I, like many others, grew up with a specific template for living.
I didn’t know anything other than the following trajectory for my life: grow up, go to college, graduate, get married, have kids, get promotions and prestige, and continue the cycle of hustling for the next dollar.
It wasn’t until the message of minimalism came to my attention, when I realized everyone doesn’t follow the template above.
Minimalism was my first glimpse of an alternative lifestyle and the first step to me questioning what I grew up being taught.
Veganism was the second alternative lifestyle I was introduced to. The message obviously had an immense impact on me because I’m seven years into the whole #veganlife.
The third alternative lifestyle I was introduced to was that of sustainability. This lifestyle quickly followed veganism because they’re interrelated in many ways.
Little did I know my passion for animals, sustainability, and living a life of intention would lead me to the conscious living movement.
The conscious living movement goes by many names: the slow living movement, the mindfulness movement, the sustainability movement, the simple living movement, and more.
No matter what one calls it, the conscious living movement promotes awareness of our actions, encompasses values centered around sustainable living (mentally, physically and environmentally), and offers an alternative way to living.
What I like about the conscious living movement is that it involves everything I’m passionate about — veganism, minimalism, sustainability and mindfulness.
Conscious living’s template is in direct contrast to what we’ve been programmed to believe about having a “satisfied” life.
Instead of acquiring titles, money and material things as the center of the template, living itself is the center of conscious living. Instead of overworking and sacrificing your wellbeing for the sake of hustling, mental health is the utmost priority. Instead of “going through the motions” of everyday life, presence is encouraged.
The beauty of the conscious living movement is that it’s moldable. It doesn’t have strict rules and regulations like the traditional template we’ve had for centuries. It acknowledges the fact that every individual is different — what serves one person in the area of self-care, may not serve the next person; what brings one person happiness, may not do it for the next; what one person deems “success,” may not be in alignment with the next and so on.
With my platform and work going forward, conscious living is what I want to encourage others to practice.
You may not want to go vegan or give up half your wardrobe like I did, but I do believe that the foundation of the conscious living template will provide common ground for us to discuss.
So with that, start by asking yourself what are three things you can do today to incorporate more awareness to your lifestyle? I would love to hear what you come up with in the comments!
For similar posts, visit the minimalism page.
Leave a Reply