I have a question for you....What happens when you go to the grocery store while your stomach is growling?  You either load up on junk food by tossing lots of goodies into your cart, or rip open a box of sugary or salty treats within minutes of entering the store and then proceed to chow down as you push your cart throughout the store.

Has this ever happened to you? 

If so, would you say you were THRIVING or just trying to SURVIVE?  Grocery shopping while you’re famished is never a good idea since it creates a “mini crisis” and even if you have the best intentions, it’s much more difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan.  All you want, in that moment, is the first edible item you set your eyes on.  Am I right?  It takes a very conscious effort to grocery shop (while you’re hungry) without adding unhealthy items to your basket.  We’ve all been there.  It’s about survival, in the moment. 

I believe many, many people are merely surviving in most of the critical areas of life.  They’re backed up against a wall with their finances, health, careers, relationships, energy etc...So, they do whatever they feel they need to do to get by/survive each day. And, in doing so, many rules of reason go out the window.  After all, in a crisis, there are no rules.  And, whenever you’re in survival mode, you’re in a crisis.  Does any of this resonate with you?

Take a look at your own life.  Where are you truly thriving and where are you merely surviving?  To answer that question, let’s clarify what it means to thrive or survive.

Thriving happens when you have more than enough of what you need.  Think about it.  If you have plenty of money in your savings account and extra cash leftover each month, after you pay the bills, you’d probably feel pretty good.  Few worries and few cares revolve around your finances since you have plenty of money.  You’re able to plan vacations, knowing you’ll have the funds to pay for it.  You are thriving in the money department of your life.

Surviving is another story. This is how most people live, when it comes to finances.  If you barely get by each month financially and have credit card debt, little savings and lots of worries about money, you are doing your best to simply get by each day.  Because you’re in “crisis mode” /survival mode, some rules of reason go out the window and you actually overspend by running up your credit cards (since you need money) with high interest rates.  Sure, you *know* it’s not a wise move to spend money you don’t have, especially with an interest rate attached to it, but you don’t care.  You are “starving” in the money quadrant of your life, so you’ll do whatever it takes to feed the hunger.

Now, I could show you examples of thriving versus striving in all areas of your life.  But, I think you get the point.  So, think about it.  Are you thriving at work or are you amazed you’re able to “survive” another day since you feel so depleted most of the time?  Are you thriving at home or do you feel burdened and stressed out by clutter?  How about your energy level?  Do you have more than enough energy to do whatever you want or are you constantly pumped up on caffeine since it’s the only way to drag your body through the day?

There’s a lot to think about!

I’d like to challenge YOU to turn the corner and THRIVE in all areas of your life this year.  For starters, pick ONE key area (such as finances, energy, home, relationships, etc) and get crystal clear about what it will take to actually THRIVE.  Might be a good topic to discuss with a friend or write about in your journal.  Personally, I tend to meditate on this sort of topic and then visualize the results I want to create. Any of the above ideas will work. Just spend some time thinking about it.

Then, make a decision to THRIVE in your chosen area of life and get clear about what needs to change to REMOVE crisis mode.  So, if you chose finances, you might want to remove all facets of crisis mode by creating a budget and cutting back your spending habits.

Here’s what’s fun about this....When you remove the triggers that push you into a crisis/survival mode, your true essence will emerge!  What is your true essence, you ask?  Your TRUE purpose is to THRIVE.  So, when you stop surviving, notice how much easier it is to thrive.

To give your thrive mode a boost, try ADDING some actions that will help.  Using the financial example, great “thriving” actions might be to create a savings account, asking for a gigantic raise at work, moving into a much more affordable home or selling items on ebay or craigslist.

Remember, you’ll feel like you’re thriving when you have more than enough of what you need.  It’s up to YOU to decide how much “more than enough” means to you.

Train yourself to expect more out of life than mere survival.  Create a nice, comfy cushion of money, energy, friends, love, ideas, career fulfillment, health, hobbies, free time and joy.