A sustainable lifestyle goes deeper than the recycling bin.
Are in you control of your life? Do you get to choose what you spend your time and energy doing? Does your lifestyle reflect your life values?
Do these questions scare you and leave you wondering what it all has to do with living a sustainable lifestyle? They probably would scare you if you can only answer them with a ‘no’. What if I was to tell you that you can flip that ‘no’ right around and turn it into a ‘yes’. Pretty neat thought, yeah? Did I just use the word ‘neat’? Let me rephrase that for you then. That would be pretty flippin’, darn, awesomely and fan-tab-u-ously magical, right?
So what is this ‘lifestyle’ thing anyway? And what kind of a loser would refer to it as a sustainable lifestyle? Isn’t it all just a bunch of fluff? I mean, really, this whole notion of sustainability is surely just another fad, like Pokemon cards, the Spice Girls, hula-hoops and pogo sticks. Right?
Shucks, am I the only one who likes the idea of hula-hooping to “Spice Up Your Life”?
Enough with the questions. This loser right here is about to tell you that you need a reality check because with an attitude like that, chances are, you and this lifestyle thing might need to get acquainted or reacquainted. He really isn’t that bad you know. Once you get rid of all the unnecessary clutter in your life, you’ll find he’s actually quite dandy after all.
“The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise man grows it under his feet.” – James Oppenheim
The 1-0-1 on Sustainable Lifestyle Design
So let’s get one thing straight. Creating a sustainable lifestyle is more than just putting that empty milk carton in the recycling bin. It’s a way of life. We’re going to dig deeper here than just the mainstream notion of sustainability which would see you simply recycling and undertaking other ‘green’ initiatives. Whilst these things are important and play a key role in all this, I’m challenging you today to think about the purpose-driven, joy-filled, let’s take control and grab life by the balls, sort of lifestyle.
It’s true, one person’s lifestyle may vary will vary to that of the next person’s, as it’s simply a way of living based on one’s value system or attitudes. We are all individuals so what works for me may not work for you and vice versa. There are, however, some guiding thoughts that we can all consider in order to build that ideal balance as seen in this lucrative, and yet, very attainable, sustainable lifestyle.
Each person has some form of a lifestyle, whatever shape that may take. There will be those of you who will make the argument that not all lifestyles are choices. Well, that may be so for some but if you are reading this blog, then you are one of the privileged few who do get to dictate their own terms for living, whether you choose to acknowledge this and take responsibility for it or not. You are who I am writing this for. So listen up.
To just reaffirm, a sustainable lifestyle is most definitely a personal choice.
A sustainable lifestyle is a way of living that promotes and supports health and wellbeing in all facets of your life. It supports a positive world for both yourself and those around you. It should make living feel natural. It’s authentic. It’s real. It’s practical. It’s about balance. It doesn’t require you to live beyond your means; mentally, physically, emotionally or financially. It just makes sense.
Your lifestyle may comprise any number of things that you give your attention to in life. Whether that be work, family, friends, sports or various other hobbies. It’s what you give your time and energy to.
Let’s consider 3 pretty common “culprits” that people often get fixated on and how a shift in attitude can help YOU find a greater sense of control and balance.
The Exercise Routine
Waking up at 5am every morning to go for a run may seem like a good idea short term to burn those festive kilos you packed on thank-you-very-much Grandma Apple Pie. But is it sustainable in the long term? Will you be waking up at 5am every morning of every day for the rest of your life? I hope you can graciously say NO to this without evoking endless drippings of guilt. If you are of the rare breed who can spring out of bed at this time and commit to that… then, ok. Good for you (I think). I just hope you find yourself in bed at 9pm every night so you getting enough decent sleep or you, my friend, risk burn-out. For the mere mortals like myself, this is just plain silly. Really, it is. It’s a blatant form of self-torture.
Now consider this. What if exercise didn’t have to be a form of self-torture but rather, an expression of fun, self-love and enjoyment? What if you simply exercised because it felt natural? You exercise, not for the sake of moving or to burn calories, but because you just feel restless if you don’t? It’s just a part of the way you live. This makes it a lot easier to comprehend the possibility of sustaining such a habit in the long term, right?
