Live to Thrive

  

                                                      Photo credit: Alex Starnes, www.unsplash.com

According to the Oxford dictionary, the meaning of thriving is to flourish or prosper. Therefore the term 'Live to Thrive' means to live to flourish. I think that as human beings we are created to flourish here on earth and we can only do that by pursuing our purpose, having a healthy lifestyle, and having family and friends to enjoy it with. 

Purpose is our God-given assignment here on earth. We are supposed to pursue it to bless others and glorify God with it. Another reason why it is important to pursue your purpose is that you spend most of your waking hours at work and it is better for you if you work at something that you love to do and it positively impacts other people's lives. 

A third reason why it is important to pursue your purpose is; you will see the impact of the work that you do, for example, one bricklayer may say that he is laying bricks while another one will say that he is building a cathedral. Two people doing the same thing yet one sees his work as having an impact on other people's lives while the other sees what he is doing as just a job.

One way of finding your purpose is to ask yourself the question, "If you did not need to earn money what would you pursue as a career?" If the answer is that you are already doing what you love despite the earnings, then there's a high chance that your career is aligned with your purpose. If the answer is that you are doing what you do for the money only, then you will hit a wall at some point in your career. It will stop being fulfilling and you may start getting restless and dissatisfied with your job. It is therefore imperative to determine your purpose and to pursue it because it will cause you to live a more fulfilled life.

Having a loving family and friends is also part of thriving. Having people that genuinely love you and are happy for you is good for your mental and emotional well-being. Talking and spending time together will reduce mental stress, it will give you a sense of belonging and it will enable you to have the confidence to face challenges knowing that you have people supporting you and cheering you on. 

Another aspect of thriving is living a healthy life. There’s a famous saying that ‘your health is your wealth.’ This is true because you may have all the money in the world but if you do not have good health then you will not enjoy the wealth that you have created. The money that you have will also go to paying your medical bills instead of being put to good use in other ways.

Living a healthy lifestyle is very important. Eating healthy foods i.e. lots of fruits and vegetables, eating more white meat that is chicken and fish rather than red meat will enable you to prevent diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, gout, etc. The fruits and vegetables will also increase your immunity and make your body resistant to diseases. The vitamins in the fruits and vegetables also help your body to function as it should thus preventing sicknesses originating from vitamin deficiencies. 

White meat is also healthier than red meat because it has less cholesterol.  Cholesterol is a fatty substance that if taken in excess will clog the arteries and cause diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. If a person has to eat meat then it is better to eat white meat which has significantly less cholesterol than red meat. The fiber in fruits and vegetables is also known to reduce cholesterol.  Therefore a diet that leans more on plant-based foods is much healthier than a meat-based diet.

Daily exercise is also important. Exercising causes the body to produce endorphins which are the feel-good hormones. These hormones are known to increase energy and uplift a person’s mood. You will in turn have a positive attitude which will increase your self-esteem. This will result in you being confident and enthusiastic about life.

It is important that we as human beings pursue a life in which we are thriving and not just existing. We only have one life to live and we must make the most of it by pursuing our purpose, eating healthy, spending time with family, and exercising daily. This will enable us to enjoy our lives and have a general sense of well-being.