This is the first installment of our six-part series, Becoming Sustainably Motivated. The series is meant to offer insight & support towards adopting a more sustainable lifestyle.
Part one kicks off with encouraging you to discover your own personal inspiration. This foundation is what’ll help you become sustainably motivated in the first place. Explore all six as you continue to develop your sustainability skills & awareness!
Discover Your Inspiration
If you’re looking for ways to embrace greater sustainability in your life, the following is meant to be a kind of mental roadmap to help you get there. “There” is a pretty good place to be. In our eternal quest for happiness and well-being, choosing the sustainable path certainly presents better odds.
We know that the conventional ways of consumption and economic growth are untenable. They are primarily motivated by material gains and rarely end up offering the satisfaction that was promised. Superficial joys are short-lived and cost the world too much.
There is a better way of doing things! One that doesn’t destroy the very planet that sustains us. A lifestyle that can potentially provide us with a richer, more rewarding life. One not motivated by wealth & materialism, but by experience and fulfillment. If that sounds pretty philosophical, that’s because it is. 😉
— Robert Louis Stevenson
Thinking For the Future
Sustainability is just as much a mindset as it is an application. So it’s only natural that you need to determine how you connect with the environment on a personal and philosophical level. When do you feel most deeply connected to the natural world? How does it relate with your set of core values?
That’s the key! Once you dig down and recognize your core beliefs, you realize that a lot of them are probably related to something bigger than yourself. That’s where you draw from to keep you motivated. It’s what you use to power your sustainable lifestyle.💪
Motivated By So Much Awesomeness!
Start what inspires you! Get exploring, and discover (if you haven’t already) what you love most about the world. Is it the oceans and beaches, mountains and forests, or perhaps the incredible animals that inhabit the planet with us? It might even be the people! Yes, other amazing, wonderful and frustrating, heart-breaking, ridiculous, and inspiring human beings.
Life, and the vastly complex systems that make it all possible, really is miraculous. The more you learn about it, the greater the appreciation you get for how truly amazing it really is! Use this revelation.
Allow yourself to become motivated once again by all the beauty and wonder. Let hope and gratitude motivate you to do good in this world. It can help you discover what a natural equilibrium could look like. It’ll also help you envision a fairer, brighter, more balanced future. Sustainability is simply a means of expressing that.
A Mental Shift
It’s terribly important that we regain our awareness of the environment. We must curb our abuse and overconsumption of nature’s resources. It requires a fundamental re-evaluation of what we’re doing. This doesn’t just mean a forced reduction on everything (although there is certainly an excess). Rather, it should incentivize us to find better & alternative means for satisfying our needs.
Sustainability offers a lens with which to view our world and our actions. The blog series as a whole will provide some considerations and possible guidance on how to get onto the sustainability path and adopt for yourself a greener, healthier, and (hopefully) more satisfactory lifestyle.
Connect With Your Enthusiasm
I can highlight a number of key points, but ultimately, the driving force is you. So it really begins with what you care most deeply about. How do you connect with the world? What do you consider precious and amazing? Finally, what are you willing to change to ensure that you protect and preserve that which is precious and amazing?
You can begin by applying the walk the talk method, and try to reduce your own day-to-day carbon footprint. Set the example for your family, friends, and coworkers. Although any kind of change can be potentially difficult, use your hope for a better world to drive you. Start small, and build on your successes. Small wins can also keep you regularly motivated, but the big achievements can provide awesome durability!
Your Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It
Indeed, some people choose to go straight for the big transformations right away and lose heart when they don’t succeed at it. Once again, we need to understand ourselves better first. There are those that may respond well to dramatic changes (cold turkey), but the majority of us need to work through it incrementally.
So you don’t necessarily need to immediately go vegan or zero waste in order to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. Instead, look for some quick wins to get the ball rolling, and then try to level up. Question the status quo, and you will find opportunities everywhere!
Sustainability really is an outlook for improvement. Once you get the wheels in motion & engage with the possibilities, you’ll likely become motivated to do more. Be sure to let us know of your discoveries and click the link below to view the next installment is this series.
Sustainably Motivated 