On change and new discoveries

One of the things I am learning as I grow up is that changing your mind about something is not the same as selling out or being untrue to yourself or abandoning your values. It's accepting that as a young person, your experiences are limited, and therefore your perspectives about things are limited as well. And it's okay to look back at realise that the way you look at certain things has changed.

As a child, I used to think to myself, "When I become a parent, I wouldn't do this, this and this", or "If I were a wife, I wouldn't say this, this and this". I wondered why adults didn't have things figured out. I was idealistic and naive. I thought to myself, "It's so simple - if it were me, I'd do it this way." I used to be so sure of what I wanted - and what I wanted was to be different from everyone else, because I was sure I had things figured out.

And the more I grow up, the more I'm learning to graciously accept the wisdom of those around me. I no longer see that as "giving in" or "bowing" to the opinions of others - I'm learning to accept that I don't always know everything, and I'm not always right. I used to look at all my parents' flaws and tell myself I never wanted to be like them - but these days, I see more and more things that I admire about them - values I want to cultivate in my own life and pass on to my children too.

I used to tell myself I could never see myself in the corporate world, that boardrooms and bulleted PowerPoint slides were too limiting for a free spirit like me. But I'm glad I changed my mind and I now find much fulfilment in what I do. And people ask me, "But how can you just give up who you used to be?". I don't think it's so much giving up who I used to be, but discovering more of who I am. That I am not a one-dimensional being. Yes, I am artistic, creative, and non-conformist, but at the same time, I also enjoy putting order into things and finding patterns and process flows in the midst of chaos. It's not a contradiction - it's an extension of who I am.

I used to find folding laundry and hanging clothes a painful chore. I'm glad I stuck at it long enough to get to a place where I now find the fresh smell of just-washed clothes therapeutic and calming.

So often, I hear people saying, "I can't do this, because I'm this type of person", or "Oh, that's so not me", or "That's not my kind of thing" - and I want to say to them, don't limit yourself! Don't limit your experiences.

I love telling these stories of how I used to be an introvert, how I used to hate meeting new people and how conversations with strangers were always painfully awkward, because every single time the disbelief in their eyes cracks me up. "You?!? But you seem like such a sociable person!" Well, it sure didn't happen overnight. And it wouldn't have happened if I decided, "Well, that's just not me so I'm not going to make an effort to try."

So don't be so quick to say you can't. Don't be so quick to say no to things. Don't be so quick to give up on things that seem to be going nowhere. Give things time. Give people time. Give yourself time. And learn to accept that even if you lived to be a hundred, you'll keep discovering new things about yourself. Yes, it will take courage. It's always scary to venture out into the unfamiliar, untested unknown. But I think we are far more equipped and capable to take on challenges than many of us realise.

And life is really so much more enriching when it's filled with challenges and new discoveries along the way. :)

"Change your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots." // Victor Hugo 

"I have accepted fear as part of life – specifically the fear of change…I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back." // Erica Jong

winds of change

"walking, stumbling on these shadowfeet

towards home, a land that i've never seen

i am changing; less and less asleep

made of different stuff than when i began"

// brooke fraser, shadowfeet

"one does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore." // christopher columbus

“for what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. there’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. you can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. we can make the best or the worst of it. i hope you make the best of it. and i hope you see things that startle you. i hope you feel things you never felt before. i hope you meet people with a different point of view. i hope you live a life you’re proud of. if you find that you’re not, i hope you have the courage to start all over again.” 

// the curious case of benjamin button 

"when we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. the challenge will not wait. life does not look back." // paulo coelho

"i have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer i who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which i now live in the flesh i live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." // galatians 2:20

these days, i often find myself wishing i could block out a whole day to just sit down, reflect, ponder, and journal about the experiences i've been going through and the lessons i've been learning. but at the same time, i catch myself and realise that this season of intense activity, steep learning curves, and a flurry of new experiences is one that will run its course. and a season for slowing down and reflecting will come, in time.

these days, i'm challenging myself to stop saying that i'm busy all the time - but instead challenging myself to say that i'm going through a steep learning curve (emphasis on the learning bit, not the steep bit!). because i know busyness is not about the amount of things i have on my plate but about my attitude and perspective to it.

