Dreams are powerful.
They're the prophetic pieces that give a glimpse into what our heart is desiring to create.
Most are held prison by the perceived limitations of reason and, thus, are restricted to an unseen world of thought and longing.
Turning dreams into reality involves stepping outside whatever mental box has been erected by fears, failures, and the familiar and moving towards what you can only see with your eyes closed.
Scary?
Yes...but very necessary to at least attempt to live out the life we dream of.
For some that may be more money, more toys, more status.
For us, it all came down to freedom.
Freedom to explore the world. Freedom to wake up each day and decide how to spend it. Freedom to go after whatever crazy dream exploded within.
However, for that to happen, we had to cut ties with the things that kept us bound...
Our house and our jobs.
HOUSE
Our house was bigger than we needed and filled with too many boxes of "we still might need this one day" items.
The answer?
Downsize and purge.
The "for sale" sign went up and all our neighbors asked the typical question,
"Buying bigger?"
"Nope. Smaller."
Smaller mortgage. Smaller spots to clean. Smaller space to force us to think through every item we possessed.
"Stuff" wasn't on our value list. Adventure was. And for us that meant exploring the world without hindering debt.
Hello Purge. Bye bye backyard playset, giant Costco desk, tables, couches, and SO MUCH STUFF.
Really an embarrassingly...
needless amount...
of mindlessly collected stuff.
Our line was "Have we used it in the last 6 months? Does it have strong sentimental value?
No?
Then sell it, donate it or trash it."
The result...we felt lighter, less encumbered. Free.
JOBS
Next - our jobs.
Safety, security, validation.
This one was connected to time not dissatisfaction.
Some people hate their jobs. We didn't.
But the 40-50 hour per week investment made the values of rest, connection, and growing in our passions too difficult to pursue to the level we desired.
And every entitled, materialistic, entertainment-craving outburst from our kids revealed the need to create a different life no matter how "radical" that may seem.
This one was the hardest.
Obviously we had to work. If there was a trust fund or winning lottery ticket out there for us, we were unaware.
To be true to our values, we needed work that was flexible in the where and when.
And the answer was feeding invisible bits of information in and out of the little box that sat on the edge of our desk - the internet.
It took 3 years. 2 years of failing and losing money. 1 of not.
Along the journey, self-doubt weaved its way in between focus and drive, but the grounded belief that if we just kept learning and trying we'd make it ultimately proved true.
By the end of 2018, both of us were untethered to the 9-5. Free to pick up at any moment and chase our dreams.
And that's exactly what we're about to do.
Flights are booked. Plans are made.
We're taking our girls to Zambia for a month. Helping where we can at an orphanage. Creating opportunity for a value boost. Even it if it's uncomfortable at times.
And after that...
We have ideas of what that may look like and will continue posting about it here. But ultimately we don't know.
Things we'd love to see and do will take time to develop and new paths may emerge along the way.
As for "where the simple things are"...it's a bit of a passion project.
It's one part accountability. One part community. One part education.
Our education and, if you'd like, yours.
We know that we're not alone in the things we've felt. Many coffees and conversations have revealed that to be true.
This is our story, but we'd like to know yours too.
What dreams have you followed. What ideas have you implemented? What have you learned along the way?
We would like to hear of your successes and failures and figure out the art of intentionalism and creative parenting together.
If you'd like to join the Intentionalism community, we'd love to welcome you and have a gift to help you live out your values and dreams.
We don't know if it takes a village to raise a child, but we do believe that a village can inspire, encourage, and impart.
Let's be that village.
Thanks for reading.
Tim, Rae, Zoe, Shiloh and a whole lotta future ahead
Stay tuned for: One month...18 years