How do you feel about this quote? 

I agree and I don't. While I absolutely believe that our (seemingly) small daily actions have tremendous potential to create change, if they aren't aligned with the BIG THINGS (aka, a clear articulation of our deepest values), they can feel empty, heavy, and we may lose sight of and motivation for why we are doing them! 

Can you relate? Think about the last time you said "yes" to a change of some sort, simply because someone told you to, or out of fear of a future negative consequence. How did it feel? Maybe immediately relieving; but a few days in, how did it feel? Now think about a time you made a conscious choice to do something because it deeply aligned with what matters most to you; what was the energy behind THAT choice like? How did it feel down the road? 

So while it is the small, daily actions that we have the most tangible control over changing, it can be incredibly powerful to first explore and articulate the big things, so that our energy is being channeled into bringing life to what matters most to us.

While we can apply this to ANY area of life, today, I'd love to focus on how our values are the key to making changes in those far off areas that we care about, but don't feel like we have the energy to engage in, for example, the health of our planet. Before I go further, I should ask, does the wellbeing of the planet matter to you? 

If I had to guess, I'd say "yes", you probably do care about the health and wellbeing of the planet, as it IS our home, and you want it and its creatures to be generally well. However, it may not be in your top 5 or 10 list as far as what's getting your energy. Maybe your OWN health, the wellbeing of your family, work, other communities you're involved in are both more tangible (i.e. you SEE their importance and the impact of your relationship with them DAILY or often) AND deemed as more important to you, so your time, energy, and intention goes in these directions first, in order of priority (P.S. our CONSCIOUS and SUBCONSCIOUS priorities can be different; we can begin to explore this by looking at where we are spending most of our time and energy and asking ourselves what we are hoping to get out of that). 

If you've had an experience at all similar to my own, I'd also say that you feel like you "should" be doing something, but you're not really sure what would be most helpful, IF it would even make a difference, and honestly, you're already exhausted so maybe you should just let this one go and focus on what's right in front of you.

If you're here, I HEAR you. I SEE you. I FEEL you. We live in high attention and energy demanding times. There is always someone or something that is asking for our attention and resources. And now you want me to become a climate change warrior, too!? It's too much! 

While I am not asking you to become a climate change warrior, I am asking you to ENGAGE; to become an informed consumer. Start by creating 30 minutes of space for yourself to explore this question: who/what matters most to me? Who/what is getting most of my time and energy? Start there. Get clear on the BIG THINGS. Then begin to align the small daily actions with them.

Great- does this relate to the health of the planet? As you begin to clear out the choices that aren't in alignment with your values, you will begin to TAKE BACK your energy, which can then be channeled into what DOES matter to you; this is when your "small daily choices" begin to come alive. 

That's all for today! Hoping this serves you in realigning with your unstoppable flow!

Feeling like you're life flow is stagnant, and you could use help getting clear? 

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For me personally, aside from switching (gradually) to an eating style that incorporates mainly whole, unprocessed foods, switching out conventional cleaning supplies for non-toxic cleaners has made the most immediately noticeable impact on my health! 

I don’t know about you, but when I used to use popular brands of all-purpose cleaners, glass, and toilet bowl cleaners, my eyes would water, my throat and lungs would burn, and the vast majority of the time I’d have a pounding headache by the time I was finished! “Good!” I thought; “that means things are really getting clean!” But how much more “clean”, really? Yes, I was living in a college apartment at the time, but what mega-mess monsters was I trying to obliterate!? And is it worth sacrificing my own health for the extreme sparkle? I decided not; I’ll let you decide for yourself!

What I will express, and this goes beyond household cleaners, is the importance as a consumer to day to educate ourselves; skip the front-of-package marketing and claims, and get straight to the back-of-the-bottle ingredient list. What you find may surprise you, or leave you asking questions…

As they are not a specific food or beverage, cleaning products are not regulated by the FDA (much like supplements and essential oils), and their regulating body, the EPA, only requires that they list chemicals that are “active disinfectants” or “known to be potentially harmful” (1). The trouble with that is, there is no required testing or safety standard that must be met before products are brought to market (2)! According to the EWG, some 2,000 American household cleaning products contain chemicals that pose harm to our health, and increase the risk for asthma, cancer, reproductive and developmental toxicity, and a myriad of allergies, on top of the usual concern with burns or poisoning (3). 

The average home contains roughly 62 toxic chemicals in household cleaners alone (2); here are the biggies to look out for: phthalates, PERC, triclosan, “QUATS”, 2-Butoxyethanol, ammonia, chlorine, sodium hydroxide (2), along with phosphates, pesticides, and synthetic fragrances (4). Much like the SkinDeep database the EWG provides for examining your cosmetics for known health risks, you can go to: http://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/content/cleaners_and_health and type in your household cleaners to examine each ingredient and its known risks to health. 

There are many greener, plant-derived cleaners available on the market today as well, many of which are sold widely in big box stores; it’s good to be aware of “greenwashing”marketing claims and images on the front of the package that might lead you to believe it is a better option for you when in fact it contains many of the same harmful chemicals. 

Another option is to go the DIY route; that way you have complete control over what goes into your cleaners, and the majority of the chemical, allergy, and poison risks are eliminated. While it may take a couple of minutes of your time, it can be extremely cost effective, and also allows you to reduce your use of plastics: win-win! 
I honestly prefer to keep things very simple; therefore, the two cleaners pictured are truly the only cleaners I use (and am slowly getting my husband on board!). I use the all-purpose cleaner on our marble countertops, stovetop, wood table, tub and tiles, sinks and toilets, and have even used it as a stain remover on cotton clothing and our couch! The other bottle is a glass/window cleaner. That’s it. For carpet stains, I make up a cleaner in the moment; but you could keep the recipe below handy. 

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All-Purpose Cleaner: 

Pictured Recipe (5):
1C. Distilled Water (I just use filtered)
1C. White Vinegar 
1TBSP doTERRA cleaning concentrate (can LITERALLY be used as dish soap, a base for all forms of cleaners, laundry detergent)
10 drops doTERRA Lemon
10 drops doTERRA Melaleuca (Tea Tree)

Basic DIY All-Purpose Cleaner:
1C. Distilled Water
1C. Vinegar
½ Lemon, juiced 

Glass/Window Cleaner: 

Pictured Recipe (5):
2C. Water
2TBSP White Vinegar
2TBSP Rubbing Alcohol
5-10 drops doTERRA Peppermint 

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