But I think it’s a good idea to start thinking about 2010 right now. I think it’s a good idea to spend some time reflecting on everything we did right in 2009, and what dreams and goals we want to accomplish in the upcoming year.

Why? Well, I think this quote sums it up pretty well:

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Wow. I can’t read that quote, ever, without getting chills.

To me, that quote sums up what life is about. It’s the struggle for great things, a pure heart, a lofty goal that makes life worth living. Without these things, life begins to resemble the slow, turbid stillness at the bottom of a pond. And as Roosevelt said, it’s a life of gray twilight.

Many people would far rather “stick with the devil they know” then risk confronting one they don’t. Which is why so many people don’t ever take steps to accomplish a dream. Maybe they’re afraid of failure, or being humiliated, or being let down. Maybe they’re afraid of falling on their face and getting laughed at.

As someone who’s done her own fair share of falling flat on her face in pursuit of a dream, I can tell you that I’ve learned far more from my mistakes than I ever have from my successes. It’s the stumbles and falls that taught me how to live and thrive. And it was getting back up that showed me how strong I could be.

Besides, what are we here for if not to pursue our dreams and help each other? I’ve gone over and over it for years, and that’s the only answer that makes sense to me. When we lift ourselves up, we have the strength and power to lift up others right along with us. And slowly, inch by inch, the world becomes a better place.

So, that’s the long explanation of why I think it’s worth it to start thinking about 2010 right now, instead of making a quickie list of goals at 11:55 p.m. on December 31, when your neighbor asks you what your New Year’s Resolutions are.

Give it some thought over the next week or two. What do you really want to do next year? What would make your heart soar with delight if you accomplished it?

Think of 5 or 10 things you’d really love to do, and write them down. Studies have shown when you write down your goals, you’re far more likely to accomplish them. So, set them pen to paper! Need some help? Check out Zen Habits excellent article, The Short But Powerful Guide to Finding Your Passion.

Again, I know we’re still a few weeks away from the auspicious countdown to 2010.  But spending some time deciding what we’d like to do and how we’d like to live in 2010 could change our lives more than we could ever imagine. All it takes is a single step to get started.

Adena's Rialta RV

I love having this blog. I get to meet the most amazing people, and the readers that come and go through The Greenest Dollar are truly inspiring!

I’d like to introduce you to Adena Kling, a reader here at The Greenest Dollar who is about to leave everything behind and live a life on the road out of her eco-friendly RV.

Adena has long dreamed of selling all of her things and having the freedom to just travel. No, she’s not rich. She has a job and a house just like all of us.

But this was her dream. And, she decided to just go for it, no matter how impossible it seemed.

And, she did it! She’s quitting her job. She sold her house. Her furniture is going out the door. And, she’s leaving for her year on the road this August.

I’m so happy to share her inspiring story with all of you!

1. What inspired you to go on the road like this?

I think it’s everyone’s (or almost everyone’s) secret fantasy to pack everything up, move into a travel trailor and travel around the country, “on the road” Jack Kerouac style so to speak. I knew a few years ago that I had no plans to stay in MI past this year but the true inspiration for “being on the road” came from my best friend, Rae who is doing the exact same thing with her partner/husband, JC and their two dogs.

2. How have you handled the planning logistics? Did you sell all your possessions, or are they going into storage?

This has been a great process for me of evaluating the value and meaning of “things” vs. what do we really need to survive and be happy.

I am currently in the process of selling many things. I’ll be storing a few items that don’t make sense to replace like my living room furniture and a set of some really great pottery dishes/plates that I purchased over time at the Ann Arbor Art Fair as well as some art work.

3. You mentioned you lived very frugally last year in order to save up for this trip. Since The Greenest Dollar focuses on frugality AND going green, can you offer up any tips on how you did this? What was your biggest challenge when it came to saving money for this?

My biggest challenge was NOT eating out or eating out very little. I also really honed my cooking skills, big time. I stopped buying prepared sauces, dressings, desserts, etc. and really concentrated on eating primarily whole foods (I’m vegan) and locally as much as possible.

I also learned to do things around the house that I normally would have paid others to do. I also rode my bike, and/or took mass transit whenever possible (although this has always been true for me).

I don’t purchase ANYTHING (besides good healthy food) without forcing myself to wait a day and to think, “do I really need this?”, “how will this really enhance my life and impact the planet?” And, I bought anything that I could second hand: clothes, supplies for the house, etc. This saved ALOT of money and it falls into the re-use, recycle principle for sustainable living.

4. What are you most looking forward to about this trip?

Not getting up for work every day , the freedom and adventure of it all, and spending time in beautiful wild space as much as possible for me and my dogs. I so want them to experience being able to have more freedom…something they can’t really have living in the city.

My biggest passion in life is the activism I’ve done for several years related to compassionate living for the animals, health and the enviroment and I look forward to having more time and space to expand this and dedicate more time to it.

5. What did your friends and family think of your decision to go on the road?

Actually, this has been one of the most amazing things. Everyone has responded not only positively, but with an extremely supportive attitude. The biggest shocker was when my 74 year old mother said to me, “go and do this. It’s what I wanted to do at your age and didn’t do because I was afraid.” wow.

