Starting from Scratch
She’s starting from scratch out on the farm. After 40-plus up-and-down years, my mom has sold the farmhouse, most of the land, and she is moving half-a-mile away to a brand new home. Over the past seven months, she’s been busy looking at designs, picking out materials, and working with contractors. It’s all been a little overwhelming for her.
Starting from scratch on a something that you’ve never done before can be intimidating.
There are so many things to do, so many people to trust, and so many new terms to learn. I know how you feel. But whether it’s building a house or creating an online business, starting from scratch can also be a wonderful, cathartic experience. It’s your chance for fresh, new beginnings. So if you’re starting anew, don’t worry. We have you covered.
Perhaps it’s the power of the deadline, knowing that there are only a few months left in this old house (where I’m writing to you at 5:01am, Tuesday, May 22nd) that also encourages me to take action and visit more often. Time is almost up for the old farm before my mom (and my dog) moves to the new place less than a mile away.
From 1994 to 2006, my visits back to the old farm were few and far between. In ’94 I had started college, and the weekends there were exciting and filled with meeting new friends and adventures. By the year 2000 (still sounds futuristic, doesn’t it?), I was living in the big city of Toronto and spent most of my time either training clients or exploring the nightlife.
Even when I got my dog in 2006, my trips back home to see my parents remained sporadic. It wasn’t until my father got sick in the spring of 2008 that I began to return home on a more frequent basis.
These days, my dog has practically moved out to the farm (due to my constant travel and inability to find him a good dog-sitter in Toronto). Picking him up and dropping him off brings me back to the farm at least twice a month.
Let me take you on the 15-minute walk from the old farmhouse to where my mom is building her new house. In the above left photo, you can see the old farmhouse as viewed from where my father’s barn used to stand. It, along with an 80-foot silo, was demolished back in the summer of 2010.
In the above-right photo, if you look to the right of my dog’s tail, way off in the distance is a tree line in a field. That’s where the new house is being built. Let’s take that walk, down along the river that bisects the farm…*walking*
Good times, isn’t it? Funny how the dog likes to go in the river and cool off after he’s chased the scent of the riverbank groundhogs, isn’t it? Sorry for getting your shoes dirty, but here we are at the new home.
They’ve only put in the driveway and started digging the foundation, but it won’t take long for it to be done. In the bottom-right photo, you can see the old farmhouse. It’s off in the distance in the top left of the photo, above the dirt pile. We’ll be able to look out upon it and watch the beautiful sunsets through the backyard, just like we did at the old place.
My message to you is this: things change.
You may end up starting from scratch at any age. The world is much more dynamic now than ever, for better or for worse. You could, I suppose, bury your head in the sand with excuses, but that’s clearly not the type of person you are, or you wouldn’t be here at Early to Rise. If you sheltered yourself with excuses, you certainly wouldn’t have made it this far.
Like my mom, you’re up for the challenge.
You’re ready to take advantage of the incredible opportunity that the world is still offering today. You have the ability to choose your location, dig your foundation, and lay down your driveway for prospects to come into your world where you’ll offer them great value (by delivering a solution to their problems).
You may choose to be the face of your product/services, or you may choose to simply be the Project Manager behind the scenes, pulling the strings and making the decisions. Both approaches work, and both can be extremely lucrative.
I hope you’re looking forward to your new journey as much as I am. This is a good time to be alive. This is an important time to be taking control of your financial future. And rest assured, despite what the negative media says, there remains a LOT of opportunity out there in the world. Sure, there will be obstacles, but you have Early to Rise and Financial Independence Monthly as your blueprint to overcome whatever the world throws at you.
The world simply cannot stop you. As Victor Hugo once said, “Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come.” The time is now, the idea is yours. Let’s go and get you started so that you can experience the success you deserve.
[Ed. Note. Craig Ballantyne is the Editor of EarlytoRise.com and Financial Independence Monthly. He also coaches executives of companies with sales over $1 million. Later this summer, Matt Smith and Craig will be offering a new virtual private mentoring program for Financial Independence Monthly subscribers.]