Thrive > Survive
A few days ago I had a conversation with my roommate and expressed to her that I am tired of just merely surviving and I am ready to thrive. I feel like recently I have been going through my days just surviving. I just do the pertinent tasks, especially when it comes to school, and do exactly what is needed to get by; no less and no more. Well here I am, calling myself out and saying that I am tired of living this way.
I think it is really easy to fall into this “surviving” lifestyle when we become overwhelmed and burnt out; when there is so much going on that we just go into “survival mode.” I know that this circumstance is SO common for college students, especially mid-way through a semester. As college students there is so much being put on our plates: online classes where we are partially expected to teach ourselves; working sometimes multiple jobs to pay for school; extracurriculars such as clubs or Greek life; if you are are a junior or a senior, figuring out internships or lining up jobs for after graduation; and on top of all that, maintaining a healthy social life. There seems to be an unending list of things to do, plan, or think about. I don’t know about you, but reading that just sounds overwhelming, let alone doing it.
When I think of the word thriving, I think about being able to do a lot of cool things, succeeding in them, and being happy doing them. But I think that this perception of thriving is misleading. While it sounds nice, it is not sustainable. Like I said, filling your plate with so much, oftentimes leads to burnout. In all reality, I think that thriving is pursuing a few things that will better us as people and/or those around us, and putting in our best effort. For me, I have been saying I want to start working out a few days a week for the whole semester, but I just haven’t been able to fit in a consistent schedule. For me to thrive, I need to do what I can to fit in a consistent workout schedule. I know it will make me feel so much better and help me flourish in the other parts of my life. If that means removing something from my schedule, so be it! I think it is really important to be able to realize the priorities of our life and be able to cut out or say no to the rest. Like most people, that is something I am still very much trying to figure out, but I know in the long run it is what is needed to turn surviving into thriving!
Good Company is a ministry at the University of Kansas. We seek to bring authentic connection in a world of AirPods.
Connect with Us
Instagram | Facebook