I've been thinking a lot about what it means to thrive. I feel like I have gone through phases in my life where I have definitely felt like I have thrived, and others when I have been more stagnant. So this has me wondering - is it possible to make ourselves thrive? Are there steps to take, or things we can do so that we do thrive? And if so what are these, and why can't we thrive all the time?! Would it even be a good thing to thrive all the time?
For me, to thrive means to progress and flourish, to develop and grow. This could be an emotional thing, to thrive personally within yourself, for example to grow in confidence, or it could also be more to do with your career, to thrive at your work. Thriving is also a feeling - I think you know when you are feeling it! You feel great, like you are doing something and accomplishing something, becoming a better person. This is what I think of when I am thriving.
I have thought a lot about what makes me thrive, and it's not as simple a question as I would have thought! Doing the work that I really love definitely makes me thrive; creating new ideas and working on them and making them real - I know I thrive when I do this. I also thrive when I work with amazing and inspiring people, sharing ideas and learning from each other. Personally, I thrive in a happy relationship - when things are really great with my partner and we feel happy then I think we both thrive. Maybe there are more factors to this, such as living in a place which provides the best environment in which to thrive, having the things that we need, sorting out what's important and what's not - all these things give me the space to thrive. My friends make me thrive! Having great conversations and making new friends can be very inspiring. I also have to mention that praise, recognition for what I do and some kind of validation that what I am doing is good definitely helps me thrive. I wish this wasn't as true as it is, but it is something that probably lives in most of us - when we are told that we are good, it helps us to do more and do better and so to thrive.
So what is it that we need in order to thrive? For me, I need supportive people in my life, to feel loved, to be prepared in my work, to be doing something I truly love, to have opinions and ideas about what I am doing and to have lots of plans and goals. Having supportive people is perhaps the most important one, and goes along with feeling loved. All you really need is one person, one believer in you, who knows you can do it without question (whatever you want to do) and who absolutely loves you anyway, whatever happens in the end. This is the fundamental base layer upon which you can thrive, as really it is the only thing that matters! If you are doing something that you really love, it will motivate you to be the most prepared you can be, and probably, without even trying, you will have lots of ideas and opinions about it. I think this is all very important because how can we thrive at something we hate, are not that interested in or don't want to be doing? It won't make us a better person or help us to grow. And having plans and goals are important too, because they are what make things happen.
There could be an element of luck in this whole idea of what it takes to thrive. Maybe we do need luck - one lucky break, one opportunity handed to us, so that we can be the best we can be and thrive. Some people believe you can make your own luck, that self-made opportunities exist and hard work along with putting yourself out there is more important than luck. Personally, I believe in the joy of all the little things in life. I am not realistically waiting at home for some amazing, grand stroke of luck to come my way so that I can start thriving (although one can dream), but instead gathering up all the great little things I have going for me and thriving off them. I don't think there is anything stopping you from thriving.
I think also, that to thrive might not be something that happens every day or all the time, maybe you have never even felt as though you have thrived. I think it might take some experimentation to find the things in your life that make you thrive and then to act on them. We are always learning things about ourselves - about what we like and don't like, about what we want and don't want. It's impossible to know this quickly or straight away - sometimes we need to put some time in, and then once we know these things, we can set ourselves up to live a very thriving life! Similarly, we shouldn't feel downhearted if we are not going through a particularly thriving phase of our lives - it's bound to come and go as we ourselves change. I am writing this note particularly to myself!
Overall, I think to thrive is something that we all want, and are looking for. We will know when we feel it - and we WILL all feel it at some point - and this will be a beautiful moment. In the meantime, we can only enjoy the road of experimentation that lies ahead of us.
Please let me know - what makes you thrive?Labels: Thoughts