This is the six and final installment in the series, Becoming Sustainably Motivated. The series is meant to offer some insight and encouragement towards adopting a sustainable lifestyle. Part six focuses on sharing your opinions and discoveries. Explore all six to help find and develop your own sustainable motivation!
Share What You’ve Got
If you’ve discovered something share! If you you’ve struggled and learned, share! If you’ve come up against the challenge of your life, share! As has been said many times in the past, when you reveal your hardships to others (I’m paraphrasing), you lighten the load. Allow others to gain from what you’ve discovered, and participate in the joys and sadness with you.
Make It Rain Inspiration
Speaking with others on the sidewalk or at the cafe, getting together over a pint or a meal, reaching out to friends or relatives halfway across the world through Skype, Facetime, or even good old-fashioned postal service, all contribute to our sense of the world, and sharing unveiled is an integral part of remaining sustainably motivated.
Talk It Out
Communication is key. Sit down with your friends, neighbors, colleagues, and classmates to learn more about them and the issues that they value, and share what you know and learned. Feel free to exude your enthusiasm and revelations, but be sure to allow the information to flow both ways, and practice your empathy.
It’s natural to have different specific interests, but it helps to find common ground and understanding, particularly when you inevitably have contrasting opinions over matters. This is where all that glorious information you’ve been absorbing comes in.
Mind The Evidence
Support your convictions with facts (see also How to Sharpen your Critical Thinking). Evidence and experience go a long way is a respectable discussion. So too does regard for emotions. Despite all our well researched learning and our desire to be cool and logical, humans our emotional beings, and emotional reactions are natural during passionate conversations.
Try to remain mindful this, don’t use language you’ll regret, and remember that we will in fact need the help and support of others to achieve our common goals. Effective communication is remarkably powerful and immensely satisfying, but it does take practice, so keep at it!
Be Active Online
Go for it! Don’t be intimidated. Just keep in mind that what you write online does in fact stick around, and is visible to all who look for it. That should not however prohibit you from sharing your thoughts, views, and insights. It’s right to take a stand for that which you believe in. There will be negative comments, you can near guarantee that, but focus on the good and the constructive criticism, and let yourself be encouraged by others.
Mentor
The next stage of learning is passing on what you know. Teach, mentor, and continue your mental, emotional, and spiritual growth and comprehension. Responding to questions will help you better understand your worldview, and remain critical of your own position should new information be revealed.
The Warm and Fuzzies
This is the part where you “give back” and become better for it. Although this should come as no surprise, helping others grow and develop their own learning is also personally gratifying. While the objective is to help others, and ultimately the planet, you’re really also helping yourself in the process. As such, it’s a great and sustainable way to stay both motivated and relevant.
Sustainably Motivated 