It’s no surprise to anyone. Today’s world is more interconnected and complex than it ever has been. Any convenience we could possibly wish for is available to us. Whether it’s someone grocery shopping for you at the click of a button, having anything you could possibly want to your doorstep in a day or two, or a pill you swallow that gives you more energy. We are in a state where we have mastered how to do things faster and easier. Sounds excellent, doesn’t it? Then why are we also experiencing all time highs of mental health epidemics, diseases skyrocketing, and the health of our planet failing at a faster rate than ever before? Because this transition to more, faster, and easier has also come at the detriment to our health, our connection to others and our connection to our life source. The world today is more globally connected than we have ever been, yet more disconnected at the same exact time. It has fostered an incredibly individual world - where everyone thinks of themselves, when the truth is, we are all intertwined and living from the same resources and life source. It is more apparent than ever that we cannot sustainably continue this way. It is time to awaken and truly understand how to come together for the health of ourselves, others and our Earth.
So what exactly is conscious living? Simply put, it is being mindful of how you are living your life. I break conscious living into three categories: self, others and the planet.
Self
Examples of conscious living in relation to yourself would be the food you ingest. Knowing what foods are nourishing for your body and which are not. Being mindful of the personal care products you use. What about the media you are consuming? Are you intentional when you are online? Are you choosing to follow sites and people that bring you joy and fulfillment, or are you drained every time you get on?
Others
Conscious living in relation to others is understanding your behaviors and how they affect others. This also goes for judgement of others and being mindful with what arises within you. This can also be who you are consciously choosing to spend your time with. Similar to media, do the people that fill your calendar share your values and make you feel better about yourself, or do you feel drained after spending time with them?
Planet
Conscious living is crucial to the health of our planet. Do you consciously choose ways each day to minimize your carbon footprint? Are you thinking of only yourself in that moment when you purchase or consume, or do you have a greater awareness of your impact?
With the gradual additions of technology to make our lives simpler, it is easy to get comfortable and complacent. Here is a simple way to determine if you are living unconsciously:
Do you feel like you are in the driver’s seat of your life or are you on auto-pilot?
No judgement. Remember, this is a space to get curious about what is and isn’t working for us. Without assessment, it is impossible to change. This is where you can evaluate and assess how to move into a conscious life that fully supports the health of your mind, body and soul. When you are living consciously, you are in tune with yourself, others and your surroundings. You make your daily decisions mindfully. These days add up to months and years of living your life the way you want to. You are in the driver’s seat of your life.
Okay, so you want to feel your best and choose a more conscious lifestyle, but how do you wake up? First of all, it’s crucial that you remember to meet yourself where you are. No part of what I talk about in this space is meant to send anyone into overwhelm and stress about how they are living. It is simply to accept where you are and work from that space. Making the choice moving forward to do your best.
The heart of living consciously is understanding your true values and choosing those over convenience. Do not expect to wake up tomorrow and throw out your pantry, buy a whole new sustainable wardrobe, clean up all your personal care products and start a compost. My motto has always been do a little more each day. If you are used to printing out all of your emails at work, perhaps you decide to print on both sides. If you don’t recycle - maybe you look into how you can start. If you have a kitchen full of processed food, perhaps you try to bring in a non-processed meal once a week. If you have no idea what processed food is, perhaps you google: what is processed food? Take an assessment of the areas of your life and choose some simple shifts you can make to begin incorporating an even more mindful life.
Here are some tips that will help you begin to adapt a conscious living mindset:
Put down the phone. Connect face-to-face with one another. Talk to strangers!
Get out in nature. At least once a week. Saunter, observe the wonders of the environment. Notice small details.
Adapt a curiosity mindset. When you are in a sense of wonder, you are connecting to the larger consciousness. You are connecting to something larger than yourself.
Get to know your ingredients (foods and products). Tools to help are below in the resources.
Travel. Near or far, but get out of your regular bubble. Explore, learn, grow.
Educate yourself. Watch documentaries, read books, connect in community.
Magic happens when people start living consciously. It begins to build momentum. You inspire others around you - they see that you are more present and fulfilled. Those companies that are supporting the values you have - begin to grow and more companies are inspired to follow suit. Companies that aren’t consciously living fall away or learn to adapt.
It starts with you and it grows and grows. And this is how we create a world that serves the highest and greatest good for all species that inhabit it. This. This right here is what fires my belly more than anything in my time here. To be here to inspire, teach and support you to become the CEO of your life and to bring forth all of your gifts. The starting point is awareness. Awareness is living consciously. Together we change, together we heal, together we grow, together we thrive.
It is an absolute blessing to have this platform to connect with you. Tell me, what is one way you are going to adopt to live a little more mindfully? Let’s share and connect to build that ball of gooey-goodness momentum for others to join in. I cannot wait to hear from you.
Take good care,
Taylor
Resources:
Think Dirty App - This is my favorite app to use to uncover the toxicity rating of personal products. Don’t worry, I will be including a whole blog around this soon.
Healthy Living App - Another great app similar to Think Dirty.
EWG - Excellent resource for education on food, what’s in your tap water, products, ingredients.
All beautiful images from Unsplash.