Live Consciously

I’ve been vegetarian for about a month now. So far its been one of the best decisions I’ve made this year, although its kind of funny how it all happened…

We were driving up to a convention in Las Vegas with my coworkers, and I was chatting with our bosses. (They were along for the ride as well.)

He had mentioned that he has been vegetarian for about 10 years now.

I thought wow, a real live vegetarian, and he looks abundantly healthy! I had in my mind that vegetarians are all emaciated and look sickly, but no no, my boss was completely healthy.

I asked him about the transition he made from eating things with faces to a veggie diet, and over the course of time, the meat cravings became less and less, until after a while you don’t even crave meat at all…

Now, I had been on the fence with vegetarianism, for about 2 years. I had always thought it was something that I would love to do someday, but never really committed to when I would go for it.

I had been eating primarily soy products for a year (ironically because I had switched to an almost total organic diet, and they didn’t have organic meat at the store I shopped at). Gradually, I decreased the amount of animal products that I ate because of the organic thing as well.

So for about a year I had been eating lots of soy products, organic foods, and yogurts, with the occasional face food. But I didn’t feel like I wanted to give up my meat, just yet.

After speaking with my boss about it, I became inspired to take the final plunge and go head into vegetarianism…for a month.

In all honesty, I’m not one for big commitments right away! I wanted to give it a try and make sure that this was something I really wanted to do. I figured a month would be sufficient time to give it a try and see if I really did like it.

During my month, I did some research, so I could remain healthy and happy during my experiment. To my amazement, I found out a lot I didn’t know!

As it turns out, vegetarians eat a lot more than just salads. They eat beans, protein, carbs, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, grains, you name it. And with a little bit of supplementing for the B vitamins, I felt confident that I would be just fine.

After about a week, I had lost the cravings for meat, and fish. Fish was the big worry for me because I love sushi. Beef wasn’t such an ordeal, I rarely eat that. All the poultry too, surprisingly, was a breeze to cook without.

About 3 weeks into it and I begin to develop an aversion to meat. To my absolute shock. It just didn’t look all that tasty after all. And the smell, blah not something I wanted to consume.

After about 6 weeks total of total vegetarianism, I couldn’t be happier with the experiment. I feel great, my body feels cleaner, I feel more energized, I’ve learned to cook a bit too, and I have no cravings for meat. Amazing!

I must say I’m very satisfied with the results, and I’m glad to keep on the vegetarian diet. I feel more comfortable knowing I’m actively contributing to my healthy lifestyle. So I’m going to stick with it. And eventually I’ll go vegan. But that’s down the road.

If you’ve thought about going vegetarian, try it for a month. You might be surprised by the results.

Each day I wake up and I wonder to myself, what is my mission for today, if I choose to accept it? What would I do if I could do anything I wanted? More often than not, it could end up being the samething day in and day out. Does this sound familiar?

I feel that there is a better way. You can find passion and excitement if you find a new ways to empower your everyday life. Here are some thoughts.

1) Find Your Daily Niche. This is great way to start your day. Finding your daily niche brings some excitement and focus to your day. You could find new ways to laugh. Discover a new computer program. Or write a Haiku. Find something new to work on or develop a skill you already have.

2) Break Down the Larger into Smaller parts. Goals are easier to accomplish when you can break them up. Start with the metagoal, and break it up into smaller, more manageable subgoals. If you are making dinner tonight, you could decide first what you want to eat, think about the ingredients you want to buy, and then when you want to prep dinner. This method will give you the ability to more easily process the subgoals which complete the metagoal.

3) Find the Spiritual in Everyday. Do at least one thing, everyday, that connects you with your Higher Power. This could be as simple as saying a prayer, or listening to an uplifting song. You can do this to give yourself a boost during the day if you need it.

4) Move from the general to the specific. The more specificity you can bring to your life, the richer it will be. Do you like coffee? Or do you like Espresso? Do you like jeans, or do you like a particular brand or style of jeans? Adding specificity to your life allows you to pursue the goals that will bring you the most pleasure. For an activity, write down all the things you like. Then, write what specifically you like about it, then a specific way to get more of what you like.

5) Find the things that give you pleasure. Practice honest spirituality. What makes you happy right now? Do you pursue goals that give you pleasure and happiness and bring enrichment into your life right now? The wonderful power of our bodies is it has its own built it pleasure sensor. With a simple biological response we know if we are moving towards pleasure or away from it. All it takes is awareness of what we feel, then either continuing with what we are pursuing, or moving in the opposite direction.

6) Have Little Rewards. Take time to do little things for yourself. Get a coffee or reward yourself when you complete a goal. No matter how small, it reinforces positive behavior and gives you motivation for setting up and completing new goals. Whether its calling a friend or writing a song or going for a walk, reward yourself with a treat. Having positive self-perpetuating habits are great! Nothing better than positive goal setting on autopilot.

7) Maximize your time. Ask yourself this. Is this the best thing I can do for myself, and my loved ones right now? When you ask this question, you put your day into immediate perspective, and then you can start to make some really clear choices. Other less important options drop away, and you focus on that one thing that is important at this moment. Empower this moment, and you empower your future and your past, simultaneously.

Give these steps a try. Right now, your day can become more meaningful to you and the ones you love in your life.

Namaste

Ever wonder what it takes to become a vegetarian? Is it just up and one day quit and become a leaf eating animal lover?

Becoming a vegetarian is a wonderful and exciting life decision, and with the proper steps, can ensure a long life of health. With proper dietary planning, it can provide you with all the nutrients your body needs. And with this nifty little guide, you’ll be well on your way to hugging trees in six easy steps…but only if you want to.

Step 1) Decide why you want to become a vegetarian. Seems simple enough, and it is. Deciding why you want to become a vegetarian gives your life choice momentum. Is it because you love animals? Is it because you love how you feel? Or are you doing it simply because of health benefits? Clearly defining why you want to become a vegetarian gives clarity to your choice.

Step 2) Set a plan into action. Set a plan for becoming a vegetarian. How long do you plan for your transitional period to be? Three, four, five months? A year? Do some research. Become informed about what it will take to become a vegetarian, and some of the changes to expect. Ask other people who have been vegetarian for a while for some support during this transition.

Step 3) Gradually include vegetarian foods into your diet. Add salad to your daily food intake. Start eating more cheeses and eggs. Include lentils and beans. Instead of a hamburger at a meal, have a tofu burger. Small incremental changes in your diet helps acclimate you and your body to new sources of energy. Also, this way you can move at your own pace.

Step 4) Supplement. Take supplements for your diet. Or drink enriched soy milk. Make sure you get your vitamin ABCs.

Step 5) Learn to cook. Teaching yourself to cook your own meals will bring greater joy and peace into your life. You can also learn to add variety to your vegetarian meals. Purchase a vegetarian cookbook, or check out these online resources. To keep things exciting try new recipes.

Step 6) Get ready for the big plunge. The day will come where you will no longer eat meat. Its a great day! From this moment on you have decided to stick to eating a diet complimentary to a more conscious lifestyle. And with the proper preparation, gradual dietary changes, and the shift in how you feel and think about animals, all accumulates to this day. Go out and celebrate. Have a big fruit salad, on behalf of all vegetarians. Be proud of yourself!

Step 7) Become a vegan. Once you’ve become a vegetarian, you may opt to become a vegan. I’ve chosen to eventually remove all animal products from my life. I’d recommend being a vegetarian for about a year before becoming a vegan, but go with what feels right to you. Its something to look forward too!

Thank you for reading my guide, if you have comments and questions please let me know!

Namaste