We’ve been surviving for years, but when asked to thrive, the question become “how?” The Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus defines thriving as; to grow luxuriantly, to flourish, and to gain wealth or possessions. When we begin to ponder the evolution of thriving we must first come to the conclusion that life should be more than just a game of survival. While survival is useful at certain points in our lives, thriving leads us to do more. Thriving says that we will no longer do those things every day that doesn’t benefit us in any way, shape, or form. Thriving demands that we grow in every area of our lives.
Expanding past the norm, we thrive in a way that brings about transformational living in its rarest forms. This transformational living can only come when we take heed to the lessons that we’ve learned and expound upon them. When you build upon the lesson that you learn, you create the life you want, and that is the ultimate act of thriving. Often when we learn something we learn for the moment unless it evokes some type of pain or emotion that teaches us the lesson. For some people it takes a few times of repeating the same mistake in order to really get the lesson. The others learn faster. But, when you’re able to take the lesson and put it with the other tools that you have in your tool box to master yourself; you now get the maximum benefit from the outcome.
Thriving insists that we thoroughly understand the lessons that we are learning and how they are unique to us. When we understand what the lesson is for we can begin to know how to use it to our advantage so that we can better serve ourselves first, and then others. Most people would have a problem with me placing ourselves first in the previous sentence but in order to serve others you must first know how to serve you. When we secure ourselves first we allow our souls to take root and cause us to be grounded. If we have no root and have not been grounded we cannot have a foundation for others to stand. When we know who we are and what we’re capable of we know our own worth and are not afraid to stand in it. So remember, the goal is to always place your oxygen mask on first, then others. We cannot thrive if we cannot survive. This was something I had to come to the understanding of when I took a look at my life personally and professionally. I knew that I wanted to be at a place where I was my best self. And I knew that being my best or highest self required a bit more thought, planning, strategy, and execution. I chose to expend the energy to learn consistently in a way that would instill the lessons deep inside through repetition.
One day while planning how I would give my clients the best customer service: I perceived that I had to serve them in a different way to begin the shift for the future. I had been schooled on how that everything I did for my clients should be based upon where my company was headed and not where it was. I would always be ahead of the game if I planned it that way. A thriving company prepares for the here-after; even if you’re unsure there will be one. In planning how to best service them I recall that I still had to serve them while maintaining the things I was already committed to doing, as well as those tasks I had to do for myself. This meant that I had to step my game up a couple of notches if I wanted to ensure balance and order, personally as well. It was important for me to keep balance in order to thrive. Thriving goes past survival: it’s where you go to reach your dreams and create new ones. The goal of thriving is made manifest when everything in your world at any given time is spinning on its axis harmoniously and consistently.
I can remember rushing to get through lessons not comprehending that rushing causes you to miss things because you can’t see them correctly. I became aware that there was no need to rush when you were prepared. Being prepared meant life would go easier than it would if you were not. For example, if you iron your clothes for the week, or maybe even the night before, the next morning you don’t have to rush because everything is already done. All you need to do is shower, brush your teeth, jump in your clothes, brush your hair, and go. It’s as simple as that; but when we choose not to be prepared we do not allow ourselves a chance to be our best.
Life will always require you to kick it up a notch when you have been privy to the most amazing experiences. Remember, to whom much is given, much is required. Don’t worry though; this is where you get to see what you’re made of. In order to keep up and have balance all at the same time you must reinvent yourself before you have to. I say ‘before’ simply because you are not ready for the future right now; you have to be made ready for it. It’s called preparation for what’s to come.
One day after a shower I looked in the mirror at myself. I looked at the shape of my face, my eyes, my body, and afterwards, I looked at my mind. Not physically of course, but in retrospection and also in the future. In getting with myself I learned to allow myself the space to settle within for a moment. I didn’t rush the process, lessons, time, or the space. I allowed myself time to receive all that the Creator has for me. And when I opened myself up, I allowed the most creative space I’ve ever seen to come from me. It has been a life of trial and error but the intention has always remained the same, to be the best me I can possibly be. I will continue to thrive because I am intentional about it. I’ve learned to schedule out my life to create balance and organization. For me this has been most important to accomplish because we always want to be a benefit to others but when we’re all over the place it’s hard to do that.
God has always carefully and strategically changed my scenery to teach me lessons I would use for the future. As I understand it more, I begin to look for the changes to occur and look forward to what I’ll learn next. So far I’ve learned that what you do in your personal life translates into your business life. When we allow ourselves to change what we’re doing, to accommodate where we are going, we design a better course for our lives. What more than a designer life created by you, made by the decisions you made based upon where you wanted to go.
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