Nurturing Holistic Living: Simple Steps

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao-tzu

Living a green and natural lifestyle is something many of us aspire to.  But when we look around and feel a sense of overwhelm about the many areas of our lives where change would be required to reach our goal, we freeze.  We give up.  We shrug it off.

Change is hard.  Resistance to change is normal.  Change threatens our routines and our everyday lives.  Change demands more thought and energy.  Changes requires that we be present and attentive to what we doing, saying, and thinking.  It pulls us out of autopilot and puts us back in control.  And for many of us, autopilot is just easier.  Even if we're heading for a crash landing.  Ironically, it is when we're about to crash and burn that we will try to embrace change.  But there is always the danger of waiting just a little too long.

Why is it that we fear change, fear control?  Perhaps because it involves responsibility.  We know that if we are going to make a change, we need to take responsibility for our actions and own them.  We need to understand the implications of our lifestyle - whether in terms of diet, fitness, wellness, or sustainability - and claim ownership for any mess that we have created.  It's easier to keep puttering along and turn a blind eye than it is to confront something and make a difference.

But as Lao-tzu once said, the journey does indeed begin with a single step.  We can own up to doing better, a little bit at a time.  We can change one simple thing and therein take control of something about ourselves or our lifestyle that isn't working for us.  We can own it, control it, and live it.  One step at a time.

This month, we celebrate changes toward natural and holistic living all month long.  October is Holistic Living Month here at the Holistic Moms Network - an chance to take one step or many toward achieving our lifestyle goals.  Don't let the fear of change paralyze you into inactivity.  Come join Holistic Living Month on Facebook or Twitter and discover some simple actions that you can take each and every day to help live a more natural, more sustainable life.  You might just find yourself journeying along with us!