Simple and Sustainable
So it’s the New Year. A time so full of possibility we resolve to change our lives. It makes sense in many ways - this time of reflection, when we are doing less, more time to consider, to think, to perhaps germinate a future we desire.
And yet.
If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, this is a time of quiet. Nature is quiet, restoring itself, readying itself, certainly, but not growing, not blooming yet. Rest. Crucial for any growth in nature, crucial for revitalizing the soil, the minerals, for creating an environment in which growth can happen.
Perhaps we ought to take our cues from Mother Nature, then, and allow this time to be one of rest, reflection, restoration. The idea of resolutions is so attractive, so alluring, we want to believe that we can make a list of all the ways we will be better, and then, by God, we will implement it! Over the holidays we have a sense of being removed from the daily grind, we have a sense of space, so crucial for looking at our lives and taking stock. We also tend to overdo it in so many ways, which often gives us the motivation to change.
It’s just that, for many of us, these lists, these resolutions, don’t really stick. We might come on strong and then, a few short weeks later, we have abandoned the gym, the diet, the cleaning regime. This is not news to you, I realize, we all know this, we’ve all experienced it, we all joke about it. But hope springs eternal, so, each year, we resolve to do better. Most years, most of us, don’t do better. Which leads to a feeling of letting ourselves down, of failure, of lack of faith in ourselves, of being doomed to repeat, to stay stuck.
I have a suggestion, if you’d like. Try adopting, as your mantra for change, Simple and Sustainable. A slight variation on that old chestnut of wisdom: “Slow and Steady”, but for some reason, to me, Simple and Sustainable feels a little more uplifting, a little more hopeful.
Simple and sustainable changes are just that: small, simple steps that you can consistently commit to. Over time, these small steps add up to marathons of change, but they don’t have the sense of overwhelm that accompanies massive change.
My friend Kim and I used this mantra last year when it came to incorporating more health into our diet. We had both gone off the rails a little, and so decided to commit to more salad, more leafy greens in our diet. My version was committing to a smoothie in the morning (I’d fallen off that wagon), and a salad at lunch, hers was similar but incorporated cooking and eating all the beautiful vegetables from her garden. We didn’t cut anything out of our diets (no sugar! no carbs! etc.), but instead made a few simple and sustainable steps and that was it. These steps lead, of course, to an overall heightened awareness of what we were eating, to making better choices in general. When you start eating a little healthier, the ball of momentum gets going and you just make healthier choices in general.
It works in every area of life. The minimalism challenge I’m doing now is such a great example of simple and sustainable steps. Instead of committing to clearing out the whole house, or even one room, in a massive effort one day or weekend, I am clearing the rubble out a little at a time every day. It doesn’t feel overwhelming, it isn’t exhausting, I don’t dread it. In fact, I am loving it (I cannot recommend it highly enough!! the results are so satisfying). The change is deep and slow and, this time, I think, will stick.
Look, I realize that “Simple and Sustainable” isn’t exactly sexy. It doesn’t hold the same allure as “Get Ripped in 30 Days!”. We want to believe that we can fix it all in one fell swoop, change our lives in no time, and perhaps some people can. But I wouldn’t trust a giant redwood that sprouted up twenty feet in 30 days. It would surely topple and die. It needs time, it needs to develop its roots, steady itself to grow strong. And so do we.
Is there one simple and sustainable change you can try making now? Something you can commit to that is achievable. I promise that, if you do commit to something manageable, it will be a domino and will lead to other changes, and that, over time, things will shift tremendously. If you aren’t sure where to start, consider the area that makes you feel excited about growth, or, conversely, the area that is driving you the most crazy. It depends upon you. If something has some energy around it, we can usually move towards it and get some momentum going.
One last thing: try to enlist a friend - someone you can “report” in to, someone you can cheer on as they do you. The power of that support is exponential. Somehow it makes all the difference to get to celebrate your wins with a friend. Find someone online or in real life and go forward together.
Take Aways:
Pick one area in your life that you are interested in shifting - something that has some energy around it. This might be something you feel you will be able to have a “win” at, or it might be the thing that is “dragging you down” the most.
Commit to a simple and sustainable step you can take. Perhaps it is eating a few more forkfuls of greens at dinner. Perhaps it is to keeping your kitchen counter clear at all times. Perhaps it is to incorporating a walk at lunch time once a week. Whatever it is, make sure it is easy to incorporate, and something you can commit to.
Enlist a friend! You don’t have to be working on the same area in life, you just have to commit to supporting one another, cheering one another on, checking in daily (or close to it).
