Sustainable Me

“By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn.” Latin Proverb

Earth

1. Learn about the impact of pollution, resource depletion on your earth.
2. Learn how to reverse the impact already made.
3. Learn how to live differently to not cause the same problems again.
4. Teach and share what you learn.

Self

1. Learn about the impact of stress, lack of sleep have on your body
2. Learn how to reverse the impact already made.
3. Learn how to live differently to not cause the same problems again.
4. Teach and share what you learn.

Set your goals to change by first identifying your issue areas. Journaling is a great tool, which enables a person to step back and look at circumstances from the outside. You can make your first goal.

Commit to one week of keeping a personal journal. Each day write down what situations give you energy and what depletes your energy or time. Keep track of when you are feeling strong and when you are feeling weak. What has happened on the days you come home dragging from work? Be honest and frank. Instead of a making a broad statement such as “I do not like my job” or “I am out of shape”, try focusing on what in particular you do not like about your job or why you feel you are out of shape. Identify your issue areas. Where do you feel depleted? What are your unhealthy habits?

When you start looking at how you are spending your personal resources, you may want to make many changes. Do not try to take on change in all areas. It may seem like the right thing to do once you recognize that you are are depleting your valuable resources but taking on too much change at once can drain you further. Set your goals. Break it down into small manageable changes. Taking small steps toward big change allows time for new habits to form. Trying to do it all at once can accomplish as much as doing nothing at all.

“Action is a great restorer and builder of confidence. Inaction is not only the result, but the cause, of fear. Perhaps the action you take will be successful; perhaps different action or adjustments will have to follow. But any action is better than no action at all.”
Norman Vincent Peale

Once you identify an issue, you can then start listing action steps that will move you into a more sustainable lifestyle. You are where you are today because of choices you made in the past. In order to have a different outcome you need to change the input. Your first issue may be that you are living an unhealthy lifestyle. First, name your goal ‘Live Healthier’. Then state your intention to change. “I will take action and make the changes needed to create a sustained healthy life”. List action steps toward your goal. The important thing to remember is not to set unreachable goals. You will not drop 100 pounds in a week, become a vegetarian tomorrow or run a marathon in a month however, you can, get 7-8 hours of sleep (most nights), floss, and brush daily, walk 3 times per week, drink 6 glasses of water each day, eat less fatty food and more vegetables. Build on your victories.

Living a sustainable lifestyle is an issue for the planet and an issue for us. Commit to the change. Act. Engage. Simplify. Live holistically. To get to where you want to be look at what brought you to where you are today and do something new.

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.”
Albert Einstein

Even small steps on the path to sustainability are movements in the right direction. A sustainable life is an authentic life. Create a deeper connection with your self, your planet, your purpose. Honor yourself by sustaining your personal, professional, and planetary resources to have a sound, secure future.