The Health Kick ‘KO’ing your life
Are you restricting your daily caloric intake to levels of a starving child in Africa because that’s what the latest edition of WHO Weekly told you to do and every second celebrity is doing it? So shouldn’t you? What would this mean for you in the long term? Is this sustainable? I think not. Unless self-deprivation and setting yourself up for lifetime of health complications is inviting to you. Just as a word of warning though, our bodies are not made to live in a state of constant starvation and restriction. Beware of the serious consequences.
On the flip-side, what if you didn’t dread each meal because you didn’t need to fear how many calories you were consuming? You simply ate for nourishment and enjoyed the process of feeding your body with nutritious food. How would that make you feel? Liberated? Food doesn’t have to control you. Get real about what you are putting in your mouth. Eat real food, the way nature intended you to eat, and you won’t need to worry about offsetting those extra calories you consumed at breakfast because you accidentally grabbed the full fat version over the low-fat (as a side note here folks – I only eat my fat in the full, real form. You know, butter and olive oil and all that good stuff. Nom nom.. that’s what the body was made to eat. Not the chemically altered stuff.) Treat your body with respect and it’ll treat you well in return. All you need to do is provide it with the right tools (nutrients) and it will do it’s job like it was made to do (give you energy and keep you well!) Doesn’t that sound like a more sustainable (and a hell of a lot less stressful) way to live your life?
The Work & Money Trap
How about working 90 hours a week just so you can support your compulsive shopping addiction because you simply just can’t live without those latest pair of Jimmy Choos? I mean, do you really need that red pair because the blue pair doesn’t quite cut it with that new Marc Jacobs outfit you just spent your last paycheck on? Oh, my apologies. It’s a crime against fashion! Sorry, I forgot for a moment that my life is dependent on the physical image I create for myself and people won’t love me or respect me if I wear the same outfit twice in a week! *cough cough* God save my soul.
Or even worse, working those insane hours to support my job addiction. Sustainable? Think again Mr and Mrs Jones.
Now here’s a thought, what if you didn’t need to work in a job you hate because you didn’t need all that money? Say what?? Didn’t need money. Am I crazy? It’s far too common that a larger paycheck simply begets greater spending. It encourages consumerism. If I had more money in the bank account, I’d spend it too! For those of you who work in a job you love – that’s great! Keep at it. I question those of you, however, who drain yourself of energy and time, week in, week out, in a job you hate (or even in a job you love), creating an imbalance in your lifestyle because you feel the need to supplement your lifestyle with an increased income.
What if we worked around our lifestyle? Now that’s a pretty cool thought. Figure out what you could really live off, and work around that. Work is work. It’s not our life. It’s there to support your lifestyle.
Our Obese Lifestyles
We are facing a new kind of epidemic here folk. Fat people aside, we have an obesity crisis of our lifestyles! Our minds are so overpopulated with unfounded ideas and false senses of security, and yet we are more insecure about ourselves and our futures than ever before! We’ve lost a sense of what’s important to our lives so we compensate our lack of meaning and fulfillment in life by over consuming information, food, products, you name it, whatever we can get our hands on! The world tells you, ‘The bigger the better!” Buy! Buy! Buy! Consume! Consume! Consume! Happiness will surely find it’s way onto your lap sooner or later… no? Maybe by accident it will then.. surely it will. Right?
We must be doing something wrong. This is not how it is suppose to be. Your lifestyle should not be overtaken by these things that bring no meaning or value into your existence and the world around you.
Humans are not hamsters. We are not meant to wake up, eat, run, eat, sleep. We require stimulation beyond this. We are spiritual beings. We seek meaning and purpose in life. We crave knowledge so we can feel empowered. There’s so much more to creating a lifestyle for yourself than accepting the day to day grind.
Stay tuned for Part 2 on some more helpful tips to supercharge your sustainable lifestyle!
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