Living Capital

In his book, “Prosper!”, Dr Chris Martenson describes a critical component of wealth, Living Capital.

Living Capital is one’s life and the inputs that promote and sustain health, both physical and mental. So sleep, nutrition and stress management are components of Living Capital.

Growing your own food, including animals for consumption, offers numerous personal benefits that promote and sustain Living Capital. With home-grown produce, you can ensure that you are eating fresh, healthy, and nutrient-dense food. Not only can growing your own food improve your physical health, but it can also benefit your mental health by providing an outlet for stress relief and promoting a sense of accomplishment. Raising animals for consumption allows for the production of high-quality meat, eggs, and dairy products that are fresh and delicious. By engaging in gardening and animal husbandry, you can develop new skills and knowledge that can be applied to other areas of your life, further contributing to your overall well-being.

With this in mind I researched a local processing facility, Millers Southwestern Processing. You are likely to have similar service providers in your area.

Over the last year we raised sheep at our Phoenix residence. Recently, Miller’s processed our lamb into the cuts that are commonly found at the grocery store. Everything was individually wrapped and labeled. It was a good experience and it’s an efficient way to convert the labor of the past year into Living Capital. Further, the pasture that normally requires mowing was now managed by the teeth and rumens of the lambs.

As of February 2023, the cost of the service was $206.00, when paid with a credit card. Other costs of the endeavor include, supplemental feed (when grass grows more slowly in the pasture), immunizations, minerals and salt, and some some miscellaneous supplies like a trough and food grade watering buckets.

When the lamb has achieved a year, it’s about time to process the animal. This is a time of mixed emotions. I’ll suggest to you that after caring for an animal I will always feel some sadness when they are no longer living. On the other hand, I have the positive feelings that go along with giving a high quality life to the animals with which we share our residence. This process is also an acknowledgment of the fundamental truth that, to live, I must consume. Perhaps there is no better expression of the pursuit of Living Capital than to care for a living creature and then consume it in a state of gratitude and respect. Both the produce and the experience can nourish me.

This blog post is a departure from some of my others. However, it is directly related to the philosophy I employ around the acquisition of wealth. There are several forms of capital, and when they are aggregated, they amount to wealth and they promote resilience. Financial Capital is an area of expertise for me. I am actively growing my other forms of capital, including Living Capital, as a part of my pursuit of resilience.

Send me a message to learn more about how I can enhance your own financial outcomes or to discuss the various forms of capital and how you can express them in your own life, in unique, suitable ways.