Living By Our Values

Inspired by a podcast I just recently listened to called What You're Eating by FoodPrint.org

It can be extremely difficult to stray from the norm. It's what society is built around, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing if you think about it in terms of community and tradition. However, the issue arises when our normal ways of living don't actually align with out values deep down. Let me explain a little more...

I'm a lover of podcasts and just recently came across one published by a website I've been subscribed to, FoodPrint. The episode that sparked my ideas on this topic was, "You're Probably a Vegan in Waiting" in which philosopher Matt Halteman gives advice on a framework to consider about veganism. What stuck out to me the most was his belief that, when we live in harmony with our values, we live a much fuller life. That may seem pretty straight forward and obvious, right? However, if you take the time to look at the way humans behave in society, we tend to make choices that don't actually reflect what we believe deep down. An example would be that you claim to be an animal lover: you have a dog that you adore, you love passing by horses on a drive, and the goat reels you see on Instagram are just too gosh darn cute. Every day though, you eat meat in some way or another: bacon for breakfast, chicken in your salad at lunch, or salmon for dinner. Unfortunately, to your knowledge or not (a great possibility of this in many cases, however animal cruelty I would argue is more common knowledge today), you are supporting a system that puts thousands of animals through cruelty and suffering for your chosen protein choice. Can you really say you care about animals if you aren't supporting animal welfare across the board? Another example is kindness to all. You can say that you are a kind-hearted person who could never do harm to anyone else (trust me, I've met people who have such pure, kind souls) but then you put your votes on someone who doesn't act in the same way you believe. You helped give power to people who may not care about the cycle of poverty, don't want there to be love outside of the typical man and woman marriage, etc.

To me, this is a sad reality of disconnection as well as fear. We are often disconnected to the results of our actions and this can make it difficult to behave in a way that truly aligns with our values. But, we also are afraid to face the reality of what happens behind the scenes. People want to believe that they are just one small fish in a big sea whose actions don't actually make a huge difference. Or, people want to believe that there really isn't a better alternative and, hey, everyone's acting in this way so it must be okay, right?

I think that there is such a beauty in coming to terms with your lifestyle and how you truly feel about it. This isn't an easy thing to do by any means, especially when we were raised to eat certain ways, believe in certain people, and work for certain outcomes. However, if you continue on without this introspection once in a while, I think life passes on without being lived to the fullest. I can speak from personal experience that beginning to live in a way that's more closely (not perfectly, because we all know that perfection doesn't exist and therefore we shouldn't strive for it) aligned to our values is a game changer. Have I had to explain myself on multiple occasions as to why I choose to eat certain things, not eat certain things, shop in certain ways, and spend my days the way I do? Sure. But honestly, I don't remember a time where my explanation caused upset, for myself or the other person. In fact I know it's done the opposite. I was chatting with a coworker one day during a shift when the store we worked in wasn't too busy and we got on the topic of vegan foods. I shared with her that I followed a plant-based diet, and instead of ending our discussion, she embraced her curiosity and began to ask me questions all about it! And let me tell you, I don't know if I've ever felt more proud of the decisions I've made in my life up to this point.

That's the key, in my opinion, and Matt goes into this a little bit in the podcast: if we embrace the opportunities we have to live closer to our deep developed values from childhood in all reality, we can transform to an even higher version of ourselves. Instead of having the mindset that adopting a certain way of living means we're giving something up, whether that's shopping secondhand, choosing to not eat a certain type of food that causes harm (environmentally, socially, health-related, etc.), or shifting which companies you support to name a few, we can think of the opportunity we get to make a shift that goes more hand in hand with our beliefs. And we can do this in a way that isn't so abnormal from our regular lives. Maybe you consider yourself somewhat educated on health and try to live to be your healthiest self. You love diet soda though because it is something you grew up drinking on Friday nights with your family while watching pizza and a movie. Through taking a moment to look in the mirror and asking yourself if you are living the life you truly want to be, you decide that diet soda isn't something that should be a part of it because of the added ingredients that really aren't great for your health, such as erythritol that has been shown to possibly be linked to heart disease. You could sit in glum knowing that this part of your every day experience is gone, OR you could find an alternative. :) There are numerous healthy soda brands in existence today that can fill that "void" yet still help you live closer to your values.

All that is to say that there really is such a good feeling you get when you know that something you choose to do in your day is bringing you to your truer self. Additionally, it feels even better when delving into your lifestyle in conversation with others knowing that you aren't saying one thing but doing another behind closed doors.

The two photos I included in this blog post are ones that I took on my Canon and are images that I believe represent what I've discussed today. Looking in the mirror at yourself to find the holes in who you say you are and how you say you want to live is so important to me, and necessary for self-improvement; this ultimately leads to a more confident, hard-working you. :)

Thank you so much for reading.

xox, kat <3