What approach would you recommend to those thinking about transitioning?
These three tools, not in any specific order: recipes (learn how to cook efficiently delicious, satiating, and cheap vegan food so that it's sustainable and practicable in your everyday life), ethics (learn more about factory farming, then on the contrast, learn how animals COULD live, if given the change, then figure out how you can attribute to that), find vegans online or, if it's possible, where you live (when you see that other people are vegan too, it doesn't seem so impossible anymore).
Educate yourself, listen to your coinscience and take action. That's a good way to simplify going vegan.
My jorney was long... I started gaining interest when I was 18 years old, that's 11 years ago. But I went fully vegan just about a year ago, before that I had been backsliding and failing, and before that I had been vegan for three years, and before that I had been almost-vegan, or some sort of inconsistent vegetarian.
I think that even though I failed, it was a good learning experience, and I have no regrets. Giving up didn't make me loose my inspiration to become vegan. On the contrary, my will to some day be a vegan, only got stronger. And as I learned more, finally going vegan wasn't that difficult. Suddently it was crystal clear to me, how to go and stay vegan, so that's exactly what I did.
I'm lazy, so I'm going to quote my older posts here, if anyone is further interested of my embarrassing vegan journey. First, I'm going to try and find most of the typos and correct them... And maybe add something worth mentioning here and there.
I don't know why I'm doing this? Who cares about my stupid transitioning? No one... I should be working out right now, doing strength training, and I hate doing that... Maybe I'm just avoidant...? lol.
"So...When I was 18 years old, I got familiar with Animalia and Oikeutta Eläimille, but I don't know whether that was inspirational, or rather shock therapy. But it was a start.
That's when I first saw some pictures that Kristo Muurimaa had (most probably) taken (he's famous world wide, because of the
monster foxes that he photographed) ...I didn't know what to do, and I was hesitant to make a change: "do I have to change, because some stupid people can't take care of their animals?".
So I asked about the pictures from my biology teacher, whom I admired, and she said that "the pictures were probably from some other country, don't worry: that doesn't happen in Finland. We care for our animals." I wasn't very convinced, the site said that the pictures were from Finland, why would they lie? That didn't make any sense... So in the end, I had no choice, and started my journey to become a vegan.
Later, I met this vegetarian at my school. After seeing the disturbing pictures, I had tried to become a vegan, but I had a lot going on in my life and I simply couldn't organize what I ate and when... Don't ask, it's too complicated and a long story. But after meeting her and recognizing myself in her, I got more serious about trying.
In my dreams Elves, from Tolkiens universe, were vegan and I wanted to be one of them. They aren't vegan. But what can I do about my dreams. I suppose I thought that being vegan is going to make me perfect, and maybe even beautiful. But nah, I'm still me. Being vegan isn't glorious, it's infact very habitual. Understanding this was a disappontment, haha!
Then, in 2013, I read about Sini Saarela (vegan), from Greenpeace. She was with the group that fought against oil drilling at the Arctic. She and Marco Weber got aboard Prirazlomnaja, the Russian oil platform and were shot at with water hoses. Multiple activist were arrested and Sini Saarela was one of those who was charged of piracy, but the charges were later changed into huliganism.
When reading about Greenpeace and Saarela, I thought that when I "grow up", I want to fight for something meaningful. Thus, I had to re-think what I was doing in my everyday life, and how to be an activist, in a small way at first, before doing something more, or otherwise it would be only hypocritical.
Then there were, and are, these YouTubers, who furter inspired me: The Fairly Local Vegan, Bite Size Vegan and Unnatural Vegan.
Now-a-days, I'd definitely say Earthling Ed, Gary Yourofsky, Kristo Muurimaa and all the vegans I meet online or in real life, inspires me."
Aside from inspiration, learning how to cook foods that I want to eat and gaining knowledge on different ingredients, spices and what to do with beans, have been a life saver. If I wouldn't have learned how to cook, I probably couldn't be vegan.
Finding ways to balance eating, workout and rest has also been important. Balanced diet and taking my vitamins are essential.
I also read about animals, watch documentaries, learn about factory farming and how it limitates the natural behavior of animals. Understanding that veganism disapproves animal slavery, neglect and abuse, helps me stay vegan.
If animals could live free and happy, why obstruct them from doing this? Instead we should stop factory farming completely.
Also, becoming animal rights activist motivates me further. I can speak with like-minded people... And as I'm doing something that I find meaningful, "vegan world" and animal rights doesn't seem so far-fetched. And I owe this forum, alot. At first, I came here in seek of support, but didn't want to talk about myself (hard to belive, I know) so I started educating other newbies, that way I also learned. I might have been too strict to dem newbies, as I projected the rigour that I had towards myself, on to them.
I'm sorry about the typos.