[simplyconscious]

Should or Must, That is the Question

I was listening to my favorite podcast yesterday, Design Matters, and an interview with artist and designer Elle Luna came up. A little more than halfway through, an excerpt from her online manifesto “The Crossroads of Should and Must” was read aloud and it really struck a chord with me.

In it, she talks about making the jump from should to must. Should is what other people expect of us, how they think we should or shouldn’t live our lives. Must is who we really are and what we believe to be our truest self. We are constantly faced with both choices in all aspects of our lives and often times we do what we should because it’s easier and the risk is smaller. When we choose must, it’s difficult because it forces us to listen to our inner voices and pursue something unknown. But by doing so, we are able to find our true calling, and make what we do and who we are one in the same.

There have been many times in the past that I’ve had ideas of what I wanted to do, but the fear of failing or being judged would keep me from realizing my dreams. Instead of telling myself I must, I told myself all the reasons why I shouldn’t. Although I was able to avoid humiliation, I was unhappy, unfulfilled and left wondering what could have been.

Starting this blog, I was afraid. I spent hours worrying about how I would sound, what people would think and say. Giving myself all the reasons why I shouldn’t be doing this. I’m still thinking some of these things even now. What keeps me going though, is the fact that this is my must. I’m passionate about finding ways to live and enjoy my life while doing as little harm to myself, others and the environment as possible. I want to inspire others to do the same. Whether or not this blog does make a difference, I’m glad I took the leap and I hope you will too.

Read the full manifesto here: https://medium.com/@elleluna/the-crossroads-of-should-and-must-90c75eb7c5b0

*Image above by Elle Luna

[simplyconscious]

Mindful Monday

We all have our habits, some we are aware of and some we don’t even realize we’re doing. It’s easy to just take a back seat and go through the motions. So let’s take back control and make our lives and planet happier.

Let’s bring more awareness to our daily habits. Pay attention to what you do, why you’re doing it and how you might be impacting yourself, the environment or those around you. 

As you go about your day maybe you realize you take long showers or that you leave the faucet running when you’re brushing your teeth. During your daily coffee run you notice all of the disposable cups that are being used once and discarded. On the other hand, you could already be making good choices without even thinking about it, like putting bottles in the recycle bin. 

Take note of all of those things. If you’re already making good choices for the environment, notice how easy or difficult it is. Think about what else you can do. We can all make adjustments, big or small, to reduce our footprint. For the areas where you could be less wasteful, you don’t need to make abrupt changes. Just create a mental inventory first, then choose 1 or 2 things that you would like to work on and go from there.

It’s not easy to change habits, but by being more mindful you are already taking a step in the right direction.

[simplyconscious]

Top 10 and More To Come

Top 10 Blog

A lot has happened in the last 2 weeks since I made my first blog post. I entered it into the World Environment Day 2015 blog competition put on by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and was selected as a top 10 finalist. The winner gets to be the official blogger at World Environment Day in Milan. Needless to say, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and happy to know that I am in such great company spreading the word on sustainability.

Check out the Top 10 Blogs here: http://unep.org/wed/wed2015/blog-competition/index.asp#sthash.oENJHuMl.dpbs

What’s Next

I have been hard at work behind-the-scenes prepping and making plans for Simply Conscious. I really want to make sure I am being true to myself and the message I want to convey to you, my readers and future readers. Here’s a quick peek at what came out of my branding brainstorming session:

I am excited to continue on this path and cannot wait to see where it leads. If so much can happen in 2 weeks, imagine what we can do for the environment in 2 weeks, 2 months, or 2 years…

[simplyconscious]

7 Billion Steps To A Better Future

Living in California I’m lucky to have sunshine and beaches all year round, but that also gives me a front row seat to worsening drought conditions and polluted oceans. Every day I witness the beauty of nature as well as the pitfalls of consumerism and wastefulness. It’s ironic that the people I see enjoying the beaches and the great outdoors (including myself) are the ones contributing to the planet’s continued deterioration. However, this also makes me hopeful because that means those same people can be the ones to save it.

Our population of 7 billion is projected to reach 9 billion in 2050.

For myself and most of my friends, our children and grandchildren will be part of those 2 billion extra people expected to inhabit the Earth. Their future is truly in our hands. Our actions today will determine whether they have access to even the most basic of resources such as water, food, energy and land. If we start shifting our priorities now, one day instead of explaining to them why our society didn’t do something when we had the chance, we’ll be able to tell them about how the 7 billion people on Earth worked together to make it a better place.

So, where do we start?

By simply being conscious. In our society and culture, it is not practical to expect everyone to stop consuming at the drop of a hat. In fact, sustainability is not necessarily about consuming less, but it’s about consuming better.1 We need to make better choices, be aware of what we’re consuming and how we can minimize our environmental impact. 

There is not 1 solution, but 7 billion solutions. 

Everyone is different and depending where you are in the world your environmental needs and concerns could vary greatly. For this reason, each individual needs to figure out how sustainability fits into their lives. When people make the conscious choice to change, the effects are longer lasting because it becomes a part of who we are. By providing people with easy, realistic solutions and helping them form new habits, we will be able to engrain sustainable values and beliefs into our culture for generations to come.

The first step is never easy.

When I started using reusable bags, I would often forget and get frustrated with myself. Then I started keeping a bag in my car, in my purse and by the front door. Soon it became second nature. I still forget occasionally, but it’s important that instead of judging myself, I’m staying aware. As I’ve started incorporating more eco-friendly choices into my life, the easier it has become. You just need to take the first step. If even a portion of the population on Earth made a few small changes, it can make a world of difference.

So to the people enjoying the beaches and the great outdoors, as well as my friends, family and neighbors across the world, let’s take those first steps toward a more sustainable future.

1 Sustainable Consumption and Production and the SDGs – http://www.unep.org/post2015/Portals/50240/Documents/UNEP%20Publications/UNEPBriefingNote2.pdf

This blog post was submitted into the 2015 World Environment Day blogging competition. For more information, visit http://unep.org/wed