Surviving a tough situation is a life-changing experience, and it should also be temporary. People who have survived and moved on are those who then thrive. Getting stuck with the label of ‘survivor’ isn’t very helpful, for the process of ‘surviving’, can be long and arduous.

A significant difference between survivor and thrivers, according to author David McNally, is that survivors look to the past, while thrivers look to the future.

Survivors focus on:

Blaming the past

What’s wrong

Feeling secure

Work as laborious

Remaining unchanged

That which is familiar

Doing what’s necessary.

Thrivers focus on:

Finding solutions

What’s right

Trying new things

Planning their future

Curiosity and possibilities

Their work as an opportunity to learn and grow

Lifelong learning.

See also

McNally, D., (1999), The Eagle’s Secret: Success Strategies for Thriving at Work & in Life, Dell Publishing, New York.