The You-est You® Podcast How To Be Alive with Colin Beavan
Colin Beavan, Ph.D., is a sought-after coach, speaker, consultant, and Zen Teacher in the Kwan Um Zen tradition. He attracted international attention for his year-long lifestyle-redesign project and the wildly popular book, No Impact Man, and the Sundance-selected documentary film it inspired. Colin ran for the US House of Representatives in New York's 8th Congressional District in 2012, was the founder of the No Impact Project, a board member of Transportation Alternatives, an advisory council member of 350.org, and a guest professor at Sarah Lawrence College. He is the author, most recently, of How to Be Alive: A Guide To The Kind of Happiness That Helps The World. He can be found at www.colinbeavan.com as well as on Instagram @ColinBeavan.
No Impact Man Experiment
Colin Beavan set out on a year-long experiment back in 2009 to live environmentally friendly in an extreme way in NYC. He wanted to explore how we can live where we help others and ourselves, understand our role in the environment and climate change, and the impact we make (the inspiration for his No Impact Project, by the way). This year-long project became the documentary, No Impact Man, where Colin focused each month on another issue in the environment and then removed it from his life. He addressed issues like trash, water use, degradation, transportation, and buying only local food. In pursuing these areas of concern, another big question came up - is there a way to build a community that naturally embeds this kind of consciousness into its fabric of society? The year proved to be a powerful experiment in allowing Colin to get healthier and step off the treadmill of constant 'doing' and being glued to screens, giving him more nourishing time to spend with his young daughter, family, and friends.
How To Be Alive and Kind
This No Impact Man opportunity opened up more questions that he addressed in his book, How to Be Alive: A Guide To The Kind of Happiness That Helps The World, about choosing a way of being where we're both taken care of and taking care of others. This mutual care scenario would allow for a greater sense of security and meaning, two important aspects of having a good life. Colin Beavan unpacked the deeper question of finding meaning in one's life by answering the following questions, which I encourage you to address for yourself:
1) Understanding yourself: Who are you, and what feels important to you?
2) What is the world to you, and what do you care about?
3) How might you bring these two answers together?
It's Time To Create A World Based on Kindness
Much of Colin Beavan's studies and wisdom comes from the Zen tradition, a mystical practice that focuses much of your time and energy on staying deep, open-ended questions like 'Who are you?' and not knowing the answer. Colin shared about a master teacher he encountered early on who shared that the ideal is "to wash your mind with 'I don't know' soap." In other words, when you're not interfering with 'knowing' something, you can respond to how the world naturally responds. Under this practice is building your trust in the Universe.
Now What's Next?
We're in times where many are confused, scared, and anxious but want to bring in more kindness. Tune in to hear a beautiful practice to stay in the 'not knowing' and call in greater connection to kindness.
Final Thought
Colin Beavan's efforts to change the world one step at a time led to a movement we can all join in big or small ways. No Impact Man is well worth the watch to uncover the impact we have on the world with the choices we make, even unconsciously, every day. Be sure to pick up a copy of his latest book, How to Be Alive: A Guide To The Kind of Happiness That Helps The World.
Connect with Colin Beavan
- Website: colinbeavan.com
- Facebook page:Colin Beavan AKA No Impact Man
- Instagram: @colinbeavan
- LinkedIn: Colin Beavan
- Twitter: @ColinBeavan
Looking To Help Others Know Who They Are and Design Their Best Life?
If you are feeling a strong urge to help other big-hearted empaths get unstuck and design their best life, you've got to check out my Life Designer Coach Academy. It is a world-class four-month virtual live coach certification program that will give you proven tools, techniques, practices, and methodology to be a powerful coach. This coaching program is for aspiring and current coaches looking to fill in the missing pieces and gain confidence and mastery both in the coaching core competencies and the integrative health modalities from a mind-body science, positive psychology, and healing arts perspective. To learn more, go to juliereisler.com/certification.
Sacred Connection
As always, this community is a sacred, safe place built on love and acceptance. It was created to help you evolve and expand into your highest self. Please share your wisdom, comments, and thoughts. I love hearing from you and learning how you are being your truest, you-est you. Please join us in our Facebook group The You-est You® Community for Soul Seekers
Join host Julie Reisler, author and multi-time TEDx speaker, each week to learn how you can tap into your best self and become your You-est You® to achieve inner peace, happiness, and success at a deeper level! Tune in to hear powerful, inspirational stories and expert insights from entrepreneurs, industry thought leaders, and extraordinary human beings that will help to transform your life. Julie also shares a-ha moments that have shaped her life and career and discusses key concepts from her book Get a PhD in YOU
Here's to your being your you-est you!
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