honestly, sometimes when i step back and look at all that i'm juggling on a daily basis, from work to serving to building community and friendships - and wanting to pursue excellence in all that i do - it's a little daunting. i sometimes wonder if i am biting off more than i can chew when people tell me i'm doing too much, that i need to be careful not to burn out or wear myself out. i question if i've gotten my priorities right when i work late nights, when i don't see my family for days on end even though we live in the same house, when i'm attempting to run my first 30km race and move house in the same week.

but in the rare moments of quiet, in being stuck in morning traffic or creeping into a dark house late at night - i know in my heart of hearts that where i am in this season is exactly where i'm meant to be. in spite of everything, i wake up every morning looking forward to the day ahead and every time my head touches the pillow, i am thankful for the day that has gone past. i used to struggle with not being able to fall asleep for years, but these days, wherever i am, the moment i close my eyes i drift into a restful sleep.

i know that i did not get to this place easily. i gave up a lot to get here. certain interests, friends, relationships, ways of spending my time, dreams, goals, plans had to go - not because they suddenly stopped being important to me - but because other things became more important. i know that i got here with a lot of wrestling, a lot of questioning, a lot of soul-searching.

in all of this, i thank God for the routine bits of life, like repetitive tasks and daily commutes to and fro work - we often see them as draining and soul-sucking, but i have come to see them as an opportunity for lots of self-reflection. and i thank God for the challenging bits of life, like massive projects running concurrently at work, and having to juggle many different hats, and having to go from reporting to someone to learning how to lead a team, and pulling late-nighter after late-nighter - not to look like the employee of the year or in efforts to climb the ladder - but because you're in this with your team, and because you believe in the vision you are all working towards. because i've come to see these challenges as opportunities to learn discipline, patience, and endurance.

i know that this is where i'm meant to be because i look at the person i was one year ago and i know that i'm not the same person, because of everything i've gone through. so much has changed. and for the better. i know without a doubt that while i'm still far from perfect, i love better, i am more patient, more accepting, more at peace with myself and with the circumstances around me, less fearful, less resentful, less selfish.

above all, i am more thankful. thankful for seasons in life and how they teach me to accept and surrender to the ebb and flow of life. i'm thankful for this season, because it has taught me like never before that i have a God that is good - and even though sometimes it seems like the struggles we go through are enormous, He never gives us more than we can take. if He throws us huge challenges, it's only because He sees us through His eyes - as all that we can be, not just who we are right now.

Ruin is the road to transformation

The Beaver is a film about meaning, purpose, connection, losing your way, and finding it again - all themes that strike very close to my heart. It's a story about a family unravelling because the people in it are lost, confused, hopeless, and at the end of their rope - and how they reach a breaking point only to find that it is exactly what they need to rebuild.

After the movie I kept thinking about what the main character, Walter Black said:

"We reach a point where, in order to go on, we have to wipe the slate clean. We start to see ourselves as a box that we're trapped inside and no matter how we try and escape, self help, therapy, drugs, we just sink further and further down. The only way to truly break out of the box is to get rid of it all together... I mean, you built it in the first place. If the people around you are breaking your spirit, who needs them? Your wife who pretends to love you, your son who can't even stand you. I mean, put them out of their misery. Starting over isn't crazy. Crazy is being miserable and walking around half asleep, numb, day after day after day. Crazy is pretending to be happy. Pretending that the way things are is the way they have to be for the rest of your bleeding life." -Walter Black, The Beaver (2011)

And I couldn't help but be reminded about what two of my favourite writers had to say on this subject of ruin and rebuilding:

 “A friend took me to the most amazing place the other day. It’s called the Augusteum. Octavian Augustus built it to house his remains. When the barbarians came they trashed it a long with everything else. The great Augustus, Rome’s first true great emperor. How could he have imagined that Rome, the whole world as far as he was concerned, would be in ruins. It’s one of the quietest, loneliest places in Rome. The city has grown up around it over the centuries. It feels like a precious wound, a heartbreak you won’t let go of because it hurts too good. We all want things to stay the same. Settle for living in misery because we’re afraid of change, of things crumbling to ruins. Then I looked at around to this place, at the chaos it has endured – the way it has been adapted, burned, pillaged and found a way to build itself back up again. And I was reassured, maybe my life hasn’t been so chaotic, it’s just the world that is, and the real trap is getting attached to any of it. Ruin is a gift. Ruin is the road to transformation.” -Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat. Pray. Love

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.” -C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

I think instinctively, we all want to settle for 'safe'. The idea of starting again and leaving behind everything we've worked for and built away is a scary, painful thought - it feels like losing a part of yourself - losing all the things that used to define you. But what if leaving the past behind and starting again is exactly what we need? What if it is when we feel like we're losing ourselves that we find who we truly are?

