Being able to stay motivated when living sustainably is key to the success of your actions, but staying positive is not easy. Every day you'll face different challenges and obstacles that slow down your progress. Not to mention most of the time the news about the environment is negative and worrying.
Which is why @earthmommatrainee's Instagram post from February really resonated with me. She talked about the connection between gratitude and sustainability, and how where your motivation lies (whether in fear or gratitude) can affect how you live sustainably in the long-term.
So I had to invite her to break down the topic for the All Things Green community!
What emotions motivate us?
First off it's important to explain the two different motivators; intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic Motivation - Motivated by internal factors; a drive that comes purely from within without any rewards.
Extrinsic Motivation - Motivated by external factors; i.e. to earn a reward or avoid a penalty.
By understanding what motivates you to live sustainably you can leverage this to ensure you continue to feel passionate about helping the planet - and not burnt out.
How does practicing gratitude help keep you motivated when living sustainably?
Regularly expressing gratitude can be a great way to develop intrinsic motivation. Expressing gratitude toward the earth will prompt us to change our habits to take better care of it, and help keep us motivated when change becomes difficult.
How can we practice gratitude?
By practicing gratitude for the environment we can be reminded why we keep on fighting to save it. Here are just a few ways you can practice gratitude for the planet:
Write down one thing every day that you're grateful for
Get outside in nature every day
Learn about the wonders of nature
Practice meditation and mindfulness
I hope this post has shown you that there's a better way to be motivated by and inspire others to help the planet. Sometimes it's easy to revert to fear or guilt to spur people into actions, but these negative emotions can only motivate for a short time and will leave people feeling burnt out and anxious. Instead by practicing gratitude we can be positively motivated in our actions.
Thank you to @earthmommatrainee for working with me on this post!
Head to the All Things Green Instagram to join the conversation and let us know what you think about this topic!
Hi, thank you for reading the All Things Green blog! 💚
We share simple eco friendly tips to help you lead an imperfect sustainable lifestyle.
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- Naomi x
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