Do you find yourself lost making sacrifices in life to create the life you’re longing for?
Sometimes you just have to take that next step. Making sacrifices to achieve your goals is the main topic of this podcast episode. What does it mean to sacrifice something? Quit that job that is making you unhappy. Or move across the country to a new location.
Donna is here today to tell her story of sacrifice.
It’s a story that she continues to tell with no regrets. And I love that she wakes up every morning so grateful for the beauty of her home in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
A few key points in Donna’s story:
- The importance of making sacrifices in life.
- How to create the best life for yourself and your family.
- Finding work and life balance to stay sane.
**Keep in mind that Donna has an in home day care with precious children who are awake during this interview. If you hear kiddos in the back ground, just smile and listen closer to her story.
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FIRST OF ALL, ABOUT DONNA
- From the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia
- Grew Up In Wisconsin
- Degree in Animal Science & Chemistry
- Working on a hog farm brought her to Virginia where she met her husband
- Bought their first property and began raising Boer goats
- Also runs a home daycare.
** Read How To Balance Young Children With Livestock Chores
DONNA TARGETS THESE MARKETS FOR GOATS:
- Show Market for 4-H Show Wethers
- Breeding Stock for Show (Percentages and Fullbloods)
HERE’S A PIECE OF ADVICE FROM DONNA
Buy good shoes! Take care of your feet. Donna recommends:
- Muckboots (Winter)
- Hunter Boots
NEXT, LOW POINTS THROUGH HER JOURNEY
Her husband was very sick and in the hospital. Donna was very busy:
- Lots of farm chores.
- Running her day care
- Caring for her own kids
- Driving back and forth from the hospital.
Farm chores and goat care fell behind. She learned an important lesson about making sacrifices in life to create the best life.
AS A RESULT, SOME LESSONS LEARNED
Donna wished she would have swallowed her pride and asked for help. Even paying someone to help with the goat feet trimming would have been very helpful.
And she also realizes now that there are great people out there who would have come to help her in a moments notice.
THEN, DONNA DESCRIBES THE “AHA MOMENT”
Making sacrifices in life was the biggest aha moment:
- Huge decrease in income
- Donna quit her job to stay home and run her day care.
She realized that she and her family could live on less to have the life they wanted. It’s all about making sacrifices in life to achieve your goals. And step through the door to embrace those sacrifices in order to get what you want.
NEXT, WHAT IS ONE THING THAT DONNA STRUGGLES WITH?
Donna struggles with time. She tries to balance day care, family, farm work and gardening.
She wishes she could be in the vegetable garden more! And keep up with the weeds! This year, they will try out the black fabric to control weeds.
** Read Here How to Get Rid of Weeds in the Garden
CONSEQUENTLY, WHAT IS DONNA MOST EXCITED ABOUT?
Donna tries not to wish for time to pass and look to the future. She talks about her family growing and the goat business. They have started artificially inseminating does to increase the quality of their genetics.
Those are some great things to be excited about!
SO, WHAT IS HOLDING DONNA BACK FROM REACHING HER GOALS
Getting older! Donna feels like she’s slowing down each year. There’s so many things she still wants to do.
She wants to:
- Process and sell goat meat and rabbit meat.
- Sell produce from the garden.
So, enough time and energy holds her back from getting it all done to create the best life. And creating your best self does take a lot of time and effort. But in the end, you live your best life and you’re thankful for the journey you faced.
BEST ADVICE EVER RECEIVED
When Donna was in college, she realized the importance of knowing the limits of how much a person could handle. She was overdoing it and it was effecting her physical health.
She learned that if she only did what she could handle, she achieved and accomplished much more.
FURTHERMORE, HER BEST PERSONAL HABIT
Every morning, she wakes up and is thankful for the property they live on. And the view of scenery she gets to look at each day. She reflects on all the times she and her husband were making sacrifices in life to get to this point.
So, be thankful every day for what you have!
Go-To Recipe
- Pork Chop
- Instant Mash Potatoes
- Canned Peas
- Stove Top Stuffing
** Click Here to get my family’s favorite pork chop recipe!
FAVORITE APP Or RESOURCE?
Donna used to use some apps but now she prefers notebooks and pens.
IF DONNA WOKE UP TOMORROW AND ACQUIRED A NEW 10 ACRES PLUS $1000
She would ask these questions:
- Is it flat?
- Where’s it located?
- Is there woods?
- Fenced?
Then, she would put goats on it and even a riding dirt bike trail for her son.
IN CONCLUSION, SOME PARTING WORDS OF WISDOM
Be honest with yourself and find something in your life to make you truly happy. Do something you enjoy each day while still making sacrifices in life to achieve great blessings.
Because making sacrifices to achieve your goals will help you to create the best life you can. You just have to take that first step through the door.
FINALLY, CONTACT DONNA
Web site: Locust Haven Boer Goats
Facebook: Locust Haven Boer Goats
Finally, catch all the past episodes of Rural Women Inspired!
RURALITES, HONE YOUR DREAMS, OWN YOUR LIFE AND I’LL SEE YOU DOWN THE ROAD.
~ MUCH LOVE ~
I hope you have found value in this episode to create the best life you can. Answer in the comments: How have you been making sacrifices in life and with finding work and life balance to do the things you want to do.