New Year is a time of reflection and promise. For many, it provides the opportunity to look back on the past year, with varying emotions, and commit to doing more of the good and less of the bad in the year to come. Ultimately, we all want to live the beautiful life.
Unfortunately, staying on track can be tricky. So many people get caught up in the rat race and forget to keep their eyes and minds on what is important: the happiness of yourself and others.
Thankfully, Rachel McClelland has created a 90-day journal that gives you the tools that you need to live the life you want. Combining creativity, and altruism, the planner guides you through ‘the 3 P’s – People, Planet, Profit‘ that will help you live a more fulfilling life.
The Beautiful Life takes the reader on a journey to remind us that, as author McClelland notes, ‘if we each take some ‘time out’ to engage with nature and live in the moment, creativity comes more quickly and naturally. It might be that some people have the classic ‘light bulb’ moment overnight and others may go on a journey that takes years.’
The journal kicks off with an important life change for anyone wishing to achieve personal success: diet.
The Beautiful Life helps readers to adopt a vegan diet, which McClelland believes is important to personal transformation in a number of ways. ‘The fuel that we put into our bodies gives us the energy and nourishment to survive and flourish, and so if we are to embark on a journey in pursuit of happiness, good health, living ethically and success, we need our bodies to be in the best condition possible,’ says the author. She also notes that ‘food really is the easiest thing to change with just a little consideration and some creativity,’ and creativity and change are vital elements in living The Beautiful Life.
The journal provides a 7-day meal plan to kickstart your transformation, however, for further inspiration, it’s possible to find a huge array of exciting vegan recipes in addition to these ideas. McClelland fondly recalls her own journey to veganism ‘A few years ago, I signed up to a weekly organic veg box delivery and so each week I receive seasonal veg, many of which I hadn’t ever tried before and it’s so exciting thinking up new ideas in the kitchen and experimenting with some culinary delights, as well as a few disasters!!‘ she says. Adding ‘It’s all part of the fun, though.’
McClelland describes veganism as a ‘proactive healthcare‘ as it reduces the risk of a number of major diseases. She also suggests that living a ‘truly ethical li[fe]’ includes ‘respecting all sentient beings.’
In a publication that focusses on the significance of nature, McClelland believes its vitally important to recognise that a plant based diet is far better for the environment than a standard meat-based diet. ‘As the world’s largest industry, agriculture has a significant and pervasive global environmental impact, accounting for approximately 70 percent of human freshwater use, taking up 30% of the Earth’s land mass – for example, it takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of meat,‘ claims McClelland.
In fitting with the theme of respecting nature, the journal comes beautifully packaged in paper that is ‘100% recycled and from sustainable forest sources‘, as is the paper used for the journal itself.
The design on the front cover, which showcases nature’s beauty, is the work of British artist and vegan activist, Heather Stephenson.
If you’re looking for a helping hand to get you started on your vegan journey, the journal is available for purchase here, and you may even be lucky enough to get it in time for New Year’s Day*.
For further support and guidance, why not use your new journal alongside the resources from Veganuary? You can sign up here.
*subject to availability
Image credit: The Beautiful Life
