Are you convinced you have to live on acres of land far from anything and everything? Well, that certainly is an option, and one many would envy you for having, but I don't believe it's the end all be all for homesteading.

The Modern Homemaking Mantra

For over a decade I've been dreaming, reading, listening, learning and doing all that I could in my circumstances. And boy did I resent those circumstances at times. One day though, I finally fell upon the modern homemaking mantra:

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

This mantra changed my life quite literally. I began to slowly shift my focus from the limitations to the possibilities that my circumstances provided. It's like the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-30) when you use what you've been entrusted with wisely, you are likely to receive more in the future.

What is a Homesteading Mindset?

The definition of a homesteading mindset will vary according to whom you ask. For me, it is a mindset of stewardship, observation, and constant learning. It's a bout making do or doing without.

Being a millennial, many of my peers were raised without this kind of mindset. Instead, they were ingrained with a mindset of instant gratification - which is about as far as you can come from a homesteading mindset. Very little in a homestead life comes with instant gratification.

Stewardship, observation and constant learning have at least one thing in common and that's the ability to be patient. To watch the seasons unfold, see the land change, observe how animals and plants behave, learning a new skill - it all takes patience.

Ways to Cultivate a Homesteading Mindset Without Owning any Land.

There are many ways to cultivate your homesteading mindset, here are just a few of my favorite ways to jumpstart your development.

• Learn one new skill
  We often feel like it has to be all or nothing and that attitude only leads to burnout and defeat. Instead, focus on learning one new skill at a time. Don't be in a rush to do it all. Choose a new skill every year, month, week, depending on how much work it takes to master. Once you're familiar with the basics, then it's okay to add another skill, but don't rush into it, be patient and let things take their time. If you need ideas for which skills to learn first, I would encourage you to dive into cooking, baking, preserving, sewing, fiber arts, woodworking, gardening, and foraging.

• Consider your purchases carefully
  When you find yourself needing, or more likely wanting, something new, then consider your purchase carefully. Is this expenditure going to bring you closer to or farther from your goals and dreams? Would it be wiser to avoid it all together, or maybe go for a different option more in line with your vision?

• Grow something
  It may be that the only thing that will grow in your home is a very hearty plant with no apparent usefulness to you. Grow it anyway. It will likely purify your air and provide you with some joy. If you can opt for growing an herb. If you enjoy cooking with herbs, good organic ones, it can be a costly item in your grocery budget. By growing as little as one herb, preferably the one you use the most, you can not only cut your costs but practice your growing, observation, cooking and preservation skills.

• Examine your trash
  This might seem completely nuts to you, but the easiest way to discover which areas you can make some big impact changes is by examining your trash. Single use items are the bane of a homesteader's existence. With rare exceptions, they are completely unnecessary and can be replaced with a little ingenuity and intentionality.

What are some ways you cultivate your homesteading mindset?