I'm Going To Change the World - Starting with Me

So - if you've been following my blog you know that I've been beating myself up a lot lately for my food choices.  Being a Fruitarian didn't yield the results I was hoping for...and that led to a downward spiral that, sadly, is still occurring.  I tried about 9 hours of doing a detox/cleanse program, but the food was so god-awful that I couldn't do it any more (for the record, Gwyneth Paltrow should stick to acting because her soup recipes suck).  Sassy Water is kind of cool, but if you can't stick to the rest of the program, then why bother?

And then - a few things happened:

1.  Courtney Carver

2.  Rich Roll and COWSPIRACY

3.  That video on Facebook

I've been following Courtney Carver's blog since last December, when I started on my big podcast kick.  Her focus on simplicity and minimalism really gets me thinking about how my life can be easier by just slowing down and living in alignment with my values.  I just wrote a blog post on how to spend the rest of this year living with Love and Intention.  So, it's time to do that.  

Of the eight things she listed, living in closer alignment to my values is really speaking to me.  Part of this has to do with approaching my career and my life's work in accordance with my Top Five Strengths Talents (see - StrengthsQuest and StrengthsFinder).  My top five talents are Relator, Maximizer, Developer, Responsibility, and Learner.  More on this later - but part of what this tells me is that:

1.  I enjoy learning (signature talent Learner), which is both a blessing and a curse; because when I learn about things that clearly want me to take a different direction with my actions, I struggle with what to do.

2.  And because I have the talent of Responsibility, I have a tendency to take psychological ownership for things that are important to me, which should align me in the right direction to live according to my values.  

That's easier said than done.  This means I have to put my money where my mouth is.  This means if I'm gonna take a stand on something, I have to get behind it with all my gusto.  It means...I have to make some changes.  

Enter Rich Roll.  As always.  How much of Becoming My Best Self in 2015 is connected to Rich Roll and his amazing podcast?  A fucking lot, for sure.  Back when he first started talking about the documentary COWSPIRACY, which is about the effects of animal agriculture and factory farming on the environment, I was intrigued.  I scanned Netflix, waiting for the film to be available for streaming.  And on Earth Day, the film company (keep in mind this film received ZERO love from the festival circuit or any sort of distributor because it's quite controversial....) sold digital copies online for $5.  So I bought it.  And I watched it.  And my mind was blown.  But I don't think I was in the mindset just yet to really do anything about it.  I'm sure I shared something on Facebook, but to no real avail.  I just wasn't sold on this being part of my lifestyle just yet.  

So when I saw that Kip and Keegan, the COWSPIRACY filmmakers, were back on the Rich Roll Podcast, I glossed over it because I'd already heard that one.  Until I got an email from AUM films informing me of two things:

1.  Leonardo DiCaprio was coming on board as an Executive Producer for COWSPIRACY;

2.  The film was going to debut on Netflix beginning September 15.

I don't know why, but that was a sign for me.  One of the biggest players in Hollywood was getting behind a movie AND making sure that it could be viewed on the biggest streaming platform.  This is like the little-movie-that-could-on-steroids.  Because sometimes at work I have the luxury of watching Netflix when I'm doing data entry or generating reports, I put the movie on again this week.  And I remembered what made me so intrigued, so angry, so concerned.  You can watch the movie here.

It takes 660 gallons of water to produce ONE hamburger!!  That's a whole month of showering.  Animal agriculture is the source of 51% of all greenhouse gases. The meat and dairy industry use 1/3 of the earth's fresh water.  And here we are sitting in California restricting the ability to water our lawns.  This is totally appalling.  

And if that weren't enough - my good friend Judy Williams recently posted a video of an abused dog who was nursed back to health by an animal shelter.  The video has a happy ending - but the fact that any animal was subjected to that sort of abuse really angered and frustrated me.  And I think I'm pretty well done being passive about it.  

Compassion

Practicality

Vitality

Long Term Health

Sustainability

Yeah, friends, I'm ready to turn a corner.  I'm going to become Plant Based.  And do my part to make the world a better place.  

I do love country music - and Jake Owen recorded this song about regrets and life changes:

If I had a dime
For half the things I did
That didn't make no sense at all
I'd be living a little higher on the hog
If only I'd have known
That later on down the road
I'd look back and not like what I see
I'd have changed a lot of things
Startin' with me

It's time.  I'm going to change the world.  Starting with me.