Discover Personal Sustainability: Reach Your Potential
So, you are ready to start your Sustainability Journey!
…crickets going through your head… chirp…chirp…chirp…
Wait, wait, wait!!! No, I am not another climate activist telling you everything kills the environment (Although, I will talk about the environment). No way! I am talking about an entirely different form of sustainability, personal sustainability.
What is Sustainability and Personal Sustainability?
Think of it like this, sustainability is an ideal that could allow all people, cultures, and nature to survive for the long haul. It involves three main pillars (1):
Environmental, which is using resources in a way that allows for them to be renewed within a reasonable time adequately. This is what most people think of when talking about Sustainability.
Social, which involves topics like community well-being, social justice, and government.
Economic, which is all about business and the flow of money.
To be honest, these definitions sound like they were regurgitated from a college textbook, so I like to use the 4 P’s, Purpose, People, Profit, and Planet. For those of you who now think I am bad at math, I did add one. That is because Purpose is very important to living a truly sustainable life. Let me explain.
Purpose
In college Biology class, I learned that every species has a niche. Essentially, a niche is a role a species takes within its community. In our human communities, we all have roles as well, doctors, athletes, cashiers, painters, volunteers, mothers, fathers, brothers, friends, coworkers, technicians, scientists, and artists (just to name a few).
We humans can carry many roles at once, making our niche extremely complex. Within that, our actions themselves have a role to play, although much more minor than our life as a whole. This is what I mean by Purpose.
Many religions have even tried to articulate this by calling it a vocation in Christianity (2) or dharma in Buddhism (3). Other professionals such as Simon Sinek’s Why (4) or Lewis Howes’ Meaningful Mission (5) try to describe living a life full of purpose. This belief that you, and everyone, have a higher meaning is intrinsically human, and very important to sustainability.
You see, those who live with a high sense of purpose will far excel in almost every metric you can think of, intelligence, income, life expectancy, and most importantly, joy. Just like a species with a robust and ecologically beneficial niche will survive for millions of years. The cool thing about us is we get to choose and design our purpose. Are you ready to design yours?
2. People
It is no secret we are social creatures and need others. Our very own neurochemical transmitters are wired to bring satisfaction to us when we have others who love us around us. We do not live in a vacuum, and our bodies desperately do not want to. I am talking about what many call the “Feel-Good Hormones”, Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Endorphins (6). In a nutshell, these hormones drive us forward and help create satisfaction and meaningful relationships.
Now, of course, we are all different. Some of us (like myself, why do you think I am writing a blog instead of talking directly to others) are introverts, while others are extroverts. There are also varying levels of introverts and extroverts. We are each unique.
That being said, we need relationships to survive and succeed. We are surrounded by relationships from the moment we are born! Your mother and father, surrogate or adopter, received you with open arms, promising to love you. This comes from Oxytocin and causes this family-type bonding.
We also have friends. We seek people who enjoy what we enjoy and believe what we believe and continue to engage with them. You have fun, go out to parties, plan trips, and even go to school with your friends. Not quite like family, but they can become like family or even become romantic.
The vast majority of us will also work with our coworkers. Although these people may not be your friends, they do trust you, care for you, and want to help you as you all work for a common goal. Within coworkers there are also leaders, people you respect and who you will answer their call if asked.
And of course, there are those who you may not like. Call them enemies, rivals, or antagonists, these people do exist, and we must know how to act around them properly. Some may even be your family and friends. As you will find throughout my blog, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness are far more sustainable ways to sustain social well-being.
3. Profit
Who likes to talk about money? 401k and IRA get your heart racing? Well, for Profit, we will talk entirely about how to always have money, even on a less than modest income. Believe it or not, it is a lot easier to be financially stable or even well-off with sustainable finances.
Profit can be separated into three main topics:
Income, all the money you make
Budgeting and Spending, all the money you spend
Saving (my favorite), all the money set aside for retirement, large purchases, emergency funds, etc.
We all need an income. It is just how our society works. Our income heavily influences the other two segments. The more the better right? Here we can maximize your earning potential if you are a cashier or a neuroscientist. There is one thing I MUST preface here, and that is time. Time is our only truly non-renewable resource. Income means nothing if you don’t have time. So, we will also talk about ways to maximize your time so you can enjoy life more and hopefully work less.
