you just try and you put in the effort to keep trying. Whether you’re learning a new subject or trying to accomplish a goal, the outcome will happen. You don’t know when, but you have to keep going. This work state, this effort phase is really what entrepreneurs and athletes, creatives, and other people who recognize you have to hone a skill call “the Grind.”
Small Tasks Turn into Big Changes
A critical part of the grind you have to remember is that it doesn’t always happen in large, massive moments. The daily grind is a series of small tasks that turn into something bigger over time. As you know, you can’t transform overnight. But, a series of small changes can lead to something really wonderful.
As the dictionary would tell us, this grind isn’t so easy. You may find it incredibly dull. You might actually call it “dreary” if you use that term, and I would say that some days it does feel that way. But, if I’ve learned anything over the last 22 days of the new year, it’s that each day is what we decide to make of it.
We can wake up and dread the grind and the work we have to put in, or we can celebrate it and push through it. It’s all about our mindset when it comes to these repetitive tasks each day. They won’t be as exciting on the 20th day as they were on the first when you were just getting started. So, how do you keep going?
It’s all about mindset! On that note, I’ll leave you with this video that has really transformed the way I look at the grind. If you’re aiming to achieve something, I hope you find this helpful to achieving your dreams.
In my last blog, I explained what vision casting is and how to use it to guide your life path. In this post, I’ll share exactly how to create that vision statement and what the process takes.
As I mentioned before, this is a pretty creative process. Writing a vision statement takes reflection, brainstorming, and a lot of critical thinking. If this isn’t something you’re used to doing, then it may feel a little uncomfortable at times.
Be willing to take a risk with your vision statement. Step outside of your comfort zone and really dig deep for what it is you want out of your life. So, as you get started, preparing to write your vision out, be sure to think about the basics of a vision.
I’ll write these out in question form so you can come back and ask yourself these questions along the way.
What are the emotions and sentiments you would like to feel about your life and your journey? ie. “I am proud” or “I am amazed“
What impact do you want to make on the world?
Where do you imagine yourself being and who are you surrounded by?
Is there a certain thing you want people to remember you for?
What is life like for you in 15 – 20 years?
The Steps of Vision Casting
To vision cast properly, you need to be prepared to look beyond your present situation. Remember, that a vision is something you aspire to create. It’s a place you want to be, not something you already have achieved. That’s what so magical about a vision. You have to believe that anything is possible.
To think through your personal vision, there are three simple steps. Each step in your vision process can be done throughout your day, or at an optimal time when you feel you have the most peace.
The important part of this is being sure that you have time to clearly think through what you actually want. You need to be able to spend time with yourself in an uninterrupted space, even if it’s just for 10 – 15 minutes.
Let Your Creativity Flow
Let Your Ideas Settle
Write it Down and Reflect
Let’s dive deeper into each step.
The First Step of Vision Casting
The first step to crafting the perfect vision is the exploration phase. Some people consider this brainstorming or ideation, but it doesn’t matter what you call it. The only important part of this phase is that you write down every possibility of what you want for your future.
You see, most people don’t really know what they want. They want everything. Sure, it all sounds good. But, that’s not realistic. You need your version of the best possible outcome, so that it’s clear in your life path.
If you’re uncomfortable writing statements, or don’t have a lot of experience writing, then just bullet point out your answers. Be as specific as possible and write every single idea down, even if at the moment you know it’s not right. You’ll have time to sort that out later.
The Second Step of Vision Casting
After you’ve written down all your thoughts, the next step is let it all sit for a while. Yes, that means leave all your thoughts on that piece of paper or notepad or document on your laptop and move on for a bit. The most critical thing you can do in your process is to allow your brain to really process it all.
Processing your vision will give your brain time and space to clarify. I highly recommend meditating on the ideas that you brainstormed. Take time to sit in a quiet space, close your eyes, and reflect on the ideas you have for your future.
The Third Step of Vision Casting
it’s time to start writing your statement out. Keep in mind that your vision statement can change. You can evolve.
The structure of a vision statement is pretty simple. It’s your end state, your impact, your surroundings, and finally your time frame.
In most vision statements, the time frame is not really mentioned, but I really believe a personal vision statement should have an understanding of when it’s occurring. As you get older, you’ll create new vision statements for further in your life. It’s essential to always have a goal for where you want to go.
As you write out your vision statement, make sure it’s clear. Write it down on paper and put it somewhere where you can reference it maybe once a week or if you’re feeling committed, every day. I wrote my vision statement in my goals and gratitude journal. It’s a simple journal where I write my gratitudes and thoughts each day and I have my vision statement bookmarked to reference.
In the business world, vision casting is a term used amongst organizational leaders. The leadership at a company may go through a time when they are establishing the vision for the company, which involves writing out a vision statement, making sure their values and daily practices live up to the vision, and helping their employees to see the vision. But, this business practice of vision casting serves a lot of purpose in personal growth as well.
As you learn to live your life more intentionally, you’ll need something to root you. A vision can help you establish goals, find the path you need to take, and keep you centered along the way. In this short blog, I’ll share with you why it’s important to vision cast. Then, in a few follow up blogs I will break down how to write a vision statement, resources to help guide your vision, and my personal journey through vision casting.
There are a lot of debates on the internet about whether success is an outcome of luck or a result of hard work. Many people would agree success is guaranteed with hard work, but some do occasionally get lucky. Others, like Malcolm Gladwell would argue that it’s a little bit of both. You need to be in the right place at the right time. There may even be situations in which that path was just not meant for you.
So, what is it that actually makes someone become out-this-world successful and achieve their lifelong dreams? For me, the perfect summation to the factors attributed to success is vision.
The universe is a funny place. We are all connected in some magical way and the thoughts, emotions, and suggestions we put into the world tend to have a way of nudging things along. I don’t believe that we can alter destiny, but I do believe we choose the path we want to take. And it’s simple, it’s with our thoughts.
When we can tap into our thoughts and use them to direct the choices that we make each day, and develop the experiences that happen, then we are becoming more enveloped in our universe. If you’re up for going down this path a little more and reading about how to become “one with the universe” check out the EOC Institute’s blog on using meditation.
So, vision casting works because it drives the focus of your thoughts.
The Basic Architecture of a Vision
There are a few basic elements that make up the structure for a good vision. Of course, you’ll want to write it down, but it may take a while to develop. So, consider this a creative journey. If you’re someone who isn’t really into writing or being creative, use bullet points, short hand writing, and don’t stress too much about how you say something, but more so what it is you’re trying to say.
Remember that a vision is more inspirational and aspirational than it is actionable. It is meant to guide your future and give you purpose and clarity throughout your journey. You should be able to craft actionable goals based on your vision.
A vision is made up of five elements:
A desired end state, which is more than a feeling but includes the state of being you’re in, perhaps values, health, achievements
Your impact on the world around you, or your ultimate contribution
The environment you see yourself in or the people that you’re surrounded by
The values you project long-term, or who people will perceive you as
It’s long term, so it’s aimed at who you are 10 – 20 years from now
I’ll leave you with this final note. A vision statement can be as long or as short as you want it to be. It can be as simple as:
Each day, I wake up with a feeling of pride for my life’s achievements and my family’s impact on the world to make it a better place to live for our future generations.
Short vision statement example
You can imagine with this vision statement above, that this person has a family that is dedicated to helping their community and contributing to society. That is their form of success.
Start to think about your vision and what success looks like to you in your future. If you could look forward to 20 years from now, what would make you feel successful? In the next blog in this series, I’ll explain how to write your perfect (but ever evolving) vision statement.
Intently Amy & The Texas Mini Farm Family 