If I see one more motivational quote, I might throw up.

“Teach a man to fish and feed him for a day. Don’t teach a man to fish…and feed yourself. He’s a grown man and fishing’s not that hard.”

-Ron Swanson

Ok, so maybe the title is a little misleading. I don’t hate motivational quotes, but I really can’t stand most of them. You need to hear some inspiring quote about nature to trigger something that makes you unhappy with life? You see a quote over a snow-capped mountain scene with a man made lake and think,”Wow, I am going to apply this somewhere. This is good stuff. That guy is so right! Why do I keep crossing oceans for people who won’t jump puddles for me?”

Serial? That’s my slang for “Are you serious?” I say serial. It’s super unexpected and I also use it because typically when I use the word serious in that context, I am indicating you are bringing out the serial killer in me. Serial? Now you have me so upset, I am going on a rampage. Every time I see that stupid quote, someone’s going down.

I realize that escalated quickly. Let me bring my thoughts back together.

Motivational quotes are usually made by two different people. One is the experienced, yet really dumb individual who made the same mistake over and over and over (I am one of these). The second is the really smart and reflective person with no life experience because they live in their mom’s basement (probably quoting their mom).

Either way, you will need motivation more than anything to make this venture off grid. I give credit to the Ron Swanson character of Parks and Recreation for giving some of the most difficult, yet helpful life advice. He is to the point and leaves no room to interpret him to fit your life. I like that. Although, this is not the motivation I am talking about.

You need to make a list, similar to your “why”. My first couple of blogs really focused on the mind and what you needed to do to keep focused over the years of planning. Something that makes it more than just a dream, is having tangible motivation that aligns with your reasons. Let me clear this up with a few examples.

You know why I truthfully want to grow my own food?

I HATE ALARM CLOCKS. I hate working for someone who tells me what time to get up! Now, I am not lazy. I am not motivated by the thought of waking at noon everyday. NO! I will get up before Jesus most days and tend to my crops and breathe in that nature air. I will live on my own terms and will not be slave to a clock or a suit.

You know my motivation for homeschooling? I HATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS! They suck. They have this idea that every student learns the same and benefit from uniform testing. I am so sorry to inform you, but in my daily tasks at work…I DO NOT learn in the same way in which Sally does. She regularly microwaves china plates and staples her fingers together. Do not send me her training videos. Please.

Think of things like this. What truly motivates you? Do you hate corporations lying to you? They do, by the way. Are you like me and want to throat punch your alarm clock? Do you hate the fact you need more and more money to buy things that should be free? Are you one of those that buys bottled water? I don’t think I can answer what will motivate you, but I can tell you that soul searching that Facebook page you love so much is not going to jog your true motivation. Like I said, they can be so inspiring and really make you question your whole existence…but they won’t directly apply to you. You can always find a way or think of a person that this quote may be talking about but it’s not what really motivates you.

Here are a few other questions I will leave you with to help jog motivation.

Do you enjoy spending the majority of your day driving to a job you hate? Do you find joy in your household chores? How many times do you eat out every week? When was the last time you did nothing? How often do you pick up the phone and call a loved one far away? What is the age that you keep saying you will start living? Do you find comfort in money? Why?

Please take a minute and comment what your tangible motivation is. Please think about what things in your life you want to change and put together a tangible “why”. Nothing negative or nasty about how much you hate Parks and Rec or Ron Swanson…just worry about yourself today and what motivates you.