6. What, if any, steps have you made to make this an eco-friendly trip?

I purchased a small motor home called a Rialta which is known as the “green” RV because of it’s VW engine design and great gas mileage. And I’ve always tried to live as eco friendly as possible at home, and will continue this practice on the road; i.e., non toxic cleaning materials and personal hygiene items. I also consume a plant based diet which not only keeps me healthy but also has the lowest impact on the environment in terms of water, land and fossil fuel utilization.

I’m also planning to find a way to use as much solar power as possible as well as re-use water supplies whenever possible. I’ll also be researching other “off the grid” ideas along the way and plan to implement as much as I can.

7. How long are you planning on being away?

My plan is to travel for about a year or less if “home” resonates for me sooner than that.

8. Are you going to drive wherever you feel like driving, or are there specific places/things you want to see?

Probably a little of both.

9. Looking at the money aspect again, will you have a daily budget you’re sticking to? How much have you budgeted for this trip?

I haven’t figured out a daily budget but I do know what I can spend monthly. I’ll be able to live “on the road” for about 3 years if I choose but I know it won’t be that long. I also would like to pick up some type of interesting work along the way to learn some new skills, i.e, organic gardening, carpentry (granted I know very little about either of these things) but I’m just open to learning.

10. What is most appealing to you about living a life on the road?

Oh, the freedom and adventure for sure. Spending more time with my dogs, having the literal time and brain space to think creatively and out of the box for what’s possible in this next phase of life, finding ways to practice activism on the road.

I’m also really looking forward to traveling with my two wonderful and inspiring friends, Rae and JC. Both of them are amazing activists for compassionate living on this planet and live with as little impact as possible on the environment.

11. Have you had to get rid of anything that you really regretted?

Not yet!

12. As a woman traveling alone, are you at all concerned for your safety? Have you taken any steps to protect yourself?

It’s possible that I’ll be traveling much of the time with friends. When I am traveling alone, as much as I don’t want to have to do this, I’ll let someone know where I’ll be hunkering down for the night and stay in less desolate areas than I might otherwise if I were with others.

13. Are you planning on working or volunteering at all while you’re on your trip?

Most definintely. I’ll for sure continue finding ways to practice activism related to compassionate living and I’m excited about learning some new skills on the road in terms of work here and there.

14. I know this is quite a ways into the future, but have you thought about what you’re going to after you’re done traveling?

I’d like to be settled in a place where there is more sun than MI for sure, with beautiful wild space for me and my dogs to hike and clear streams for us to swim (these do still exist). AND the hope is that we’ll find some land and/or settle in a space where other like minded individuals i.e., folks committed to living a compassionate, sustainable life on this planet will want to settle as well.

15. Please feel free to add anything else you think people might be interested to know!

I think it’s important for people to have a dream and a goal and to know that anything is possible. To live your life, as my friend Rae has said, with “no limits” and to think outside of the box.

Granted, I’m not there yet, but every ball that could be in motion for this plan is moving, and it’s just a matter of (short) time before it all comes together. We’re on this planet for such a short time and as we all know, time passes in the blink of an eye, so why not live of our lives the way we want, as compassionately as possible.

Last Word…

My thanks go out to Adena for sharing her story with all of us! Needless to say I was super inspired hearing her story. My heart is so glad that’s she’s stepping out on a limb to follow her dreams. Who knows what amazing experiences await her!

“Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?”

-Frank Scully

Pacific Northwest Coastline

Have you ever had a decision to make that’s so big, so life-changing, that you weren’t even sure how to go about starting to make it?  One that involved so many smaller steps that it was almost impossible to wrap your head around?

That’s what’s happening to us right now.  Our dream is to live in a shipping container, off-grid micro-home somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.  I would blog full-time and do freelance copywriting work.  My husband would pursue his dreams.  And somehow, we’d have enough money to live simply and eat and be happy.

We are so ready for this to happen we can almost taste it.

Our reality? Our reality is that we live in Michigan.  We’re contemplating putting our lovely little house up for sale in one of the worst real estate markets in the country.  We’re contemplating selling or donating all of our possessions, quitting jobs, leaving our families behind, and moving across the country in order to pursue this dream.

And yet we’re stuck.  We can’t decide whether we should do this now or not.  Should we call the realtor, or stay here another year until the market improves?  Should I be trying to find more copywriting work, or use this time to start fixing up the house?  Should we skip the compost pile I’ve been planning on because it won’t look good to potential buyers, or resolve to stay and do what we want?

I wish I could go into all the factors that are involved with this decision; there’s so much more to it.  But, let me just say this: I know I’m not the only one grappling with major decisions like this.  Thousands, perhaps millions, of others are doing the same thing.

Just today I found a lovely blog, Living the Rural Dream, written by a woman who is in almost the same boat as me.  She’s a commercial copywriter who recently lost all her clients due to the economy (yes, Alice, I so feel your pain!).  She and her husband are currently traveling across Europe with their young daughter, living out of a little trailer, and trying to find a place to call home.  Right now she’s facing her own major decision that she’s stuck on too.

