Why start this newsletter?
The answer to this question is simple. Accountability. I want to fully commit to the challenge of building my own home and by sharing the experience not only might it help others, but it should also help me.
I could easily stand by and watch the years tick by without achieving the goal and it wouldn’t really matter. But I have wanted to do this since I was ten years old, and it is a recurring dream.
I have a ridiculous number of questions that I need to answer to achieve this.
Is this a vanity project?
One nagging question that has occurred to me over the past few years has been the “Why?”. What is the point in seeking such a large and selfish objective? Other than the short-term economic benefits of the build to the local community everything else seems to be selfish. But I don’t see myself as a selfish person. So, what is driving it? I want to deconstruct my reason and see if this is just an ego trip.
Understanding the psychology behind the dream and breaking down the difference between Goals and Desires.
How do I improve my odds of success?
Being intentional about the route to success seems to be the answer, but what does this look like? How do I adjust my current pathway to realign myself to my destination?
On top of being intentional I also need to be pragmatic. “Measuring Twice” improves my chances of being right.
Scope
To get to the answers I will need to span across several topics. The main obvious blockers for me at this early stage (and many others) are financial.
Money is often a taboo subject but there is no avoiding the fact that most Grand Designs episodes paint the narrative that the self-builders have a vast wealth. Even the conservative projects are in the hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Working towards this is the hardest part as it needs to be earned, and it requires significant wealth to achieve.
Almost all the other sides of the equation are solved already by someone offering a product or service.
Links
Here are links to books and other resources that I may have mentioned above or that I think you might find useful.
Thanks for reading!
Brendan