Sustainable living looks different for everyone. For me, it’s about creating a life with purpose, quality over quantity, and time for the people and places that matter most. My daughter and her husband live in one of Australia’s most expensive cities. They have four beautiful children, one of whom is autistic. Together, they made the conscious decision that she would stay home while the children are young.
Financially, it’s incredibly challenging. They live from one pay cheque to the next. There isn’t much left over at the end of the week.
From the outside, some people might question that choice.
But for them, it is the right one.
The demands of raising four young children, while giving one child the extra support he needs, made trying to juggle two careers almost impossible. More importantly, they recognised that protecting their family’s wellbeing and my daughter’s mental health mattered more than maximising their income.
It won’t be forever. As the children grow, life will change again.
For now, this is what sustainability looks like for them.
A close friend made a completely different decision.
She walked away from a successful corporate career because she realised she was approaching breaking point. The salary was good, but the cost to her health, relationships and happiness had become too high.
She and her family moved to the country.
That created a whole new set of challenges. Meaningful employment in regional areas isn’t always easy to find, and there were moments when they questioned whether they had made the right decision.
Today, though, they wouldn’t change a thing.
They’ve built a life in a tiny home, surrounded by nature, with far more time for the things that matter to them.
Again, sustainability wasn’t about reducing their environmental footprint alone.
It was about creating a life they could actually enjoy living.
Then there’s my own story.
For years, I knew that living in the country was where I belonged. So did my husband. We just didn’t know how we were going to make it happen.
Eventually, we did.
Since then, something unexpected has happened.
My passion for sustainability has continued to grow, but perhaps not in the way I imagined.
I stopped wanting more a long time ago.
Now I find myself wanting less—but wanting it to be better.
Better experiences.
Better relationships.
Better quality.
Better health.
Better time.
Today I work from home, surrounded by the people and the place I love. I spend my days writing, creating resources, helping others and exploring ideas that genuinely excite me.
To me, that’s sustainable living.
Not because everything is perfect.
Not because life is easy.
But because I have built a life that feels possible to keep living.
And perhaps that’s the question we should all ask ourselves.
Not, “Does my life look like someone else’s?”
But, “Does my life work for me?”
Because sustainable living isn’t about copying another person’s choices.
It’s about having the courage to make your own.