Practical Steps to Conscious Living

Many people are interested in living more meaningful lives in which their actions are based on ethical and compassionate principles and a larger awareness of life and our connection to the universe. As life gets faster and the world gets closer through technological advancements, many people are trying to grasp with how they live their day-to-day lives in balance and harmony.

Concepts such as sustainability, green business, organic food, energy efficiency, spirituality, equality, human & animal rights, health & well-being and non-violence become more common and make up part of what I call Conscious Living. Being "aware" of our actions and framing this in a larger context is also an essential part of this philosophy.

Here are a few Concepts & Questions that deal with Conscious Living -

How do we live? How do I live my life?

How do we help others by our choices & attitude? How do we hurt others?

How does my outlook and belief affect my life and the life of others?

How do we use our money? How much do I need?

What kind of food do I eat? Is it healthy and sustainable?

What kind of industry & business do we support?

How do I treat my body and mind? How do I nurture my spirit?

How do I live in a sustainable way?

What is life all about? Why am I here? What is my purpose?

These are all important concepts and questions that many people are asking. And many are making choices based on these questions and more. These concepts need not be defined as liberal or conservative. They are based on evolution, awareness and sustainability...that it is time to ask questions about how we live our lives. That it is time to change certain behaviors and patterns and come up with new sustainable, healthy & conscious ways of living.

THE CONCEPTS & STEPS OF AWARENESS -

For education and simplicity I have divided Conscious Living into Four Parts - Spiritual Awareness, Environmental Awareness, Social Awareness, and Health & Well-Being Awareness. Let's briefly look at each one of these. I will utilize some the questions above to help facilitate our understanding. Many of the questions of course cross over to all parts.

Spiritual Awareness - This is the foundation for Conscious Living. How do I live my life? How does my outlook and belief affect my life and the life of others? Why am I here? To be spiritually aware is to be conscious. It is based on mindfulness - being aware of our thoughts and actions - how they affect ourselves and how they affect others. This is the basis for all of our awareness. This type awareness takes practice and focus. You don't have to be religious to be spiritual. There are many tools and techniques that are useful to your overall growth in this area of awareness.

Environmental Awareness - How do I live in a sustainable way? How much do I need? This is an important subject that many people are becoming aware of. Many realize that the earth cannot sustain over consumption and materialism. Nor can we keep polluting and poisoning our air and water. We need to nurture our natural resources and learn to live in balance. We need to learn to treat our other creatures with respect and guarantee them survival. We need to be aware of our effect on the Earth. When we do so, we find that we live in a more conscious and meaningful way.

Social Awareness - How do we help others by our choices & attitude? How do we hurt others? What kind of industry & business do we support? When someone suffers because of our decisions we are, in some part, responsible. When our government uses violence carelessly and this causes unneeded suffering, we are responsible. When a child is abused, when someone is homeless, when a person is hungry, we are indirectly responsible. This responsibility is not to put shame or guilt on each one of us, it is to show that our individual actions do affect other people. How we live our lives, what industry we support, how we treat others, how we view the world...when we are conscious that our choices and attitudes affect other people then we simply make better choices. We learn to speak out. We learn to walk our talk. We cannot solve all the world's problems, but we can do our little part in helping make it a better place for all. This is social awareness. It is consciousness is action.

Health & Well-Being Awareness - How do I treat my body and mind? How can I live a healthier life? What kind of food do I eat? Is it healthy and sustainable? When a person is healthy they see the world in a much better way. They are more conscious and aware. They operate with a stronger sense of clarity. When we strive towards eating well and keeping healthy, we are an outer reflection of conscious & healthy living. We are model for others and we have the energy to help.

Where do we start? Educate yourself and gain knowledge. Take small steps of conscious living everyday. There are many small steps we can take that help. I also encourage you to subscribe to my monthly Mental & Spiritual Well-Being Report. These reports will include free practical and valuable information on Conscious Living.

Please also visit my website for more free articles and information on Conscious Living, Mental & Spiritual Well-Being and Natural Health http://www.TransformingOurselves.com/Mental-and-Spiritual-Well-Being.html