Mindfulness, Consumption and Why You Don't Have to Be Perfect
It’s tough putting all of your thoughts about consumerism on a blog for the world to see. Mostly because then your friends can call you out when you dip into a Wal-Mart or talk about wanting to buy this or that.
You can’t just talk the talk.
But it’s not easy. I’m straddling the line between living a life of unconsumerism, while still having and doing the things that make me happy.
And you know what? Sometimes, stuff makes me happy. I’m not a beacon of unconsumerism perfection. I never will be. I will probably always deal with want. And that’s OK.
Because I know what I believe, and I know that slowly, little by little, that “want” will ebb away, and I will find balance between what I believe and what I buy. For now, all I can do is try my best to be mindful, and be proud of the fact that I am aware of my purchasing power.
Sometimes I get to thinking that it’s one or the other. That I’m sacrificing my immediate happiness in order to do what I know is right (like not shopping, or not eating meat).
But there’s always a balance. With everything. Take eating meat, for example. While I’m really proud of my newfound vegetarianism, I feel like I could be doing more if I went completely vegan. Instead of focusing on the great things I’m doing for the environment by cutting out the meat, I look at what more I could be doing “if only.”
Well, “if only” is a fairly pointless attitude. I won’t be vegan this month or the next. And I will buy the occasional pair of socks and underwear, thrift store clothes, and a new phone this year. But I won’t go to the mall, or buy conventional clothes.
It’s all about the balance — be proud of the change you’re making, and do everything mindfully. None of us are perfect, but all of us can make a change with the little things we do every day. {r}
Being mindful is the best thing you can do. Take each day one by one and do your best.
If you do something 90% of the time, it’s still way better than 50% or not at all. If I buy a new shirt and donate an old one to charity or a homeless shelter why I may have contributed to the problem, I’ve also helped to give something back to someone else.
Keep at it Kristin! While I may not be an unconsumer I definitely love reading reading your stories here! Thanks for educating me!
It sounds like you ARE an unconsumer! Wise words that make me feel better : )
Great post! The reminder the perfectionism around these issues isn’t always achievable is a good one – it’s funny, how when you choose to make a stand (whether it’s not to ear meat or got to a mall) everyone is always so quick to point out slight deviations. Drives me crazy, actually! We all need socks!! :)
Ha! Yes… My mom recently sent me an article about “food guilt.” It’s sometimes a tough thing to have these perfect ideals and then see something shiny/delicious and forget about them for a second. But hey, at least we get past that in a few minutes!
I am going down the road of starting a sustainable,eco-aware business and I have been thinking a lot about this
I am my business and my business is me, so if clients see me in Tesco’s will I loose all credibility instantly.
My new years resolution was not to use supermarkets, and I have almost managed it. With a young family it’s difficult and my poor husband is trying his best to understand why Buy 1 Get 1 Free is not good.
Being mindful is great advice.
If you have to buy socks, buy good ones that will last 10 years and a good darning needle.
Thanks again for a good read!
{ignorant question} why is BOGO not good if you are actually going to use both items?
(If I may step in here: I think BOGO (how silly that we all know what this means!) usually applies to really cheap things, like shoes. Items like that perpetuate this idea that we can have it all, for cheap, and price is the only factor keeping us from a few pairs of awesome shoes. It’s not BOGO itself that’s bad; it’s super-cheap-Made-in-Bangladesh-China-Guatemala, with toxic chemicals and under bad working conditions, so we can have a few pairs of cheap shoes. And one of them can be free…
What’s the true cost of that pair of shoes – to the world? What’s the true cost of all these cheap items we’re getting at insanely low prices, to the environment and to the people’s lives who make them?)
I am all for BOGO and sales when it comes to appropriately-priced, thoughtful products!!!
Wow! That’s a great challenge and I’m sure is very rewarding. I’m lucky enough to live in a place where it’s fairly easy to hit the natural foods store, go to a local sew shop, and browse a few thrift stores. I wish you the best of luck in getting your husband on board! AND cannot wait to see what you come up with in the eco-ware department!
Thoughtful post Kristen. It is always good to receive a reminder ever now and then that we as consumers have the power! By being aware about the consumer choices we make we can make a big difference in this world. If I were to breakdown my spending – the bulk of it goes on items like rent, food and travel. Rent is essential, with my food I always try to buy as much local produce as possible (not difficult given the excellent quality of food we have here in Auckland) and through travel I can directly contribute to the local communities that I visit. Your point about balance is wonderful – we are always going to have ‘wants’ and there is nothing wrong with indulging yourself everynow and again. But I guess the point is to make it the exception and not the rule.
It is suprisingly easy to live outside the mainstream corporations that exploit the poor and the environment; but the question that always bugs me is whether we can live this way if it were not for those corporations having blazed the path and created the product and the demand? It is the Matrix Effect – the revolutionaries and the establishment are mutually dependent on each other for survival.
Joshua,
Great points you bring up. I’d say my spending goes about like that too – I try to spend quality money on food, since I think that’s really important, and I recently splurged a bit on rent for an apartment with a garden, where my new roommate and I can grow some vegetables and herbs in the summertime. I think spending is great, it’s just choosing what to spend on!
Interesting comment on large corporations paving the way – I don’t believe we can live the way we currently are (the extreme luxuries) without exploitation. So now we’re moving towards local, handmade, fair trade, etc., but that probably means that we’re going to give up some of the things we like having if we want things to change. And also, if the whole world wanted to live like this, we’d be in for a shock. Just not possible.
Interesting, too, to think about the humble beginnings of many large corporations. It’s all a cat and mouse game of creating and recreating! Thanks for your thoughtful insight, Joshua.
Kristin, you are on the right track! Don’t even think about going vegan.
Haha, thanks Judy… I wouldn’t worry about the veganism too soon. Have yet to try those recipes but I will soon!