I need this reminder daily. I need to remind myself it's okay to change. It's okay to 're' - rebuild, restore, revamp, re-examine, revoke, retry. I'm not a finished product - I'm a work in progress. And like any work in progress, it's okay to throw everything out and start again. In fact, sometimes it's not just okay, it's essential if you want the finished product to be anything worthwhile.

Image: Some rights reserved by Fulla T

Happy 2012

Even as a kid, the thought of 'tomorrow' always thrilled me with anticipation. I could hardly wait to get one thing over and done with so I could move on to the next thing. I was always impatient to grow up and experience all the glittering promise of the vast world out there.

I always had a plan for 'what's next'. At 15, I mapped out a Grand Plan for my life: finish school at 16, go to college at 17, finish a diploma by 19, give myself an extra year in between to allow for varying university intakes, graduate with a degree by 21, and start working full-time by 22. So far, I've pretty much stuck to my Plan.

And that's what scares me about the year ahead: I don't know what's next.

From where it is, my life looks like pretty smooth sailing for the next two years as I finish off the rest of my bond. Do I see myself staying on in this job? I don't know. What I've always wanted to do - write and bake full-time - do I see that realistically happening after these next few years? Can I make a living out of doing those things? I don't know.

So far, all my major milestones in life have come down more or less to my own determination to complete my education according to my targets. But the series of milestones that come after this - things like getting married, moving into my own home, children, and so on - are not solely within my control. There are many other people and factors involved that I cannot possibly impose my own timeline on (although I'd really like to).

As a perfectionistic, ambitious, and goal-oriented person, the idea that I don't know what's next freaks me out. I don't know what I'm supposed to be working towards and looking forward to in the next couple years ahead. It feels like I'm in this transition stage from child to adult and there's a lot I need to learn and figure out... but I'm not exactly sure what those things are, or how long this phase will last.

During some much-needed reflection time at the end of December, I realised that the one thing I can spend the next year or so working towards is simply to be more present. To live in the moment, instead of always rushing ahead.

I struggle so much with that. After reading something Lindsey Mead wrote, I realised that it's because living completely in the moment makes me feel vulnerable. It reminds me that the only thing that really matters is what I have, here and now, and what I choose to do with it. Nothing else is within my control. We know all of this like well-worn clichés, but it is only when we strip away distractions and focus completely on the present that the truth of it sinks in and hits home hard.

All my fears, worries, dreams, goals - all of these are meaningless when held up against the impermanence of every day. Do I want a life decorated with achievements I cannot hold on to or do I want to be remembered as someone who lived every moment to its fullest? I want the second, but it's scary. And sometimes, in the letting go of illusions of control, even painful. But I want it.

So for this year, I kept my resolutions simple. No lofty, long-term goals. More of reminders to take each day as it comes. To stay open to interruptions and surprises, while avoiding distractions.

To cultivate community with like-minded souls, because I've realised that I'm not the only one struggling through this season, struggling with figuring out what it means to grow up and be a responsible, consistent adult while at the same time, living a life of purpose and passion.

I mean, these were the kind of things I grew up hearing and talking about. At youth camps, church retreats, and slumber parties. We talked about the future and growing up and what it would look like... but when you're actually here everything looks very different from how you thought it would be.

But I'm still young enough to hope. A bit older, hopefully a bit wiser, a bit stronger. I may not know what's next but I think I can handle not knowing, with fingers crossed that any surprises will be good ones.

So here's to a New Year, to the messy uncertainty and beautiful spontaneity of life well-lived, to being open to surprises, and to living more in our moments.

