Howard Zinn once said,
“We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.”
We live in a world that gets caught up in the hype and speed of life, which only leads to crashing and burning. There is nothing wrong with wanting to live an extraordinary life. However, have we made extraordinary synonymous with complicated?
Have we added “extra” to “ordinary” hoping to come to a place of fulfillment only to find ourselves burned out and exhausted?
Starting and stopping becomes the norm when the rhythms in life we choose are impossible to carry out over a long period of time. In order for someone to achieve a sustainable lifestyle I believe they need rhythm, practical tools, soul care, and community.
I remember when I used to strive for balance only to find that it was impossible. I would live in a constant state of anxiety because life never was conducive to find balance in every area of my life. No matter how I tried to schedule my day, there was always some aspect of deficit as it pertained to how finite time was. 24 hours in a day is not plausible to accomplish every single goal possible in every single area of your life. Instead of being defeated I came to realize something.
It is not sustainable.
In order to find sustainability in life, it is better to strive for rhythm not balance. Developing daily rhythms will enable us to reach our goals. The key is discipline and not becoming discouraged by the mundane. Being able to have the discipline to do integral tasks becomes much more sustainable in life. When we find ourselves falling short of any of those rhythms, we can simply start back over and keep going without the guilt that we have ruined our lives. Think about when you are listening to music and the song you are listening to has a nice groove to it. As the groove continues on repeatedly, you can find yourself getting lost in the beauty of it but once something changes it literally throws you off. Or if we consider our hearts. The bpm of our hearts, outside of any heart conditions, is steady and smooth. Stressors and emotions can cause that rhythm to change. Once the rhythm changes we are impacted either with feelings of exhaustion or anxiousness. That steady rhythm helps keep a steady pulse, which helps ensure that our bodies are functioning optimally. The same is so with our lives, once we determine what our goals are in life, we simply need to find the rhythms that best support those goals and stick to them. This is much more sustainable than aiming to be balanced in everything.
In order to live a sustainable life I also believe that having the right tools are essential. And this does not mean that the tools need to have a cost factor to them. There are plenty of free tools that we can access in order to increase our productivity. For example, our cell phones have notes apps on them that we can take notes on, create folders, and create checklists. One of the ways that I organize my weekly tasks is by beginning my Mondays on Sundays.
On Sundays, I map out all of my goals on a notes app on my phone entitled “priority list.” This is the list that contains items that I absolutely have to tackle by the end of the week. Another note that I have is called my “fun list.” These are the times that I tackle when I am done completing my priority list. What has been effective for me is that the fun list contains items that would be fun for me at work. These are those fun projects that are easy to prioritize over the more important items. I also have a folder that has all of the departments that I lead and I have a meeting template in them that guides me to creating all of my meeting agendas for the week.
Sustainability requires sustenance. The same way that our bodies need nourishment, our souls do as well. Mental health care can be an overlooked practice that we all can benefit from. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health conditions can have a substantial impact on an individual's ability to work. By addressing mental health issues through care and support, productivity and work performance can be improved, contributing to a more sustainable and thriving workforce. Mental health care is crucial for enhancing the overall quality of life. Improved mental well-being contributes to a more fulfilling and satisfying life, fostering a sense of purpose and resilience in the face of life's challenges. Mental health plays a role in educational success. Students with good mental health are more likely to thrive academically, contributing to a well-educated and skilled workforce that is essential for sustainable development.
Lastly, living a sustainable life requires having the right people around us.
The lone ranger mindset will not get us far in life.
We need people around us who are encouraging us. We also need them to correct us when we are heading in the wrong path. According to research published in PLOS Medicine, social integration and community involvement are linked to increased life expectancy. Individuals with strong social connections may live longer than those who are socially isolated. An old proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
In summation, I believe that we strive for rhythm, utilize practical tools, prioritize soul care, and live life in community, we live sustainable lives. It is time that we wean off of starting and stopping in our lives and shift towards continuous growth and success.