Our Self-Sufficient Lifestyle: Thriving In The Wilderness

One of our six principles is self-sufficiency. Living a self-sufficient lifestyle implies being independent and able to take care of oneself without outside help. This self-sufficient lifestyle encompasses many different areas. On one side, it is a way of living; on the other, it is a mindset. We live out here in the wilderness year-round, embracing our self-sufficient lifestyle fully. That means there are no city amenities nearby. This does not only refer to a grocery store or entertainment options like a restaurant or a cinema. It also means no repair services or government services which are often taken for granted in a city environment, e.g., somebody collecting our garbage right from the door. As we live so secluded, we only have the option to embrace a self-sufficient lifestyle. And it actually comes with a lot of benefits.

Food and Water 

When I used to live in a village in Germany, I took our water system for granted. I never questioned where the water came from or where it went. Also, the cleaning process of the water was a mystery to me. Out here in the wilderness, our self-sufficient lifestyle demands a different approach. We know exactly where our water comes from. It is a fresh stream of clean mountain water that gets diverted through a gravity-fed system to our Ranch. Part of our self-sufficient lifestyle is to maintain the water system as we benefit from the clean and fresh water. So, each season we have to maintain our water intake and prepare it either for spring run-offs, lower water levels in the summer, or the big freeze in the winter. We are also conscious about the food we don’t have access to or the food we actually have access to in our self-sufficient lifestyle. Being a 2-hour drive away from the nearest town, grocery shopping has to be well planned. When we go to town, we have to buy food that is non-perishable and lasts long, which we can use for many different meals such as rice, flour, pasta, and more. In town, we buy the basic things that we need to cook healthy home-cooked meals. But we do not solely rely on our town grocery trips. We have chickens who lay eggs and a garden where we plant and harvest different fruits and vegetables free from pesticides each year. But not only our garden provides us with healthy food. Going into the wilderness, we find many things that we can harvest from nature. In the spring, we can harvest wild potatoes and onions. In the summer and fall, we can harvest all different kinds of wild berries.

Physical Exercise 

Physical exercise is another important part of our self-sufficient lifestyle. Living in this environment, physical exercise happens by default and always has a purpose. Whether it is working with the horses, carrying bags of animal feed, chopping firewood, or carpentry work, all of our outside activities provide an opportunity for physical exercise in combination with a purpose. When I lived in Germany, I would go to the gym and exercise, and it was better than doing nothing. But compared to now, I was never able to build the same strength in the gym that I have built by embracing the self-sufficient lifestyle. Now I not only have a healthy and strong body, but I can use it for purposeful activities, not only contributing to my well-being but also to others. While physical exercise is not only good for our body, it also increases our mental and emotional well-being. Especially if your exercise has a purpose, you will feel accomplished and empowered after completing the tasks. Physical exercise, together with clean water and healthy food, means we are self-sufficient in looking after our health. Living a self-sufficient lifestyle means for us to live a healthy lifestyle. We can look after ourselves and our health and barely get sick.

Repair and Learning Skills 

Another aspect of being self-sufficient is to learn and develop new skills. Since there are no services close by, we have to take care of things ourselves. For example, when the car breaks down, there is no towing service nearby. It has to come from far away and is very expensive. So we need to invest ourselves to figure out what is wrong with it and to gain the skills to fix it ourselves. Having the ability to do things ourselves allows us to be independent, but it is also an empowering experience and fulfills our need of being creative. And the ranch provides endless opportunities and areas to learn new skills in our self-sufficient lifestyle. Depending on personal interests, there is always an opportunity to learn a new skill, from horsemanship, cooking, carpentry, and mechanics to gardening.

Self-sufficient Mindset

However, the foundation for a self-sufficient lifestyle is to embrace a self-sufficient mindset. While all the above are examples of a self-sufficient lifestyle, a self-sufficient mindset develops our inner capabilities such as self-confidence, commitment, responsibility, and ownership. Those inner capabilities facilitate the hands-on lifestyle of self-sufficiency. Having a self-sufficient mindset means that there is no external force giving directions. This means there are no predicted times for garbage pickup or repair shop opening hours. So we need to take initiative and responsibility for our interests, goals, and purpose. Only by taking responsibility for them can we become the master of our own destiny and embrace a self-sufficient lifestyle. It also encourages commitment and ownership. Having that clarity, challenges and setbacks do not stop one from following through. Out in the wilderness, there is actually not much of a choice. A self-sufficient mindset requires sticking with it and getting the job done. That doesn’t mean there is only one way. Being flexible and adaptable in the approach allows us to move forward and to adapt to changing conditions. Having commitment and taking responsibility for our interests and self-sufficient lifestyle allows us to develop trust in our own decisions and ability to handle challenges. Being self-sufficient, we have to take care of the challenges ourselves, and we can only do that if we trust our decisions. Developing this confidence and trust in ourselves is a continuous process. It happens by increasing our awareness and consciousness of all the variables. The more exposure and the more challenges we experience, the better the understanding of all the variables, the better our decision-making, and therefore, the greater the trust and confidence in ourselves. Continuously going through this process, we develop our inner capabilities and self-sufficient mindset and become the master of our own destiny.

Our Self-sufficient Lifestyle: A Fulfilling Journey

Living a self-sufficient lifestyle is the only way to live alongside nature and in the wilderness. We are self-sufficient on all levels and in all aspects of life. This includes how we get our food and water to our mindset and being the master of our own destiny. A self-sufficient mindset and lifestyle create strong feelings of empowerment because we know we can do it. It also creates feelings of appreciation for the natural environment we benefit from. This allows us to contribute to something bigger than ourselves. Our self-sufficient lifestyle has not only ensured our survival in the wilderness but has also enriched our lives in ways we never imagined, making every day an adventure in self-reliance and personal growth.