Thriving, Not Just Surviving

 If you have been following my blog journey for any amount of time, you know that I'm all about growth 💖!! I have shared how I continue to grow in different areas of my life. I also love to see others grow, too! Growth can be physical, but it's also about growing in our faith, perspectives, relationships, who we are as a person, and in different life experiences. Growth may not be evident and obvious right away, but it's happening 😊. A synonym  for growth is expansion, which means to get bigger. We should want to expand our knowledge, interests, and travel experiences. We should increase our wisdom about what to do and not to do in our lives. When we increase our wisdom, we can increase our peace. I'm real big on having peace! The more I have grown on my life journey, the more I value peace 💖. When we're growing, we can thrive, not just survive (hence the name of today's blog post 😉!). To survive simply means to continue to live or exist. Now, I get it! I can relate to being in survival mode many times in my life. Recently, the last week of school as a teacher for me was survival mode at its highest. You know the intensity at the highest level of a video game? Yes..that's how the last week felt..LOL 😃!!! Surviving is a good thing...we're still here! Sometimes, all we can do is survive, especially in different life circumstances. Today's post is encouraging us not just to survive, but to thrive. It's about living our best life and embracing all life has to offer 💖. To thrive means to do well, prosper, and flourish. Flourish is another synonym for growth 😊. Flourish means to grow or develop in a healthy way, especially as a result of a particularly favorable environment. Now, I have to pause right here because the ending of the definition is powerful. Our environment is important! What and who we surround ourselves with matters. In this season, I am embracing opportunities that allow me to thrive, not just survive. I'm allowing myself to keep seeing new places, having new adventures, and learning new things 💖. This past weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to go on a bus trip to the African American Museum in D.C. and National Harbor in Maryland. I had never been to the museum or National Harbor before, and it was so nice to have new experiences! I gained so much knowledge from the history and moving exhibits at the museum. I believe I have shared this in a previous blog post, but I have began to incorporate more nonfiction into my reading. I love my fiction, but I realize nonfiction lets me learn about new topics and read about people's stories. My current nonfiction read is Atomic Habits by James Clear. I'm not finished reading it yet, but it's really good! I'm already looking at my habits, wants, and needs in a whole new way. It's also tying in psychology (my undergraduate degree 😃!), so it's refreshing to be reminded of my psychology roots and learn something new. I've learned that my tribe (circle of friends) is also important. I have been truly blessed with the best tribe- I love them to life 💖!! In fact, one of my friends invited me on the bus trip 😃. They always remind me and support me to thrive, not just survive and I appreciate that. That's the environment we want! We want to surround ourselves with those who also want to thrive and go places that affirm that. There's no room for negativity when you're thriving. When it tries to get in our own mind or be said by others, let's not entertain it. Thriving is also about staying grateful through everything and being healthy in all areas of our lives. There's always something to be thankful for. So, what do you say?! Let's not just survive, but let's thrive 💖. As one of my co-workers would say, "I love that for you!" May God continue to bless you all!