I'll close with this wish for you:

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art - write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” -Neil Gaiman

Image: Some rights reserved by lucias_clay

Changed

A week ago before I left for Kota Kinabalu to climb one of Southeast Asia's highest peaks and to enjoy some time out, my youngest brother asked me, "When are you coming back?"

To which I replied, "I'm not coming back."

To which he gave me a blank, "whatever" sort of stare. "Serious la..."

I replied, "Seriously, the person that will be climbing down the mountain won't be the same person that climbed up."

It's true. 

I've known for some time now that travelling changes you like little else can. Yet somehow, it still catches me by surprise every time I travel and change, grow, and stretch myself a little bit more. 

Someone once wrote that "no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within." 

The past five days in KK have done just that. 

I climbed to the peak of Mount Kinabalu, the burden of my backpack weighing down on me, carrying also the burden of past mistakes, people who have hurt me, and things I needed to let go of. 

I trudged through pelting rain and cold winds, knowing that as cold and miserable as the rain was it would wash away the dust and dirt of everyday life and leave things fresh and new again. 

I watched the landscape and weather change as we trekked through dense tropical jungle, through rocky, temperate hills, and finally, over massive bare granite slabs, as I thought about how the landscape of my soul has changed as I journeyed through different seasons in life.

I battled with my mind telling me, "you can't make it", to push through the last few stages of the climb, where the peak felt so close and yet so incredibly far. I fought with my heart against giving up on hope, love, and second chances that felt so close and yet at the same time, so impossible for someone like me.

I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to do the very last things I wanted to do, things that scared the crap out of me, like ice cold showers and being vulnerable. 

I depended on others - to guide me, support me, encourage me, inspire me, motivate me, walk beside me, and tell me that it's okay and I'd make it through when I doubted myself. 

I let go. Of expectations, of things that weighed me down, of excuses, of the fear of things changing. 

I embraced the change.

And changed.

Five days away, and I came back a different person - skin a little tanner, legs a little more sore, one more item checked off my bucket list. 

But beyond that, I've come home a little bit more satisfied, a little bit stronger, and a little bit braver. 

I conquered not just a physical mountain, but also intimidating mountains in my soul. And I've learned not so much that I'm stronger than I think I am, but that I have a Source of strength I can draw from that is more than enough to compensate for my fears, my weaknesses, and my doubt. 

I've learned that journeys are meant to be shared, and that it's okay to need others. I've learned that I can say, "I don't know if I can do this," and not be judged or criticised for it, that there are plenty of generous people willing to lend a helping hand or an encouraging word, and that travelling is  a lot more fun in good company. 

I've been reminded that although this journey through life is often difficult, long, and arduous... it is also so heart-breakingly beautiful. And no matter what discouragement or setbacks you may face, everything is worth it for the moments that come and steal your breath away along the way.

I'm learning to live a little bit deeper within myself. To chase after my goals and dreams, even if I'm not sure I have what it takes to reach them. To always stay open. To hope, to life, to love, to change... to new beginnings. 

Adventurously expectant

Last week at After-Alpha we watched a video about the Bible's relevance in our lives today. Nicky Gumbel, the speaker, told a story of this young woman (journalist if I recall correctly?) who was reading a novel by a certain author and hated it. One day at a party, she met a young man who charmed her socks off. To her surprise, she discovered he was the author of the novel she disliked. That night she went home and reread the entire novel, seeing each line and paragraph in a new light, after having encountered the person who wrote it.

That pretty much sums up the way I read the Bible these days.

I think my life has done a 180 turn since returning from the UK - back in July I was pretty much lost, not sure what I wanted to do with my life, and holding on to quite a bit of the past and fears about the future. I think that's changed since... for the better.

And I'm so thankful. So thankful for the past five months. So thankful for the lessons it's taught me. So thankful for the emptiness, the lostness... that brought me here. So thankful that I'm in a place where I wake up every day and can say that I love the life I live. So thankful I'm learning to let go of my uncertainly of the future and my near-sighted plans... and embrace whatever's next.

So thankful that these days, when I flip through the pages of this precious Book, every word speaks LIFE into my soul.

"This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him!" 

