10 Things about Life

Over the years I have become convinced that the vast majority of people are well intentioned about being eco-friendly, natural consumers, both for the sake of their families and the environment.

The obstacles keeping them from making eco-friendly consumer choices are usually lack of time to do the research, not knowing where to find the research to begin with, and the lack of convenient access to the products.

In response to this awareness I thought it might be helpful to tell you how I manage to live this lifestyle in my everyday life. Here are my tips about how I buy clothes, food, personal care products and furnishings; manage cleaning and pest control; and take care of my pets.

1. Natural Clothing

Fibers made from animals and insects include wool, silk, mohair, cashmere, camel hair and angora. Animal fibers usually have attributes not found in manmade or plant fibers. For example, a sheep’s wool fleece is designed to wick perspiration from the animal, thereby helping to regulate its body temperature, and wool provides the same benefit as human clothing or bedding.

2. Natural Food

Read labels. Look for food words you recognize, and always opt for the product that that has the fewest unrecognizable words. This rule of thumb may seem simplistic, but it works, since food manufacturers do not translate commonly known food names into a chemical name on packages. The spice turmeric is called turmeric and is a welcome natural yellow dye substitute to find on a label instead of an FD&C dye.

3. Natural Personal Care

Just because a personal care product is sold in a natural foods store doesn’t mean that it is a product made of natural materials. (This scenario doesn’t apply to cleaning products as those found in natural food stores are usually genuinely green products.) The rule of thumb for finding natural personal care products is the same as for food: Read the labels for ingredients you recognize as being real, and buy those. Aubrey Organics and Weleda are two brands that are genuinely natural.

4. Natural Cleaning

Health food stores are also very good sources of green cleaning products. Get to know some of the brands found there (Seventh Generation, Ecover) and then search them out in bigger supermarkets, or ask your supermarkets to begin to carry the brands. Mix and match green cleaning products with simple do-it-yourself formulas using kitchen cupboard ingredients.

5. Natural Pest Control and Repellents

Most people don’t realize that if a pesticide is registered by the Environmental Protection Agency, it means that it has been approved by the EPA to be effective. The registration does not mean that the product has been approved to be safe. Many pesticides are highly neurotoxic, and all are designed to kill. Choose natural and preventative alternatives instead.

6. Natural Bedding

You can readily buy sheets, mattresses, comforters, and blankets made of natural materials. Organic wool and cotton mattresses are highly recommended to avoid sleeping on mattresses made of synthetic ingredients including formaldehyde, biocides, stain protectants, fire retardants, and materials containing neurotoxins. In general, my experience is that it is hard to find a wide range of organic natural fiber bedding locally, so instead I tend to buy these products online or through catalogs. A good resource for finding current natural bedding companies is Natural Home and Organic Style magazines.

7. Natural Furnishings

All the same suggestions apply to natural furnishings as they did to bedding in regards to cushions and fiber-based furnishings. Additionally, look to natural carpets and carpet backing, wood furniture that has been finished with natural sealants, and avoid pressed wood furniture because it contains formaldehyde. My experience is that online and catalog shopping provides the widest selection.

8. Natural Renovating and Building Supplies

Every time you renovate, paint, or build, choose the least toxic, most natural, inert materials. One online store that is an excellent resorce is The Environmental Home Center. Another is NEEDS.

9. Natural Pet Care

My rules of thumb for pet care is to never use synthetic pesticides of any kind, give them food that doesn’t contain animal byproducts, and to use natural shampoos.

10. Natural Consumer Choices - General

Always choose the most natural, inert ingredients, and read labels. I’ve found that even products for teens, such as cosmetics, usually have at least one more natural version.

25 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Nothing could be closer to the truth. But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1.  Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.

2.  Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.

3.  Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  Read The Road Less Traveled.

4.  Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.

5.  Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.

6.  Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.

7.  Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.

8.  Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggled, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.

9.  Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.

10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.

11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.

12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.

13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – at the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.

14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.

15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.

16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”

17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.

18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.

19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.

20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.

21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.

22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.

23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.

24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.

25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.