Finding Time For Our Inner Activist
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Finally, I had a few hours to sit down at my desk and write an article for Vegan Soapbox, but when I turned on the computer I noticed that my email account is full. It told me that I must delete old messages in order to make enough room to receive new messages. I couldn’t even send out one single email without taking immediate action to empty the mailbox.
So there I sat, going through old emails to decide which to keep and which to delete. I sat there cleaning up my email inbox instead of writing my article.
I used to have so much free time that I squandered it. But now, with a baby to care for, as well as all my former projects, I often find myself feeling like there just isn’t enough time to get active for animals. Or if there is enough time, there isn’t enough energy. Or if there’s enough time and energy, there isn’t enough money.
They say that you need to take care of yourself first before you can take care of others. I don’t think that’s entirely true, but it’s true enough. My head’s not “in the game” when I’m worrying about email storage space… or when I’m worrying about some other “pressing” issue (like the bad name someone called me last week). I’m passionate about animal rights and veganism, yet the animal issues sometimes sit on the back-burner while I get “my house in order.”
Haven’t we all been there? Haven’t we all had some times in our lives when we feel like we can’t do the things that our inner activist wants to do? Haven’t we all been tied down somehow? If it’s not family obligations then maybe it’s work?
Lots of things keep us from being our ideal versions of ourselves. (My ideal version of myself is a vegan animal advocate who is also a good mother and “pet parent” and a good provider as well.) Some of those things are very concrete barriers to a more fulfilling life while other things can be changed. The things that keep us back are things like: insecurity, lack of motivation, worry and depression, lack of education, demands from family or work, lack of resources, unclear priorities, health issues, social problems, and many others.
So I ask you, what are your barriers? And what do you do to overcome some of these barriers? What helps you let your inner activist out?
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We use a combination of experiential and cognitive learning techniques, on-line peer and group coaching support. Participants will embark on a journey through five residential modules that we think incorporate leading edge approaches designed to help you move to more congruence between your inner experience and your actions for social change. Check it out.