Sustainability

I had a really great conversation with a girlfriend yesterday morning about living a sustainable lifestyle. She has three kids and is homeschooling and has found a new business passion in addition to running a farm, and is finding it hard to find the balance in all the chaos. And rightfully so! She has a lot going on.

So we discussed a few things that she could introduce to her life that would help her to live with more harmony and balance and find the sustainable lifestyle that she desires. The first thing, I told her, truly is to recognize what is most important. And that’s the well-being of her children. So to recognize that work can be scheduled at a time that works for the family. She told me about her new business endeavour and the “power hour”. Meaning that she already knows she’ll have designated time later, but is excited about the business now. So then it becomes about living in the moment and knowing that you’ve created the space in your day. If we try to do it all because we’re excited about it right now, we’ll end up exhausted and that’s not sustainable at all. So trust the timing of it all and be where you’re needed now. She felt like that was something she could try.

She also said she feels her best when she’s in her morning running routine. But that an injury stopped her from continuing and so now she wakes up when the kids get her up. So, I suggested getting up early whether it’s a run or yoga or meditation, but to plan that time to do something for her. This can be a beautiful time of day where you can enjoy the silence of the morning and set your intentions for the day. A time to give gratitude. And it’s about making yourself a priority. Open yourself to receive the gifts the day will bring. And then when the kids wake up, she’ll be ready to give to them from a place of peace and balance. She felt like this was doable.

We also discussed adding a meditation to her nighttime routine. She said it’s something she has always wanted to do but doesn’t know how to make the time. For beginners with meditation I always recommend bedtime since it’s the easiest time to fit it in. And do it with the intention of falling asleep. There are lots of really great guided meditations on YouTube for peace, harmony and balance. Find a voice that’s soothing to you and play it out loud focussing on the positive message while you drift to sleep. This will alleviate monkey brain, where all you can think about is the crazy day you had or the busy day you’ll have tomorrow. As she begins to see and feel the benefits, she can then begin to find other times of day to sit in quiet contemplation, even among the craziness of the day.

Living with balance and harmony is so important to me. And creating that lifestyle for my children is a priority. I know we can’t always feel amazing and we can’t always be aligned, but we can be mindful of when we’re not and use tools to get us back to being grounded. Things like healthy eating and exercise are paramount to feeling and living our best life.

Living a sustainable life is about understanding what’s important enough to fit in to your lifestyle and doing it without making excuses. And then letting go of this expectation you have for yourself and trusting that when you slow down and live in the moment, you can actually enjoy the life you’ve created.

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Wishing you more peace, balance, happiness, vibrant health and lasting love.

Sandy xo

"What we think, we become." -Buddha