Not all vegans are the same, contrary to a very widespread belief.
In this post, I want to help you create a vegan lifestyle that works for you. Not what your peers want or individuals you follow on Instagram, but what you truly desire.
Because no matter how convincing other people can be when it comes to telling you what you should do with your life, only you can determine what path you will follow.
Being vegan doesn’t make you anything you are not already.
I think we often get sucked into the idea of how we must act and be now that we are living a more ethical lifestyle.Â
We might start questioning our hobbies, likes and dislikes, political leanings and what we read. Suddenly everything is looked through the lens of animal cruelty and whether or not we are doing this thing correctly.
Sadly, there are many people who take advantage of new vegans who are still figuring out how to make better decisions now that they are aware of animal abuse.
These people, as you have probably witnessed in the past, will try to convince you that you can only be a true vegan if you do things they approve of. If you are not like them, you are not good enough.
This happens because they made veganism their whole identity and also because veganism comes with this whole big stereotype that certain individuals feel like they need to live up to in order to be pure and perfect.
It’s impossible to reach perfection and purity they imagine but they try and try and try and when they’ve been trying for too long they convince themselves that they are better than you for trying in the first place so you have to be like them or accept that you are a bad vegan.
I talked about woke vegans in this post here (and also here) so let’s leave them for now.
What matters is that we get you on your unique individual path that you are obsessed with (in a totally healthy way).
If you want to create a vegan lifestyle that works for you, ask yourself these questions:
- What are your three most important values?Â
What are your deepest beliefs about the world and what must exist for you to feel good in life? To help you out, mine are freedom, truth and security (in this order).
When you look at your life, are you living according to your values? Your answer to this question can transform how you approach everything you do.
- What brings you pleasure?Â
What makes you feel really, really good? What makes your knees weak, your heart pound and forget to look at the watch? *pretends this sounds totally innocent*
You will die one day and we are already bound to suffer immensely due to our denial of impermanence, so why not enjoy your life to the fullest?
- What do you want more in the world?Â
What is lacking? What can you bring to others with your own personal touch? Is there something you do in your free time that could actually bring an immense amount of value to our society?
Now that you have your answers, journal about how you can use them to create a vision for yourself.
Work towards it every single day and listen to your brain and your heart in the process of getting there. You will encounter many setbacks, challenges and people who will want to hold you back, but you cannot bend.
You are already vegan and there is nothing that will make you better at it than not exploiting other animals.Â
You don’t have to vote or invest your money in a certain way to be /more/ vegan. You are doing great. You are free to be yourself. You deserve to do what makes your heart happy.
If you want to learn how to create a sustainable vegan lifestyle please make sure you are following me on Pinterest and Instagram. I post daily.
Tanja
