"Maximal thriving is living 98+% of the day with a feeling of calm and strength, being sure to create and be in emotional and physical healthy homeostasis. It is living deliberately every day toward that which is most fulfilling and good - and not settling for less.
Why would we want to do anything else?"
The BuddhaKahuna
____________________________________________________________
I am struck this day with my not having chosen to thrive - and what a waste it is to not fully harvest life.
By this I don't mean using determination and/or being driven to do well, for that is just "surviving, but doing it better."
I mean seemingly effortlessly, accumulating value as I go - and minimizing that which is the negative answer to the question "will this have me thrive?"
Thriving is fully using life as the precious gift that it is. Just letting life go by, in a repeat of circular patterns and focusing on surviving is not what life is about. It is about doing that which, for you, creates the most value [of course, you have to identify that, using at first a simple, quick process]. It is living the 80/20 life.
As I look at my life, I see that I have wasted much of it by not thriving. I lay out below the distractions and off-purpose things I've done that have taken me away from thriving.
A BASIS FOR MEASURING THE LEVELS I AM AT
To know where I am and where I still need to go, I'll be using a scale like this, rating living life at full bore versus just surviving
98+ Thriving, Level 2
90+ Thriving, Level 1
20 Surviving, doing well but driven, having stress and needing "relief", distractions
1 Surviving
____________________________________________________________
AND NOW LET US ASK THE QUESTIONS
What is thriving?
Is it cumulative or circular???
Is it my life running me or me running my life?
____________________________________________________________________________
We can rate the level that we are doing these things on a 1-10 basis, with 10 being the highest and then decide at which level you want to be at and what level you're willing to commit to.
WHAT IS THRIVING?
Doing what is on purpose and forwarding
Creating
Living in possibilities
Going for/toward something positive and enlivening (vs. going "away from" something negative)
Knowing what is wanted and of value
Appreciating what is present and/or created
Celebrating (consolidating in your brain your victories
Thanking
Being grateful, seeing all you have (versus all you don't have) and knowing it is more than "enough"
Adding one more contribution and person I've contributed to.
Strengthening and resolidifying the platform every day, so that that very day I will be able to create at my very best and to be totally calm and strong.
It is doing what is needed for me to be centered and grounded with full energy.
WHAT IS "NOT" THRIVING?
Distractions and diversions
Watching tv (I watch political tv shows, as if it is something I need to know or can contribute in - this is a practice totally out of touch with life, a diversion - and a diversion is not living life - it is stepping off the path.)
Not doing that which supports my energy and health
Eating in such a way that it burdens my body and my life. Eating from craving, because I am out of balance.
Any "making wrong"
Any artificially limiting thinking
Creating fear, pressure, tension, stress
Creating stress from artificial deadlines or hurrying and being driven (cousins of fear)
_________________________________________________________________________
IS IT CUMULATIVE OR CIRCULAR?
Living is circular to the extent we need to repeat things, but it is a rising spiral if we live life cumulatively.
If we go through a day without making any progress or creating any cumulative gain, then we are just going in a circle that leads nowhere except back to itself.
Life is about doing what supports my life and my thriving in it. Certain things are "necessary" in order to live, so I'll do those and I'll appreciate doing those.
I've spent 10's of thousands of hours in distractions. I've spent _______ (1500+ hours a year) in diversions, which I could have spent in gains and/or taking care of myself so that I am operating at a higher level. I've spent most of my life in being off purpose...getting nowhere and in getting 'things' and then having it not be filling (and not fulfilling).
FROM LOOKING AT THIS, WHAT I HAVE DECIDED OR RE-DECIDED
Centered, calm, energized
To, without fail, check in and start each day fully centered and grounded and energized.
To use my Reminders Notebook to be sure to be guided.
To be sure to check in and let go of any hurried or pressured feeling.
To be fully self-determined.
I plan my day completely, so I am ready to go toward what I determine is of the
most value.
To not watch tv for stress relief (like "relaxing" [telling myself this as an excuse])
Stop, though interesting, watching political tv, as it has no furthering value and is
not "positivity"
Reduce all of my cable tv options down to the minimum. (Note: later, when
writing my "Life Value Productivity" book [link to from Books], it was obvious that I should
cancel my cable subscription totally, as it was neither productivity nor consistent with thriving in life.)
Energy fully managed
Eat at exact times during the day, so I am always in homeostasis on my blood sugar and energy.
8 Full smoothie, coffee (in the sun preferably)
10 snack of
12 lunch of
3 snack of
5:30 dinner of
8 snack of
To not eat any Cherry Garcia, gratuitous sugar or refined flour products.
To nap religiously during the afternoon slump.
To go to bed at a precise time (11:30) every night and to arise at a designated time
(7:30), assuring I'm fully rested.
Nap as necessary to assure a full energy evening.
Exercise M Tu W F Sa (at least 4 x week, even if travelling), aerobic 20+min,
strength; 6 pm target
Stretching every day for 5+ min. routine
On-purpose, accumulating value
Plan, decide
Essential to plan every week, reviewing my purpose as part of it.
Essential to plan every month and quarter, so I am doing what is "on-purpose" for me
MY FOLLOW-UP
Of course, to thrive in life I need to do followup, to implement what I say I will do.
I am printing this page and inserting it into my Reminders Notebook to review for the next thirty days (and to have available to use as a reminder later).
_____________________________________________________
Note that "thriving" is not just a standard and expectation you set for yourself as a means of pejorative judgment. It is not a standard to stress about not measuring up to or one to strive hard to arrive at. It is simply about calmly, deliberately, on purpose, putting back into place those things that are part of thriving. Using what I've written above as a guide/reminder to check against every day, in a gentle, supportive, kind way, is what we seek...
Indeed, we must not settle for anything less than living a life of thriving.
