Setting up a project is good, with your family is better! We sometimes have the feeling that the change of life is only possible for others, that it is too complicated for us. We then ask ourselves many questions: "How will I be able to keep the same standard of living?", "Will I have time to spend with my children? Fortunately, Gaelle has taken the plunge and is paving the way for you with her valuable advice!
Five years ago, she decided to embark on a crazy project: to set up a micro-farm of 14 hectares in Normandy. Gonnegirls has 3 main activities: an agricultural activity with organic market gardening and a breeding of laying hens, an accommodation activity & a training activity. By mutual agreement, Gaelle left Paris to settle down with her spouse and her two children.
The click
Claire and I decided to launch this project by chance, I wanted to change my life and so did she. We met for a beer one evening and she came in with the book of Le Bec Hellouin, a permaculture farm in Normandy, saying "I found my new life, I want to start a farm like that". She asked me if I wanted to start this project with her, I said yes. That was in September 2016 and we settled in summer 2019.
Tip 1: Think about safeguards with your spouse
It was really a common choice with my spouse, we took this decision because it corresponded to our desires to both. We thought about everything that could be a problem in this new life (lack of time for the family, being too absorbed by the project). We said to ourselves that it was important that I have at least one day off per week and that I have at least 4 weeks of vacations during the year. There was also the financial risk. So we sat down with my partner and calculated what we spend in Paris, how much we would want to live in Normandy, and how much we would have to earn to live at this pace.
Tip 2: Follow your intuition & connect frequently with your dream
It's important to remember your dream from time to time and trust yourself. I don't really trust myself in general, but I've often made pretty drastic changes against the advice of those around me because I listened to my instincts. Whenever I have doubts, I know it's going to be hard but that there are solutions. I trust myself and I go for it!
Tip 3: Take time to do nothing at times
The times when we were most effective were the times when we stopped, took a whole weekend to do nothing, read, make music, go for a walk, enjoy the children. We come back with some distance and being much more efficient in our decision making than if we have our head in the handlebars all the time. Since I learned to stop and do nothing I feel better and I have much more energy, in any case it is a positive energy!
If you also want to set up a crazy project or if you have already done so, you can listen to Gaelle's podcast to find all her advice!
Whether it is at the environmental or social level, the future that is being drawn for us is not a happy one. However: nothing is decided yet! You have the power to change things: you have 80,000 hours of your life to act. Yes, 80,000 hours is the number of hours we spend working.
This is why we propose to accompany you for 3 months to define a professional project with an impact that resembles you, in which you will be fulfilled, find meaning and contribute to a more desirable world for our children.
Then we suggest you discover the program and make an appointment free of charge with us to take stock of your professional situation and guide you for the next step!
