What Habits Lead to Thriving?

Thriving is a state of being that includes optimism, self-esteem, gratitude, happiness, and a general sense of well being. Our DNA includes hormones and neurotransmitters designed to guide humans on how to be more effective and productive.

We think getting ahead is a modern concept. Nature has designed humans to seek progress as a means of surviving and making future generations stronger. We need to align ourselves with the habits intended by Nature to accomplish her purpose.

Nature Rewards Thriving

Nature induces us to behave in certain ways to stimulate the hormones and neurotransmitters of happiness labeled dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. We could work backwards and say what behaviors stimulate these happiness brain chemicals.

Extreme athletes understand them well. They drop into a state of flow to challenge Nature with their own capabilities at a peak performance level to keep them from dying. In flow, we are engaging in activities in which we have the mechanics mastered and challenge ourselves to be a little better. The challenge and risk are the greatest characteristics of a meaningful and purposeful life.

Our Passions Can Be the Guide

In this amalgam we are pursuing our passions which is a great state for finding our excellence and instituting resilience. It is hard to keep a passionate person down. Those who live with passion often say they can’t do things for which they don’t have a passion. This optimizes our sense of purpose and understanding the reason we are here.

A person in this state is thriving. They have a reason to live and are excited each day to engage. They have great time management which focuses on the most purposeful and growth oriented activities. At the end of the day, they can say, that was a great day.

The Behaviors of Growth

What are some elementary behaviors of growth? Learning, creativity, contributing, caring, protecting, and exercise. Consider a life in which our daily activities and time blocks included each of these behaviors. We could measure our progress each day. We could measure our growth over a period of time.

Growth begets growth. When I engage in an activity with measurable results I am encouraged by each step of progress. I want more. It is natural because we are getting the happiness brain chemicals for our thoughts, intentions, behaviors, and results. Happiness is in the process more than the results. Results are fleeting experiences of happiness and then our thriving requires more growth.

Do Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, Patrick Mahomes rest on their laurels or past achievements. What is past is past and no longer who we are. What we are becoming is who we are. Who we are is in the process of continuous improvement. This is also called self-actualization, the highest point on Maslow’s survival pyramid. It is a constant state of evolving with ever higher summits.

It is no wonder that star Quarterbacks don’t want to retire. They look forward to each year’s challenge and the engagement that makes them feel purposeful and alive. Retirement feels like death and in a natural order it is. When the brain senses we are no longer growing physically or mentally it begins the process of deterioration that can lead to many diseases from erosion of cell vitality.

Pick growth in all phases of life. We want to learn, contribute, build relationships, have health and fitness, a spiritual practice, and never stop finding out who we are.

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As a Thriving Worker Consultant, I can engage in conversations with employers on how to begin the process of helping workers thrive and reach peak performance. It begins with a conversation to see how far an organization is willing to go to change the culture for workers.

Great practices for daily living can be learned with the Markap Series of Books. If your organization would like live presentations or Zoom meetings, they can be arranged for small to large groups.

The Markap Books:

Self-Leadership, Gratitude, Happiness, and Start Now

See Books on the Home Page

Contact me at Mark@markap1.com

Call for a Free 20 minute Consultation 442-288-3364