Ambivalence

Change doesn’t take effort. It’s our ambivalence towards it. Our excuses, which come up, and let us wrestle inside with which choice to make. 

One way to define addiction is by ambivalence: We are not addicted to alcohol if we enjoy it and see no reason to stop drinking. We become addicted once we want to quit on the one hand but enjoy it very much on the other hand. 

Living sustainably then seems effortful because we are ambivalent: should I fly to Bali or not? Should I buy that shirt that we don’t need or not? Should I take the car or the bike?

To make sustainability effortless is to get rid of ambiguity. And even though this is an endless endeavor, becoming clear of our values is the first necessary step.