-Romans 8:15-17

The next level

Some rights reserved by jamieanne

In one of my favorite books (that first fired my imagination and passion for travel), there is a passage in which the author, Alice Steinbach, asks a shepherd about his sheepdogs:

"Do you ever think of your dogs - say, when they're off duty - as pets?"
"...when they're pups we do rear them as pets in the house for nine to ten months. I believe champions are made in the house. The dogs learn manners, the kids play with them, and they learn to be around people. I think it's important they be raised in the house."
"How do young dogs raised in a house for almost a year take it when they're put out?" I asked. "One day they're a pet, the next day they're a working dog."
Mark answered my question with one word: "Hard."

Some rights reserved by RayMorris1

Something about this passage really struck me, for two reasons:

1) For the last few weeks, I've been learning to train dogs at an animal shelter I volunteer at. And there is something magnificent about watching a dog that has been broken in and trained to behave beautifully.

2) Entering the workforce proper, especially at an age where I am constantly reminded of how young I am, feels a lot like being "broken in".

One day I'm a college student with the time to bake and cook and blog and do a million and one things, and the next day I'm a working girl with a fixed daily schedule. How did I take it?

You guessed it - Hard.

But just as the sheepdogs eventually come to enjoy their work - because that is essentially what they are bred and born to do, I'm starting to feel the same way about mine.

Yes, it's hard to be passionate about the minute, mundane details of a corporate desk job. But it's in the little details that I'm starting to find opportunities to develop skills that will help me in the long run. Like patience, attention to detail, and learning to find joy even in routine and repetition. Like the art of pursuing excellence in every tiniest detail. Like being able to see the long-term vision even when there's not very much tangible evidence of it in the present.

I definitely have my work cut out for me. There is so much to learn as I'm put through the paces of the working world, and although it sometimes gets overwhelming, it mostly feels good to be at this place.

It's beginning to feel natural and that's when I realize that this is what my upbringing and my education has been preparing me to do.

It dawned on me that this is the next level. I've reached it.

Suddenly, everything I've been through in the previous level seems insignificant and small. And it feels good to know that I've reached where I am supposed to be.

These days, I'm getting excited when things feel hard - because the hard bits are because I don't know. I don't know - because there are lots of new things to learn. There are lots of new things to learn - because I've reached a new level.

And guess what? The view always looks better from higher up.

It's a harder climb, yeah. But it sure is a heck of a greater view. I find myself reaching for bigger goals and dreaming bigger dreams from here than I ever dared to dream or reach for before.

What are you finding hard in your life right now?

Could it be the reason you're going through that tough time is because you're about to move on to the next level?

What's your next level?

And if you knew you WILL reach that next level, would the difficulty be worth it?

***

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.  -Robert Brault

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. -Robert Louis Stevenson 

There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes. -William John Bennett

A well-ordered life is like climbing a tower; the view halfway up is better than the view from the base, and it steadily becomes finer as the horizon expands. -William Lyon Phelps 

Good people

A loving person lives in a loving world.  A hostile person lives in a hostile world; everyone you meet is your mirror.  -Ken Keyes, Jr.

Time flies!

In July, it felt like I would never get used to this new phase of life. I struggled not only with fitting back into Malaysian culture but also with fitting into the working world. Change never comes easy, does it?

In July, I was also searching. For good people. I wrote: "I need to be reminded that good women and men exist. Good people. Alive people. Passionate people. Kind people. Real people."

Because life has a way of doing that thing to you. That thing where you feel you're alone, no one understands, and that you can't tell your struggles to anyone.

I still can't get over the fact that August rushed by like that. (But if I don't get around to my point now, September will have gone past too.)

Long story short, these past couple weeks have seen not a few, but many good people coming into my life.

It's been amazingly refreshing and motivating to be surrounded by real, imperfect, and yet so passionate, hopeful, and kind people.

But I have also been reminded that for these people to come into my life, I had to start opening up as well, and letting people in again.

In July I wondered to myself and several people: "Where are all the good people?"

Where are people who make your day better instead of worse, who give you a boost rather than bring your mood down, who change things rather than complain, who love thoughtful conversations rather than mindless gossip?

Today, I can say... they're everywhere. It just depends where you're looking.

A friend said, "I'm tired of looking for the right people."

But maybe it's not about looking elsewhere ie. hunting down 'perfect' friends, but rather, looking differently - ie. changing your perspective.

