I wanted slow and sustainable living to feature in my blog posts but I really didn't know how to begin. The truth is, slow and sustainable living are very much top-of-mind for me when I think about my business, but its the sort of thing that goes on behind the scenes.
Slow living practices influence my business plan as much as financial growth does. A focus on sustainability influences the materials I choose to work with, my approach to making and my packaging. These choice continue to guide my personal and business life, which is why I wanted to spend a bit of time talking about them.
Sustainability is something that I've been working towards for a while now.
My parents instilled in me a love an appreciation of nature and my mother has been a great influence in my life, practicing environmentalism, low-toxic living, recycling and other sustainable practices for as long as I can remember. I grew up this way and after committing to vegetarianism 8 years ago and sustainable fashion 3 years ago, this is a way of living that I am passionate about and that I'm constantly seeking to improve. Slow living on the other hand was something I ignored for far too long.
I wish I could say that I didn't need such a rude awakening.
It was only after my health disintegrated that I had a massive cliche moment and began to see the sense in living life at a slower pace. The slow changes I have made have been imperative to my continued recovery and has definitely been a defining moment in my life.
So what is slow living? I used to think 'slow living' was only for homemakers, hippies, for rich people to turn to momentarily when holidaying in Byron Bay and for those wanting to justify their boring life. Ouch! I was wrong in every way possible.
Slow living is a countercultural movement that seeks to do things as well as possible with intention rather than mindlessly and as fast as possible. Slow living is about enjoying and appreciating the moments we have rather than counting down the seconds and rushing through them. It is about living an intentional, good life with just enough rather than mindless consumerism, seeking excess and 'keeping up with the Joneses'.
Slow living can be applied to every facet of life and often overlaps with mindfulness practices, minimalism, sustainability, experientialism, frugality, ethical consumerism and the slow food movement. It is a lifestyle that I'm (slowly) trying to implement into my daily life. I thank my family and my health carers for helping me to adopt a slower life and I also can't get enough of The Slow Home Podcast (shoutout to Brooke and Ben McAlary, the amazing couple behind this great podcast), which has been essential in helping me to understand the benefits of slow living, as well as giving me a practical view of what a slow life can actually look like.
Does slow and sustainable living help and enrich your life? How about your work life or health? I'd love to know if there's any advice or books you recommend on the subject as I'm still fairly new to slow living and have a long way to go sustainability-wise.
-Ruth