Justin and I have such a wide diversity of interests, things we do for fun or for the challenge; things we do for ourselves and to make a difference for others.
We discovered several years ago that when you actively follow your interests, things like money never become an issue. Sometimes we don’t even know how, but things just take care of themselves. This doesn’t mean we haven’t struggled. And it certainly doesn’t mean we have an abundance of money to spend. But our needs are met and we love what we do during the process. I couldn’t ask for a better “working” experience!
Last week we had the honor of “consulting” with several women. One women talked with Justin about searching for, inspecting and purchasing a vintage Winnebago. The other hired me to help her setup and secure her blog. In addition to that I also helped a friend design a new advertising button (you can see it on my blog – Caracol Inspired Jewelry!).
All of these things are things we love to do! Justin is passionate about RV’s, especially vintage rigs. And I love the challenge of web design, even though I’m far from being an expert. Neither are things we would have ever thought to place on our services page, but when asked we excitedly accepted.
Traveling full-time and working in such an unconventional job seemed so daunting before we got out here. I’ve always been an entrepreneur, but this is a whole different ballgame for me and it’s completely new to Justin. And we’re totally loving the experience!
We’ve been reading a lot about “unjobbing”. I hope to post a few reviews of the books and our thoughts on it all. In the meantime we’re spending our time in Wisconsin with Justin’s family and some new friends. Squeaky cheese, anyone?
I'm Tara Wagner, life coach and creator of the Digging Deep process, where I coach women out of survival mode to recreate their lives and families.
I love squeaky cheese! Is your husband’s family Finnish? Finns in Minnesota eat a lot of squeaky cheese.
No, they are German. But being Wisconsinites means lots of cheese curds.
Unjobbing. I like that. I’m game!
I haz a question ;c)
How do you manage post (mail) with living the life of a nomad??
There are a few options. Most of our mail is paperless thru email. The rest goes to my mom’s and she saves what we need and sends it when we have an address. There are also services that do handle mail for nomads, like Escapees.
Neat :c)
I kind of envy your life while loving finally having roots where I am :c) My dad talks about taking off in an RV a lot and it makes me think of ye.
Also, randomly – I love the blog and I LOOOVE that trio of paintings muchly.
<3
I really love catching glimpses into other peoples lives via blogging- so I would say that among other things I love to blog!
Keeps me creative and inspired-
I think it is great that you and J are following your passion and making a living doing it!
I’d love to see your book recommendations for unjobbing! I’m totally at that point in my life… and I need all the good advice I can get : )
Love this post! This is how I want to live my life ~ doing things I am passionate about and living simply. You are an inspiration.
I’m totally in love with those curtains!!
I am finally, finally, doing what I love. And the more I do it, the less I struggle with making time… A good way to start my 50th year!
I love the idea of your life – as a family with an only child, we travel easily, but not like you do!
You really hit the nail on the head with actively following interests. Life’s pressures and stress seem to melt away when focused on a hobby, craft, or activity you love and they present SOOO many opportunities to learn new things, experiment, and to think outside the box. Love this blog post!
Yes we are doing what we love!!! We just picked up our RV today and I am soooo excited!!!!!! We traded our car for it and we are leaving next week and heading out West for at least two months to visit with our friends who also live in an RV. It feels a bit scary but it all came together so fast. The plan for now is to come back in a few months so I can work and we can save up money to help buy some land in an intentional community.
I have to thank you Tara for your sharing of your life here helped me to believe that we could do it too! We want to travel to the US but we have to wait till next year for that as Ryan is in the process of getting his Canadian permanent residency.
You and your family are inspirational! I love that you are loving what you do, and are being supported by the universe to do it.
That is awesome!
We are refurbing a ’79 Coachmen. So far so good! I am very tempted to pack up our stuff and hit the road. Our pets are an issue though!
I’m doing some things I love and some things I once loved. I’m in transition.
I am on my way to doing what I love more. First, I have to find out what it is right! I have a few things identified and I am working on those, but I am sure there are some other interests waiting to be discovered.
Great post! I am looking forward to hearing more about “unjobbing”. I love hearing about your days and how you and your family approach life.
Peace,
Angea
I love the concept of “unjobbing”. I make historical costumes, and hope to be selling as soon as I feel comfortable enough with my ability to make them. I love it. I would love to live in an RV and travel with the festivals so that I can sell my pieces, but the boy prefers a more permanant locale. I’ll survive….somehow.
I do what I love. I have a small custom bakery here in Portland and am totally in love with being a part of people’s celebrations. Our family dreams of RVing for at least a summer and I am very nervous about how to put my business on hold while I accomplish a different dream.
I’m in the beginning stages of doing what I love. For me, it is thanks to a supportive husband (who is the bread winner, taking the pressure off me to earn for the family and allowing me to explore my passions and learn while taking care of our children and home). I’m so blessed, grateful and excited about what’s to come.
with a toddler in tow, my husband and i have both delved into our passions. mine is jewelry and his is juggling! we are doing many things to make ends meet, but our mantras, meditations, intentions…all go toward doing what we love. for so long, i thought that this would never be possible, but when you do the work, the possibility becomes a reality.
looking forward to unjobbing posts!
Because I too dream of traveling, and we need to earn some money first in order to do so, I have found a surprising thing that I love and with which I can earn that extra moula: being a day care provider, especially to infants. I have been a “babysitter” since before I was even a teen-ager so it is kind of hard to admit that this is what I love to do. It doesn’t feel “accomplished” enough! But I love it, people want me to do it and pay me for it, and it is working out really well.
Sounds a lot like what I’m sort of going though. Since I’ll be leaving on my trip in a little over a month, the transition to working for myself on the road is kind of mind bending. I’m trying to envision it, but I figure it’s more like one of those things that you just jump into and learn on the go.
That’s so cool that Justin is helping others through his passion. I too have an enormous passion for most things vintage, especially winnebagos, so it’s cool to know that having a passion so strange can actually be helpful to other people!
I dont love my job and its getting more and more unbearable every year when school opens. I feel like i work for a big machine.. my direct boss(who I call my real boss, as he is the one who signs my paycheck..its a contract situation) is the only reason I dont beat feet. BUT!!! We are finally to the point where I think we may be able to put away a bit of our money. I’ve been trimming fat EVERYWHERE… and when the day comes I’m hoping we have a nice nest egg. My hubby and i both feel absolutely suffocated here. I’m so ready. The day will come… at least when school is closed, I’m home with my kids.
Unjobbing would apply to me. I have found what makes a difference in my life and what has great meaning for me.
I am passionate about connecting people with nature and natural learning and have started a business on our farm doing just that. I have so many more ideas to expand and I am loving what I do.
happy day!