Original post here - by The Conscious Vegan: http://www.theveganwoman.com/my-biggest-difficulties-in-becoming-vegan-and-how-i-overcame-them/
The four stages of learning
If you are new to veganism, it can be helpful to understand the four stages of learning that apply to learning anything.
1. I’ve just bought my first carton of soya milk.
Wahey! This first stage is known as ‘unconscious incompetence’ – you make the decision to go vegan without realising you know so little about the vegan lifestyle. This new found decision is often accompanied by feelings of excitement and lots of enthusiasm. You are going to change the world – all by yourself!!
Mastering the vegan lifestyle: you might find yourself reading labels a lot at the first stages of your journey.
You may feel a little (or a lot!) disconnected from non-vegans, but you don’t care. You may start preaching at and/or mocking all non-vegans at this stage too and feel incredibly self-righteous.However, preaching, mocking, self-righteous superiority, and hasty vegan tattoos saying “I hate necrovores” blazoned across your forehead are not obligatory and can be omitted according to taste…
2. I really miss [insert animal-based product here].
This second stage is ‘conscious incompetence’. You realise how little you actually know about the vegan lifestyle and may still crave some non-vegan foods. Yikes!!! You may realise with some sadness that many foods and products that you used to love are not going to be part of your life anymore. You might try some recipes that don’t work out as well as you expected (cue “vegan cake hell”), etc.
Many people feel bad about their mistakes, cravings, and screw-ups, doubt their ability to stick with it and give up at this stage. Trial and error is the most challenging but most important stage of learning. Be kind to yourself. Get plenty of support and education – The Vegan Woman is here to help!
3. I’m finding it alright, actually, this vegan thing.
Congratulations, you are a fully-fledged vegan hero! Your vegan lifestyle is second nature, effortless, and fun!
The next stage is ‘conscious competence’ – you learn how to live a vegan lifestyle, but it still takes some active focus (you find yourself reading labels a lot). You are actively searching for vegan alternatives to your fave things and having successful results (cue “vegan cake heaven”!). You are learning about the ethics and far reaching impact of veganism and making many vegan connections with others. You may well feel a sense of warm and fuzzy love for your fellow vegan buddies, and the urge to slap people who ask you “where you get your protein?” is much easier to control now.
4. I’m a fully-fledged vegan hero!
‘Unconscious competence’ is the last stage. Congratulations, you are a fully-fledged vegan hero! Your vegan lifestyle is second nature, effortless, and fun! You will probably find that your palate completely changes and you no longer crave any of the foods you used to “love”. You know how to seduce omnivores with your delectable vegan delights, you can knowledgably answer questions calmly – most of the time – and you can’t believe you were ever not vegan.
Remember why you are vegan. Veganism is a constant process of education and adventure. Every step we take enables us to learn, grow, and develop in all kinds of unexpected ways.Each one of us saves innocent lives every day, and motivation to change doesn’t get any better than that.
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