How to choose sustainability- in three easy steps

Share with friends

No single one of us can save the world in one fell swoop, nor can we fight the good fight alone. But, we can make choices in our daily lives in order to both move the planet, humanity and ourselves towards a new utopia.

I like to break down my world view into 3 bubbles.

Firstly, there’s me… my own wee bubble, my family and my immediate tribe… there’s my thoughts, the way I interact with the world, my values and my unique being. It’s who I am. The messy, the complicated, the divine. All wrapped into this ball of energy, sometimes, and naps, other times. I’m an introvert with a giant heart.

A highly sensitive soul who wants the best for all humans and who feels the deepest of empathy for even the smallest of circumstances. I’m acutely aware of all my surroundings. All the time. It’s both exceptional and heartbreaking all in one.

Then, there’s my wider community. My connections, my city, my region, my country. My interests and my team. The things and people I’m connected to by choice. The place where I choose to dwell. My environment.

And, thirdly there’s my world. The rock we live on and the metaphorical world in which we make our way.

I view everyday situations and activities through one of these three lenses. It’s how I make sense of the world. It enables me to focus on impact and perception to a much greater level of detail than if I lump everything together. The level of impact or influence you can personally have depends a lot on which lense you’re looking through.

I can make the most impact in my immediate bubble. I can make my own choices and decide some things for my family. I can influence my loved ones and friends, and I can choose how I live. It’s this bubble where I’m able to make the most impact and therefore, hopefully have an affect on my other two bubbles.

I can make sustainable decisions about my life and my immediate environment and I can literally see the ripples of my efforts spreading out into my immediate tribe.

So, it’s here that I begin and here that I focus. It’s where things have to start. Small. And by making small and regular changes and tweaks I can sustain a momentum that becomes my life. A life that’s sustainable in both thought and action.

Without a change in mindset theres no longevity to any sort of change we make. So, that’s where I start.

It’s a feeling of ensuring that my values, and the way I live my life are aligned.

I’d like to say I aspire to lead a slow life, a life less complicated, but full to the brim of all the things that I value most. But aspire is the wrong word.

That suggests that its forced or contrived. Whereas the daily choices, activities and goals I pursue are an extension of my hearts desire. A natural force to be reckoned with. Where I walk step by step, minute by minute in my own shoes. The ones that I’ve made for myself. The ones that fit me to perfection.

Choosing what’s best for my family and the planet in each moment is deeply underpinned by my core beliefs in how I want to show up in this world.

It’s not about deciding to use a keep cup, or plant a garden. It’s about a shift in perspective. A true connection to yourself and to the fundamental beliefs you hold about your life.

I can’t change the world by myself. But the actions and choices I make are underpinned by a change in mindset. We need to want to change our own lives before we can aspire to make positive and long lasting sustainable choices for our planet.