Focusing on the Positive, A-Z; Day 20: Thrive

 

What makes you thrive? Is it the stress of life that motivates you to accomplish great things? Or is it walking through the woods, reconnecting with nature? Perhaps writing is what fuels your soul, or taking pictures, or working with clay, painting, your morning run/walk, hanging out with friends, hanging out with your family, your job, your cat, your dog…. Whatever it is that makes you thrive, take a moment to be grateful for it, that you found it, because I believe finding what makes you thrive is how you find the power pack of your soul.

Thrive (intransitive verb)

: to grow or develop successfully : to flourish or succeed

1

:  to grow vigorously :  flourish

2

:  to gain in wealth or possessions :  prosper

3

:  to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances —often used with on <thrives on conflict>

You know the feeling…everything feels right. You feel empowered to do whatever you set your mind to. It’s a form of bliss, in my opinion. Doing whatever makes you thrive leaves you feeling as if the weights of day-to-day life, the barriers or obstacles that seem so challenging, have been washed away. It is almost as if your soul radiates and becomes bigger than your body. Well, at least, that’s how it feels to me.

I’ve spent a lot of time over the last 5 (almost 6) years not pursuing what makes me thrive. Its been all about survival. I have been so overwhelmed by my life situation that I had stopped looking for the things that make me grow. Everything has been approached with the left foot, right foot, repeat mentality which, many times, has not included fueling the battery packs with what makes my soul dance. All I can say about that is “Shame on me.”

When you stop pursuing what feeds you, what empowers you, what you thrive on, then you have made the decision to let life drive, making the decisions on where to turn by what life dictates. Yes, sometimes, there is the need to do just that, but being stuck there, not striving to move beyond that, is not living to your fullest potential in happiness.

So, what fuels me? What makes me thrive? Learning, writing, playing with my dogs, snuggling with my cats, joking around with my kids, taking pictures, laughing until tears stream down my face and my belly aches, people watching (human interaction fascinates me), reading a good book, spending time with a good friend, getting out into nature, using my brain. I’m sure there are other things but that is what comes to mind right now. Many times, it’s the little things that go fairly unnoticed.

What makes you thrive?