Budgeting and Spending can be some of your worst nightmares, but it is the best tool to see where your money goes. Do you have 15 hidden subscriptions you are paying for? Maybe you want to save for a house? It comes down to priorities here. One crazy thing I refused to prioritize is television. That’s right, I do not have a TV, no Netflix, no Disney+, No HBO Max, or any other streaming service. I fully understand that many of you may not want to give up television, but there may be things that you are spending money on that are not giving you enjoyment for the amount you spend. Budgeting and prioritizing can help.
Lastly, we have savings. Here is the fun part, 401k’s, IRS’s, investments, High Yield Savings Accounts, and delayed gratification! Ahh, those topics are music to my ears. Don’t they just make you feel all warm and fuzzy? I know, I know, these can be as dull as dirt, but they are VERY important to sustainable Profit. Some of these savings can even increase your income without lifting a finger. Want to know how I got to a point where I do not have to input anything into my retirement at the age of 30? Yeah, saving is that cool!
4. Planet
And now, the moment you have all been waiting for…
Drum roll, please!
PLANET! Yes, the environment. So many people I know get into sustainability because they know the importance and dire situation our environment is in. Extinctions, pollution, habitat destruction, it all seems to be doom and gloom. Which is why you have such adamant environmental advocates.
However, we have learned a lot throughout history. We have learned about the Carbon and Water Cycles. We have learned how to harness the sun’s energy. We have learned what pollutants are more harmful than others and how to properly manage them as waste. We have also successfully brought species back from the brink of extinction.
Not only do we have to worry about our planet as a whole, but also our slice of the planet we call our body. Health is extremely important here too. Your little environment we call our body has its cycles and systems to uphold. It would be neglectful of me to only talk about the outside environment and not our bodies. We all want to live a long and healthy life, and by doing so we may even be able to help the entire planet as well. Intrigued yet?
Lastly, I will talk about the ways I have come to enjoy the outdoors. Camping, hiking, golfing, running, photography, birdwatching, and wildlife encounters are among my favorites. With all this work we have put into living a sustainable life, we should feel proud to reap the benefits of a healthy environment and enjoy the outdoors. Plus, most outdoor activities are cheap or free (aside from golf).
Now the Personal Part
Ok, so we now know what sustainability is, but what about Personal Sustainability, Nick? Well, personal sustainability revolves around the same topics on an individual level. It answers questions like, How do I become healthy? How do I eat properly? How do I save for retirement? How do I manage my own time? What are my priorities?
While sustainability generally talks about the macro, personal sustainability talks about the micro. It just so happens that changing ourselves for the better will also change the world for the better. We are all connected. We are all a part of nature not apart from nature. Many sustainability topics get overwhelming when talking about how big they are. Talking about the things you as an individual can do is a lot smaller step, but they compound into something great. You can make a difference in your own life, the lives around you, and the planet as a whole, all without harming others in the process.
So, now you know all about sustainability and personal sustainability. Are you ready to dive into starting your Personal Sustainability Journey? Let’s go find your Purpose first!
Bibliography
Sustainability Primer [Internet]. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-05/documents/sustainability_primer_v9.pdf. United States of America Environmental Protection Agency ; 2015 [cited 2024 Sep 30]. Available from: www.epa.gov
Definition of VOCATION [Internet]. www.merriam-webster.com. 2024 [cited 2024 Sep 30]. Available from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vocation
Saiisha. What Is Your Dharma? Here’s How to Find Your True Life Purpose [Internet]. YouAlignedTM. 2020 [cited 2024 Sep 30]. Available from: https://youaligned.com/lifestyle/dharma-find-true-life-purpose/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CDharma%E2%80%9D%20is%20a%20Sanskrit%20word%20that%20translates%20literally
Sinek S. Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. London: Portfolio/Penguin; 2009.
Howes L. The Greatness Mindset. Hay House, Inc; 2023.
Watson S. Feel-good hormones: How they affect your mind, mood, and body - Harvard Health [Internet]. Harvard Health. 2021 [cited 2024 Sep 30]. Available from: https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/feel-good-hormones-how-they-affect-your-mind-mood-and-body#:~:text=What%20are%20the%20four%20feel-good%20hormones?%20Dopamine
