Top 5 characteristics of thriving – We all subconsciously look at certain people in our day to day lives, and they will stick in our minds as something. Maybe they are the bubbly, confident one we can always rely on to liven things up at a party! Maybe they are the person that puts on a smile even when things aren’t too good. Maybe they’re that person that always talks about the things they want to be doing in their lives, but never actually go and do them. Or maybe they are the person who never has a good word to say about anybody… You get the idea. We remember certain things about people, and those things are often the first thing that jump to mind when we think of them!
So if we were to describe somebody as ‘thriving’, what kind of picture would you conjure up? What things would you instantly start to associate with a person who was thriving in their life?
Well, it’s easy enough to describe, and it’s also hugely important, because at The Thrive Programme that’s exactly what we are teaching people the skills to become: thriving people who are mentally positioned to make the absolute best of their lives and the situations they find themselves in.
So what DOES it actually mean to be thriving? Here, we break it down into 5 core areas!
1. In control of their mental and physical health!
This is a hugely important characteristic, because this is a person who at their very core feels powerful over their mind and body. They take care of themselves physically, whether that’s going to the gym, taking time to be outside, or simply ensuring they give their bodies time to properly recover if they’re a little worse for wear!
Actively pursuing a healthy lifestyle also means that they take full personal responsibility for the things that affect that, such as smoking, drinking, food habits etc. They have the skills to resist social pressures to over-do those things, and know they can make – and stick to! – important life changes if they put their mind to it, like diets, quitting an unhelpful habit, or getting more active.
But they also work on their mental wellbeing too, balancing life between work and play, ensuring they take breaks and allow rest time, seeing friends and doing things they enjoy too – because they don’t feel guilty for allowing time for themselves! They take time to be positive, buoyant and grateful for what they have, and don’t feel the need to spend endless time reflecting on sad or difficult past events. Because of that, they rarely – if ever – experience symptoms of depression, anxiety, extreme stress or other related problems, because they have the mental skills to be managing their thinking really well every single day (an integral part of what we teach in The Thrive Programme).
Watch out – don’t get this first category confused with HAVING perfect physical health – it’s not about that at all! It’s about being in CONTROL of it, not letting health problems dictate your life and what you can achieve, and taking steps to improve your physical wellbeing where you can.
2. Comfortable with themselves
Self-confident, self-reliant, with high and stable self-esteem – a key part of any thriving person! They don’t need reassurances and comments from others to be comfortable with themselves and what they are doing and achieving, they don’t base their sense of self on all the material things they have in their life, and they aren’t easily wobbled by confrontation, criticism or social commentaries. They don’t need to ask everybody’s opinion (or permission!), because they have developed the skills to be in charge of their own self-opinion. That doesn’t mean they don’t care what others think at all! But they have the ability to maintain perspective about the opinions of others, and to make independent, confident decisions and life choices. Because of that, they are more able to resist social pressures and expectations in their day to day life without experiencing high levels of anxiety or worry, from what they wear, to how they look, what they do and who they socialise with.
3. A positive, pro-active contributor – at work, in their personal relationships, and beyond
We all know somebody who feels completely powerless at work, in their marriage, even as a parent… Well, a thriving person has learned how to feel empowered in those areas, and because of that they actively contribute to (and work to improve) all the external relationships in their lives. They put the proactive work in to maintain a healthy, thriving relationship with their partner, and don’t feel like a failure if it doesn’t work out. At work, they take responsibility for their conduct and performance, learning from mistakes and pushing themselves to think out of the box and build new skills to elevate their performance. And they know that they get out what they put in to their relationships, be it friendships and social circles, family time, or even within their local community, so they take the responsibility for doing just that!
4. Manages challenging situations well
You might think by this point that we are talking about perfect human beings, with no bumps in the road, challenging situations or wobbles to navigate… Not so!! Because what thriving people are particularly adept at, is tolerating bad days or bad times, knowing that they have the skills to cope and get through it, and to even come out the other side stronger than before. They know that it’s not about what happens TO them, or what they GAIN/ LOSE in life that determines how they feel, but how they choose to REACT to life’s hurdles, and because of that they are more prepared to handle challenging times well.
Part of this is being able to maintain perspective, to remain calm and not blow things out of proportion, and to face unknown or unexpected situations with confidence and a determination to succeed. Thriving people are not afraid of failure: they know that every experience is an opportunity for learning so they take more opportunities and readily accept the risks that come with trying something new – even if it doesn’t go to plan!
5. Finally, making the most of their life, with a can-do, positive attitude
With all those above skills and attitudes, what else would you expect than someone who is absolutely fired up for life?! The kind of person that embraces challenges, makes the most of their life (from the every day to the extraordinary), who is excited and passionate to do and try new things. No dwelling on the past, no worrying or brooding about the future, just living and loving in the present moment, and being grateful for everything that comes their way!
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It’s easy to look at this ‘top 5 characteristics of thriving’ list and think, crikey this is quite a mean feat, how on earth does somebody get to be thriving like this?! Well, unless your parents have already taught you to be and respond like this, then the answer is very easy – you simply LEARN HOW. At The Thrive Programme, this is what we do! We want everybody to have the chance to enjoy a thriving life, without poor mental health, unhelpful thinking styles and attitudes, and destructive learned behaviours getting in the way! On average, it only takes about six weeks to learn how to do just that 🙂 So if you’d like to transform your life and join our community of thriving individuals too, grab your copy of the programme to work through, or get in touch with one of our many Licensed Thrive Programme Coaches today to start YOUR journey to thriving! Top 5 characteristics of thriving.