And, there are countless others.  People who have lost their jobs and are trying to decide if they should start their own business or go back to being an employee for someone else.  People who are facing foreclosure and are trying to decide if they should move to a new place for a fresh start, or stay with what they know.

How do you decide?  How do you know if now is the right time to jump?  How do you know if, in the face of so much craziness, it’s your time to place your bets and risk it all?

I wish I knew.  I’m almost at the point where consulting one of those “Magic 8-Ball” toys seems like a good idea.

Anyway, I know this post is a bit rambling, and not about anything in particular.  I really did sit here for hours trying to write something green and very informative.  But all I kept coming back to was this decision we’re trying to make.  We’ve been over and over it, and still can’t seem to come to resolution.  So, I decided to just write about that instead.

So, I’m putting this out there: if you’re grappling with a major decision and need to vent or work it out, leave a comment!  I’ll read it as I sit here trying to decide what we we should do.  Again.

Yep, it’s another happy news day out there.

Although it might be hard to see right now, there is an upside to all this. And, it can be found in my favorite quote of all time:

“The hungry dog hunts best.”

-Lee Travino, golfer

The reason why I love this quote so much is because of what it implies: that only by living on the edge can we truly realize our potential. And right now, lots and lots of people have been forced to the edge.

Most of the time, people do everything they can to avoid living on the edge. They stay in comfortable jobs as long as they can, live in comfortable homes, buy “things” to make themselves feel successful. And that’s all well and good.

But the problem lies in the fact that doing this is static. There’s no drive to do anything fantastic or daring. Why would there be? People are not hungry. They’re not forced, in any way, to try something new, to get going on their dreams, or take the risk that could change their life forever.

How I Became A Hungry Wolf

I became a hungry wolf back in 2003. Back then, I had been working a full time job, and then suddenly got laid off. I’d been in college forever, accumulating credits like most people collect priceless stamps or Fiesta ware, but I had no “official” college degree. I was just interested in too many things to pick one.

The problem was that I knew I was smart, and I had skills that could really help an organization do their work better. But due to the economic climate of where I was living at the time, and the fact that I had no piece of paper to “prove” my intelligence and drive, I couldn’t find work to save my life. Even Starbucks wouldn’t call me back.

Needless to say, my self-esteem took a big hit.

It took months of fruitless job searching for the lightening bolt to hit. If I couldn’t find a job, then I’d make one for myself.

The idea was so outrageous, so daring, that I couldn’t even look at it at first. Heck, I was 23! What in the world did I know about starting a business? Nothing. Zip. Zilch.

But, it was my only option. So I jumped.

If I had never gotten laid off, and never had trouble finding another job, I never would have started my first business. And even though I don’t own that business now, that one step put me on the path to an incredibly satisfying and rewarding career as a freelance writer.

None of this would have happened if I hadn’t been hungry.

Are You Ready To Start Hunting?

My point in all this is now that so many people are getting laid off, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the situation. There’s now millions of people grasping at a limited amount of straws. They’re all hungry to change their situation. But, not all of them are truly going to go hunting. Most are willing to wait around and hope to be fed.

If you go hunting it means that you’re making the conscious decision to change your fate. You’re not reacting to the situation, you’re proactively making the choice to take your destiny into your own hands.

Is it risky? You bet. Are you guaranteed success? No way. Will it be hard? Harder than you can imagine. But I’m here to tell you that you’ll feel more alive and more in control of your life than you ever did living the “comfortable” existence you had before.

How To Hunt

Obviously, if you’ve been laid off (or even if you’re contemplating leaving your job to go hunting) then you’ve got to pare away all the fat in your life. You’ve got to be a lean, mean, hunting machine.

This means the cable TV, the magazines, the Netflix subscriptions…all that needs to go. Get yourself in a situation where you can live on the smallest amount of money you can.

Can you sell your car and buy a cheaper one? Turn down your heat? Drink water instead of soda?

Trim, trim, trim. Be lean.

Your next step is going to examine what you’d really like to do with your life. And, this might take a while. At least, it did for me.

Make a list of all your strengths, even the things you might not think of as strengths. For instance, are you highly organized? Good at listening? Can you fix anything that’s broken? Make someone laugh?

Brainstorm what you’re best at. Don’t edit here, just write down whatever comes to mind. And if you truly don’t know, then ask your friends and family for help. Sometimes, they’ll know you better than you do.

It’s also important to try and determine where the economy is heading. For instance, most people think that “Green” is America’s industry of the future. And, running a green blog, I believe that. So, do you have any interest in working in the environmental industry? Would you like to become a green consultant, helping people make their homes and businesses more eco-friendly?

Healthcare is, according to many experts, the other major field that’s going to lead to job creation and growth.

Even if you don’t want to work in these two fields, there are countless areas that will grow in the future. I think what’s most important is to follow your heart here. Yes, it might be important to consider the economy and where it will be moving in the future, but what’s most important is listening to your inner voice. What have you always wanted, in your heart of hearts, to do?

And now that you’re hungry, are you willing to go hunting to get it?

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