What Sustainable Living Really Means. This May Surprise You!
When people think about sustainable living they often focus on living green or minimalistic. They know the earth’s resources are limited so they try to use them sensibly. It makes sense to take care of the planet we live on.
However, the same people treat their personal resources differently. They push, use, hustle, rush, and demand more of themselves than their bodies and minds can handle. That creates a huge disconnect in their approach to sustainable living. Because if we can’t sustain our own lives, how can we sustain the resources of this planet? Somehow, at some point, the commitment to living sustainably will break down because… it’s not sustainable!
Living a sustainable lifestyle — how to maintain it AND achieve your dreams
Take as an example, Kim…
She was crushing it — rising through executive ranks, leading high-stakes projects, and thriving on the adrenaline rush. She wore her 60-hour weeks like a badge of honor and secretly prided herself on being the one who could always push through, no matter what.
“I loved the grind,” Kim reflects. “The late nights, the pressure, the constant drive for more — it wasn’t just what I did, it was who I was. Being the one who could handle it all became my identity.”
The irony wasn’t lost on her that while climbing the corporate ladder, she had to give up the very things that once gave her energy. Taking time to connect with nature during her morning runs — once non-negotiable — became a casualty of early meetings. Her expensive gym membership was gathering dust. “I used to be the person who never missed a workout,” she says. “Then I became the person who was always too busy, too tired, or too important to prioritize it.”
But bodies keep score, and systems have limits. The signs started small: persistent fatigue that coffee couldn’t fix, mind fog during important meetings, and a deep, unnamed restlessness that no weekend could cure. Her once-athletic body felt foreign to her, more a vehicle for carrying her brain to meetings than the source of strength it used to be.
The wake-up call wasn’t dramatic – no health crisis or public meltdown. Instead, it was a quiet realization during a routine Tuesday morning. As she stared at her calendar packed with back-to-back meetings, she felt something she’d never allowed herself to feel before: this isn’t sustainable.
“It was like watching a bubble burst,” she says. “Suddenly I could see how this path, the one I’d worked so hard to walk, wasn’t leading where I thought. I wasn’t just tired – I was depleting myself systematically.”
This recognition marked the beginning of Kim’s journey toward sustainable success – not stepping back from power but stepping into it differently. Learning to lead not from depletion but from wholeness. As Stephen Covey said, “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
“Dream Big, Start Small” Here’s the one thing you can do today.
Imagine a life where high performance feels natural and sustainable — you’re making a significant impact without depleting yourself, and your energy consistently matches your ambitions.
Time Boundaries
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- Set one non-negotiable end time each week
- Create a 5-minute buffer between meetings
- Define one “no meeting” block in your week
Energy Check-ins
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- Set three daily alarms to pause and notice your energy
- Rate your energy level (1-10) at the same time each day
- Take three conscious breaths before starting important tasks
Recovery Rituals
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- Add one 3-minute recovery break to your daily routine
- Create a simple end-of-workday ritual
- Choose one evening per week for an earlier bedtime
Sustainable Practices
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- Identify one task to do more slowly and mindfully
- Find one regular activity you can sit down for instead of standing
- Select one regular meeting that could be shorter
Pick just one of these small steps to start with. Remember, sustainability is built one small choice at a time.
It’s time to turn great ideas like sustainable living into practical, sustainable steps. What’s helped me to adopt this new way of thinking is that everything we do is a strategy, instead of thinking it’s a habit. I started paying attention to the processes and systems that transformed my life. Some are seemingly insignificant; some are major breakthroughs. Combined, they form a road map for Stepping Forward into creating my life of meaning and fulfillment. Because I want you, high-achieving women, to thrive, you can learn about my tools for success for free! Download an Introduction to The Stepping Forward Program.