If your life has been a mindless drift on the lazy river of autopilot, chances are that you are not a subscriber to conscious living.

Living a greener life by practising mindful purchasing is a good start to conscious living, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Thinking about your decisions before you make them, reflecting on the consequences of your actions, taking responsibility for the greater good and creating a life that you want, rather than let life happen to you, is truly living consciously. It’s a lifestyle that has to be learnt, by unlearning many damaging practices that have got hardwired into us due to years of thoughtless actions.

Mankind’s progress has been staggering, but it has come at the expense of every other species. All sorts of plants, animals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish and invertebrates are facing a serious threat of extinction. Coral reefs and marine ecosystems are dying. Unsustainable sourcing and production are causing unprecedented degradation of land, air and sea, with a third of the planet’s water already deemed unsalvageable. The only species that seems to be prospering right now, is us. The question is, for how long. Not only are we facing a potential disappearance of all vital resources that sustain life, we are underestimating the emotional impact of our actions, on ourselves. Living obliviously, without a second thought for the greater good, is living with a lack of awareness, which eventually impacts the quality of our lives.

It will take more than just conscious shopping to prevent our nourishing and habitable environment from becoming barren and inhospitable. Only a deep awakening that we are merely an extension of the planet we live on, will bring the change needed to arrest this ecological decline. Let’s try and elevate our awareness to a higher state of consciousness that strives to find a sustainable balance between the earth, its inhabitants and its natural resources. A sustainable balance between our needs and our wants. Between a product and its production. Between capitalism and consumption. And finally between awareness and action. Once we wake up to the inescapable interconnectedness of everything around us, we become aware that living consciously is not just about creating a better world but creating a better version of yourself. It is a mindset that needs us to live with focus, intent and ownership. When we are able to observe and seize control of our speech, habits, actions, behaviours and desires and evaluate their effect on everything around us, that is when we start living consciously. And it begins with gratitude for all that exists around us, in this moment, right now.