Quit caring so much about “convenient.”
Welcome to the topic the we talk about A LOT. Why is our society to addicted to convenience? What’s the path away from convenience?
Many of us have grown accustomed to making the choice that is the most convenient. What’s fastest, what’s easiest, and what’s cheapest? Because companies tell us all the time that fast, easy, and cheap is better. Maybe… if you live in a vacuum. We don’t. We live with other beings. Therefore, we must ask hard questions: who is it better for—and who does it harm?⠀
Making new and different choices requires changing our behavior. In this case, our consuming and purchasing behavior, and we don’t need a convenience diet, we need a lifestyle change. We can say “no” to some thing for thirty days or we can shift our behavior so we won’t miss that thing for a lifetime.⠀
Some of you may have heard of deleting the word “should” from your vocabulary—in order to put personal inspiration behind your choices. I now ask you to delete the word “convenient” from your vocabulary—to let some version of environmental consciousness underpin your choices. The next time you buy a product or choose an action, ask yourself Why this? Get curious about your Because... Is it because it takes less time? Because it requires less effort? Because it doesn’t cost as much money? The idea here is to open up to see how any choice you make or product you purchase affects far more than you. ⠀
Here’s the truth: It will be very hard to go green—even imperfectly green—if you believe that all things in your life have to be convenient.
Try these 3 Reframes:
fast > slower: Does this need to be instant, or can you allow more time?
easy > good effort: What makes this physically or mentally harder? Can you afford more effort?
cheap > an investment: Do I need the cheapest options or will more money now make sense in the long run?
We have the opportunity to be more fulfilled, more connected, and more environmentally conscious when we release ourselves from fast, cheap, and easy.
And remember. Going imperfectly green is your choice. We are not here to make your life harder. You know your limits, your budget, and your time. You know what is simply inconvenient to change and what is not possible right now. We know we do!⠀
