Hello and welcome to 'The Downshifter', a site created at the beginning of 2006.
Through a few years of excessive media coverage on downshifting, the 'escape' has come to mean an easy route to health and happiness without too much attention being paid to the sacrifice and hard work it entails.
Planned correctly and with your family behind you, this can be achieved, but it brings about new stresses and strains, most of which have never been experienced before.
Taking the financial side out of the equation, it is the answer to a less stressful and happier existance, something we all fully deserve as, it would appear, we don't get a second chance on this world !
But, mouths have to be fed, bills have to be paid and a lot of these are the unexpected type.
I have written these pages with 8 years of a personal downshifting experience which is still ongoing and changing weekly (see My Story),
I am still earning probably less than half the amount I was 6 years ago but, yes, I am a happier and healthier person, I see my family more than ever before and I have become more at one with nature and self. A kind of 'life direction' has been established. I would never, ever go back !
Some people can downshift with ample fiance to support them through the rest of their working life, some have to downshift because they've had no other option, through redundancy etc.
For most it is a sacrifice of many things we have simply got used to. So downshifting is a challenge - and I mean a big challenge. It will change your life and your outlook on it.
I hope this site will draw your attention to some of the challenges, but most of all I
Pages on reasoning, expectations and general preparation
From Mystery Shopping to web site building for profit. Loads of ideas avoiding 'the norm' !
Ways of cutting costs through more self reliance and awareness
MAIN STARTER PAGES
hope it gives you a few ideas of what can be done with a bit of open mindness and adaptability.
You will find you have skills you never dreamt you had and equally, you will probably be doing jobs you would never believe as well.
It's a grand life, but 'it ain't always an easy one !'.
RichardCannon (richard@thedownshifter.co.uk)
Introduction
All books featured in this site are linked directly to the relevant Amazon page
From the BBC ; 'The Prudential's'survey found 828,000 people in Wales and the West wanted to opt out of the rat-race long term - and 138,000 of those plan to do it in the next three years
Walking to nowhere?
Is downshifting the answer?
Or is it out of the frying pan into the fire?
Running
out
of
time
??
I don't have the answer, but I do have some clues !
LATEST ARTICLES
Downshifting &Finance
When it can go wrong
From Master to Slave
From high to low profile work
Downshifting work, upshifting life
Postives
Negatives
Do's and don'ts
