More productive, conscious and mindful way of living challenge - One Year Later

More productive, conscious and mindful way of living challenge - One Year Later

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One year ago I wrote a post about undertaking a challenge to commit to more productive, conscious and mindful life habits. Today I am counting my gains and fails.

productive, conscious and mindful way of living

Here's the list of last year set goals and current changes:

JUNE 2015 / june 2016


  1.   Quit smoking.
I haven't quit (still a social smoker). This is a huge fail.


  1. Change sleeping routine and train myself to be a morning person.
Today I rotate 6-7 waking up time with 9-10 on somewhat equal terms. (my previous average was 9-11 am, yeah...) I consider this to be a partial success with lots of room to grow :)


  1. Build a workout routine to keep my body fit.
I do exercise every other day. I can't call it a routine yet, but it is a step forward. (I had no workout routine with occasional hit and run fitness cravings)


  1. Practice conscious eating habits and make healthy food choices.
I don' eat meat anymore. (I had no limits, no boundaries and no diets) Because of ethical reasons rather than health related. I do eat fish, seafood and dairy, however. I am like a dragon who decided to be more humane and quit eating female and infant inhabitants but has no problem digesting male part of the villagers. Oh well, bloody world where every being eats some other being! (I actually do love our amazing world regardless, but I can't say I am completely at peace with current state of things:-) Anyways, I've been feeling great overall and had no meat cravings whatsoever. I had no struggles with more limited (as I thought it would become) meal choices. I love my new foods varieties. 

The only downside which might (or might not) be diet related is that I am currently experiencing severe hair loss. All medical exams failed to identify the clear cause and suggested a few differential diagnoses. The doctors surmised vegetarian diet might have had an impact as well. 

As for my future goals, I have no intentions to go vegan or even fully vegetarian, but I plan to commit to one detox day a week (water, juices, raw veggies and fruits).


  1.  Become a conscious consumer and mindful to the nature and all living beings.
I try as much as I can to avoid buying anything made from or with animal ingredients. (I used to be an impulsive buyer) If food is something our health and well being rely on (I think there are conditions when people simply can't be vegan, like pregnancy or northern climates, but I don't defend this opinion, it is just an opinion) - cosmetics, bags, clothing, etc. are products we can certainly produce without any harm to animals. I buy cruelty free cosmetics and learn to avoid buying any leather products. The key word is "learn", but at least I am on the track. 

We (me and my boyfriend who, to my huge relief and joy, gladly approved of all my aspirations) switched to environmentally friendly products. I am sure we are not completely green yet and there is a long way to go, but gradually, step by step, we change our habits. Just to name a few things we have switched to over the last year: fully compostable garbage bags, reusable shopping bags, natural cleaning supplies and air fresheners, recycled toilet paper and paper towels, reusable water bottles.

I strive to buy organic foods, avoid processed foods, shop at farmer's markets as much as I can, buy local farm raised eggs and dairy products, buy cheese with vegetarian enzyme.  


  1. Spend time, money or efforts helping those in need.
I try to respond to those in need more regularly than before: send money to people asking for help online, send money to charity organizations, give money to people on the streets.

 I visited two orphanages in my hometown in Russia and helped with what I could. It was not a lot and by no means I made any big difference in those kids' lives, but I gave something. If every person would give something (material things or time and care), maybe those kids would feel less alone and have a better chance in healing their wounds and succeeding to be/become happy, healthy and prosperous.

So this is my list. I haven't gotten too far, but every step counts if it's for the better. I hope next year will bring new positive traits and I will have more reasons to smile when I look back. 
How do you feel about these matters? Do you value one person's input or you believe it is in vain? 

Thanks for reading! :)

productive, conscious and mindful way of living
productive, conscious and mindful way of living

productive, conscious and mindful way of living

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    2 comments:

    1. Epitome of Now by BYEM17 June, 2016

      What a beautiful list, it was great reading about your journey and motivating to hear how you plan on keeping to incorporate these ideas into your life!

      Scandinavian slow fashion coming soon to www.byem.com
      Our conscious journal at www.epitomeofnow.byem.com

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      1. Katya19 June, 2016

        Thank you for taking the time to read my challenge list! ;)

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