Over the past few weeks I've had the privilege of spending time with a group of people I initially was hesitant about - people I thought I would have very little in common with - just talking about life and faith and the meaning of it all.*

I was humbled, because I was reminded that no matter who we are or where we come from, we're all very much the same deep down. Despite how different we might seem on the outside, we share, in the words of Obama, "common hopes, common dreams, a bond that will not break."

*P/S - I think the best marketing / testimonial of any kind is when a sceptic becomes a believer. When the change or improvement becomes, tangible, real, personal.

Since I'd heard about it I've always been quite sceptical of the Alpha course, even after going on it once. But I'm glad I gave it another try, because not just have I realised how dynamic and uplifting it can be, but I also had the privilege to meet and talk to other huge sceptics and witness what a major shift of perspective can take place in just five weeks.

It's amazing what being surrounded by so much positivity and acceptance does - so if you ever get the chance to go on the course, don't miss it. Of course if you want me to help you find a course convenient for you (Alpha takes place in schools and workplaces worldwide), I'd be more than happy to.

Be the change you want to see in the world

One passion I have developed in recent years is environmental sustainability, sparked by a growing awareness of environmental issues. This awareness came from a variety of sources, including:

• Writing and researching for a monthly environmental column in a magazine I used to work at;
• Working on my company’s sustainability report as a trainee last year;
• The movie ‘An Inconvenient Truth’;
• The sprouting of community and church environmental efforts around me;
• Working on a business proposal for an environmental website as part of a university project;
• Various prominent awareness campaigns including Earth Hour and The Plastiki Expedition; and
• Amazing environmentalist friends like Naz, who runs Green-Eyed Monster Blog.

All the above ruined my blissful ignorance of the state of our world. Life would never be the same again. Learning about a floating rubbish patch in the Pacific Ocean comprising mostly non-biodegradable plastic that spans an area the size of Texas and keeps growing because we keep producing plastic, looking at images of beautiful marine life trapped in discarded plastic rings or covered in thick oil, and watching, with my own eyes, coral reefs diminishing each time I revisit Malaysia’s East coast islands since I first started snorkeling as a child… is nothing short of heart-wrenching.

I realize, though, that I don’t talk about this passion enough, perhaps because I am averse to preaching without practicing, and I’ve always felt I was simply not doing enough.

Nobody needs to hear another overbearing sermon about how the earth’s resources are limited and we need to take care of it or risk harming ourselves and future generations. But we see the signs of human greed and irresponsibility everywhere, choking beauty and littering our streets. We know, intuitively, that there must be some better way to live. We know we could use some change.

I’ve long been inspired by Ghandi, who said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

I want to change. I want to talk about things that matter to me – but first, I want to be able to do something about those things before I talk about them. To do that, I need to realize that in the long run, small things matter.

This week, I started with the simplest of steps – finding a box to recycle paper at home. Hopefully, in addition to reducing my environmental impact, that box will serve as a visual reminder to use paper (and the rest of my resources) sparingly and generate some extra income for the people involved in the recycling process.

I have also started reading ‘Walking Gently on the Earth: Making Faithful Choices About Food, Energy, Shelter and More’, a thoughtful book that reflects on how we can make wiser, better, intentional, more beneficial choices about living our lives in a way that allows us and our earth to flourish. Hopefully this book will shed light on more ways we can take care of the earth we live on and ultimately, take better care of ourselves.

Another particular area in which I want to challenge myself is to eat less meat. If you would do one thing and one thing only to reduce your impact on the environment, it would be to eat less meat. Nothing else, not even transportation or energy production, causes as much carbon emissions as the meat industry.

I love my meat. Thanks to the effectiveness of diets such as The Zone and The South Beach Diet, which promote eating generously as a whole but consuming more protein and minimal carbs, I am a serial meat eater. But benefitting myself at the detriment of others – I hardly consider that a benefit at all.

I don't have a defined action plan, but if I can skip meat starting with a day a week, to perhaps every alternate day, that's a good start!

I'll close with a challenge, inspired by a witty tee shirt slogan I've been seeing people sport lately - "Everyone wants to change the world, but nobody wants to change."

What do you want to see change in our world? What's ONE thing you can do differently to be a part of that change today? This week? This year?