Remembering why you started and how to keep going

It's day 11 of Veganuary and by now you've no doubt hit a snag or had a difficult conversation, maybe you've wondered if it's worth it to make such a big change when the people around you don't seem keen on it.

Once I had gone vegetarian I knew I would never going back to eating animal flesh, wearing leather...etc. but I was definitely aware of how much easier life was before I made the switch. It is not easy to go against the norm, but it is meaningful, which is what helped it stick.

I was in a relationship when I went vegetarian the summer before my 21st birthday, I remember he was "fine" with it but he wasn't interested in understanding why I had made that choice. I definitely stayed too long In that relationship... One night I was out to dinner with him and one of his friends when I accidentally bumped his friend's arm while he was holding his final bite of a cow burger causing him to drop that final bite onto the table. He was so angry that he picked up the piece that had fallen, grabbed my hand, and proceeded to smush the burger into my hand. Not letting go until he had fully rubbed the burger all over, I couldn't wriggle free, and the then boyfriend did nothing about It.

I ended that relationship and was dating again which was a whole thing, the dating sites didn't yet have a spot where I could check off that I was vegetarian, I had to write it in the bio which no one was reading then either. Some dates tried to understand, others had known vegetarians so knew what to expect, none of them were vegetarian themselves. It was impossible to find a date who was also veg.

I'd been seeing a guy for a little while who eventually told me that it wasn't going to work because it was really important that he could share his pork chop with me and since he couldn't, he just didn't see a way around it.

A close friend to told me to call her when I was "normal" again.

I've spent countless hours defending or discussing this big choice I made in the middle of July 2001 after reading a magazine. That one decision changed so much for me, but the most Important thing Is that It helped me understand who I am, what and who I stand for, what I won't compromise on.

As you make your way through your own Veganuary or vegan journey at any other point of the year you will Inevitably encounter someone or something that makes you wonder if you'll stay, or if you're just dipping your toe in, whether you'll make the commitment. In these moments I encourage you to go back to your why and remember what propelled this curiosity. What made you embark on a vegan journey or to try something out to help you see if you would/could do it?

Once you've reminded yourself of your mission or reason behind it, seek out community. I hadn't thought much about community until I began building this business and had started joining lots of online networking groups. No one understood why I had a vegan business or felt like my being vegan was an important thing for me to talk about when talking about my business. It wasn't until I found the now disbanded Vegan Business Tribe (based in the UK) and spent networking, co-working, and business mastermind calls with people who got me. I didn't need to spend the first 5 minutes of a session explaining my business and the reason behind it, then field multiple questions until I finally got to discuss my problem with barely enough time for someone to share a half-hearted answer. At VBT, I could get right into the issue and get the help I needed, we had time to really talk things through. Of course, you don't need to have a business, vegan community works socially too. Find your people, I cannot stress enough how meaningful that is, especially if most of the people in your life are not veg.

So many of us have no idea what we're capable of, what we can do if we just align our hearts with our actions. I certainly didn't know. I did not make the choice to go vegetarian and then vegan because I envisioned what I would be doing now. I did it because I knew it was the right thing for me and looking back now I know this is the path my life was supposed to take. Veganism isn't just a part of my life because I talk about it so much, it's who I am, it is reflected in every single thing I do and I love that. I've never done anything more meaningful.

If you're finding it difficult to keep going or you just need another vegan to talk to, I'm here for you. You can comment below or fill out the contact form on my website. You can also still sign up for the Veganuary program I am leading with my That Vegan Morning Show co-host Jen. We had our first session last week but we can catch you up if you're ready to dive in. You can sign up for that here. We meet for session 2 this Tuesday at 8pm ET.

Tell me, what kind of support do you need or what questions do you have? Leave them in the comments below!

---

UPDATE: Meditation is canceled on Monday due to a conflict, sign up for the next session on Wednesday, January 21st at 8pm ET here. Cost per session is $15, multi-session packages are available at a reduced rate.