"So, what are you (going to be) doing?"

I have heard about having an elevator pitch, before, but never knew how to effectively word one for myself. That is until people started asking me that horrible question:

What are you going to be doing when you resign?

It took me a weekend to sort out the exact wording, but I am completely happy with what I have come up with. I think it is rather effective, providing a perfect answer to shut up nosy people, but also giving enough information so that someone who really wants to know more can ask the right questions.

I run a small market homestead, based on Permaculture principles, but also earn cash by writing, training people and from other small businesses. According to experts like Richard Branson and Robert Kiyosaki, it is not good to only have one source of income in today's economic climate.

I want to be self-sufficient concerning food, water and energy and also have enough to be able to share with those less fortunate. At the same time, I want to empower those people to be self-sufficient, too! 

 Having a ready answer is not only a cool conversation starter, but it also makes people take you more seriously than when you look like a goldfish out of the water.

What fires me up?

Believe it or not, I actually spent time thinking about an answer for this question. And then it whacked me over the head with all the force of a home-run strike - the answer was in front of me the entire time!

My whole attitude in life centers around being excruciatingly stubborn and in living life my way and on my own terms. After all, this blog is all about that! By extension, I also feel that people should take responsibility for themselves. Any decision one makes is better than simply drifting along with the flow. (By that token, if one DECIDES to drift along, then one should be prepared to face the consequences of that decision, too!)

In the 2005 movie, Cinderella Man, there is a scene that would always stay in my memory. In it, James J. Braddock (portrayed excellently by Russell Crowe) stands in a queue at the welfare office to RETURN the money that he received as a welfare grant, saying that he never intended to keep it, but just borrow it until his life got better. That to me, is what life should be about - never to let yourself get totally dependent on handouts, whether it be from government, other social institutions or even from friends and family.

Free Range Hooligan will ultimately be about Permaculture here in South Africa and the way in which different systems in my life relate to each other in such a way that the end result is positive and beneficial to all involved. So, what should happen is that my own independent way of thinking and doing leads to a lifestyle where I can give back to society in a real and meaningful way, and teach others to do exactly the same. I commit myself to finding the information that is most relevant to my situation (long, hot summers, no snow, little rain, no quick, cheap mail-order websites) and to share it with readers in my country and region for their information and benefit.