“I Managed to Thrive Today”
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.” ~ Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Let’s face it, living in survival mode is the most natural thing in the world. How many times have you ended the day saying, “I managed to survive another day”? Sometimes, that’s the best we can hope for.
But when it comes to our ongoing growth and development, mere survival doesn’t mean we’re making progress. Although striving to survive is natural and necessary, we need to find ways to move beyond survival mode and do what we need to thrive. This involves understanding our emotions and directing our responses more toward self-compassion, self-health, and self-growth.
And since our theme this month is “setting intentions,” we want to encourage everyone to begin this year with the intent of moving from survival to thrival. According to the Urban Dictionary, “thrival” can be described as “when someone has moved out of survival mode and into an optimal state of health, vitality, joy and wellbeing.”
The common survival responses consist of fight, flight, freeze, submit, and attach, all of which can work well in certain situations when we need to protect ourselves. But while these responses may allow us to carry on from day to day and meet our challenges, when we operate in thrival mode, we are better able to take control, move forward, and pursue our goals.
For help moving from survival to thrival, try these three tools:
1NOTICE: Everything starts with noticing! Pay attention to how you’re feeling and the reasons you’re feeling that way. Be gentle with yourself.
FIND MICRO-JOYS: Look for joy in all the little things. What fills your soul?
UNLEASH THE POWER OF PURPOSE: “Purpose is compassion in action” – Richard Leider, Power of Purpose. Your purpose is a beautiful intersection between your passion, mission, profession, and vocation. What do you look forward to each day?
Thrival mode includes being mindful, using our coping skills, taking a break when we need it, and reminding ourselves that our traditional survival responses are just our body’s way of protecting itself. When we understand those responses, we gain more self-compassion, we become more empowered, and we are more likely to say, “I managed to THRIVE today.”
How do YOU intend to THRIVE today?