How to Thrive and Be Happy
By
"Thrive" by Niamh Savani
We’ve all had houseplants that we’ve forgotten about for weeks or maybe even months at a time. Yet they seem to survive pretty well without water, food, or any special attention. After a certain amount of time and inattention, the leaves start to wilt or die and the poor plant begins to show signs of distress.
This is when we finally notice the poor plant and give it some much needed attention. We water the plant, maybe give it some plant food, prune the dead leaves, open a few windows to let in some fresh air etc. Often within hours of the much needed attention the plant’s leaves spring back to life, and it seems on the road to recovery again.
Unfortunately we often treat ourselves like a neglected houseplant. We ignore our needs until we too begin to wilt, get burned out, overstressed, or maybe even sick. We can survive for long periods of time without too much self care, but this is not a good strategy. We should all aim to thrive, not just survive!
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” ~ Maya Angelou
My new mission in life is to thrive, not just survive! There is lots of great information out there on how to thrive and be happy. I think it’s great to look at plenty of resources, but ultimately we are all unique individuals and must create our own unique formula to help us thrive. Here are some suggestions from my list that may help you thrive:
1. Purpose
“If we stay as survivors only without moving to thriving, we limit ourselves and cut our energy to ourselves and our power in the world to less than half.” ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Mission statement
It is important to gain clarity and discover your true values, gifts, and talents. This will help you formulate a mission statement that will help define your path and purpose in life.
Right occupation
If you are in the right job you experience a sense of flow and even when you are working it seems like play. This does not mean that things will always be easy, but you embrace the obstacles because you know you are doing what you love.
2. Wellness
“Surviving is important. Thriving is elegant.” ~ Maya Angelou
This includes body, mind, and spirit because all are interconnected to create overall health. In order to execute your mission statement and manifest it in the outer world you need to be physically healthy, have the financial resources to do so, and the social support and connections as well.
Body
Nourish your body with a good diet and exercise. It truly is a temple that houses your spirit. Find some type of exercise program that works for you and make sure fitness is fun! I’m a dedicated yogini, but for many years this is the only type of exercise my body received. Now I’ve expanded my horizons and attend Zumba and core power classes as well as a regular practice of both yin and yang styles of yoga. I feel much stronger and my spirit is soaring.
Mind
In a word – meditate! Find a style of meditation that works for you and take at least 5-10 minutes each day to practice. If you find yourself diving in too deep at first, take a break for as long or as short a time period as necessary to re-balance yourself. Then resume your practice.
Finances – sort out your finances and don’t worry unnecessarily about little things. Set up automatic debit plans and automatically put some money in savings each month. Adjust if necessary.
Spirit
Meditate – see above!
Cultivate successful relationships in all areas of your life. Nurture your intimate relationship (if you have one) by spending quality time with your loved one and creating time for “dates” even if you are married. If you’re not in a special relationship and you wish to be, clearly define in your mind what you desire in a partner and then trust that the right person will show up at the right time. Have fun together!
Cultivate strong social connections with your family (whether blood family or family of choice). Make time for your friends and also plan activities together to nourish the relationship. Laugh a lot!
Solitude
Spend time alone to balance out all the other social connections in your life. This might be just five minutes early in the morning while the house is still quiet. On the other hand it could mean taking a vacation all on your own to do something that you’ve been longing to do for a long time.
3. Creativity
“It is better to name ourselves names that challenge us to grow as free creatures. That is thriving. That is what was meant for us.” ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Discover what being creative means to you and then make it a priority in your life. For me creativity with a capital “C” means painting either in my studio or plein-aire, photography, journaling, meditating, blogging, and teaching. Creativity with a small “c” for me means cooking, reading, day-dreaming, and gardening.
4. Life Live on Your Own Terms
“If you have ever been called defiant, incorrigible, forward, cunning, insurgent, unruly, rebellious, you’re on the right track. Wild Woman is close by. If you have never been called these things, there is yet time. Practice your Wild Woman. Andele! And again.” ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes
A lot of times we do not thrive in our lives because we are trying to live up to someone else’s dream of what our life should look like (most often our family of origin’s expectations). Media can also exert a great influence on us too. We internalize other’s desires and expectations and often we do not even realize this is the case. We try to live our lives (or at least a portion of our lives) to make others happy. It takes a lot of self reflection to realize this and to truly embrace what YOU want for YOUR own life. Be courageous and live the life you want to live.
5. Adventure
“But thriving means now that the bad times are behind, to put ourselves into occasions of the lush, the nutritive, the light, and there to flourish, to thrive with brushy, shaggy, heavy blossoms and leaves.” ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estes
Seek out adventure – it is not going to come and find you! A great way to find adventure is to go out into the wilderness and encounter nature, just like I did this past summer in discovering waterfalls at Yosemite. If that sounds a bit overwhelming, you might want to start small and you could be adventurous by eating at a new restaurant and trying new cuisine.
I’m definitely focusing on finding ways to put myself “into occasions of the lush, the nutritive, the light”. How about you?
What makes you thrive and flourish?
Have your neglected yourself like a forgotten houseplant? What steps can you take to remedy this situation?
Related posts:
- V is for Vernal Equinox: How to Detox Your Life this Spring New England Flowers Today is the first day of spring! ...
- The Art of Being Radiant Radiance is defined as being luminous, glowing, shining, brilliant, healthy,...
- V is for Voyager: Journey both Outwards and Inwards Summer is almost here, and most people are planning or...
- V is for Venus: Love is All You Need Love: It’s a simple four letter word, the source of...
- Learn to Really Relax! The past couple of weeks have been kind of crazy! ...
