Another month! What have I done to thrive?

Hey Thrivers! It's that time of the month again... Reflection! Check out my Tumblr page to follow up on all the fun things I've been working on! http://ift.tt/1MyVwsW Share with me: What have you done to thrive? Catch you next month, thrivers!

Another month! What have I done to thrive?

Hey Thrivers! It's that time of the month again... Reflection! Check out my Tumblr page to follow up on all the fun things I've been working on! http://ift.tt/1MyVwsW Share with me: What have you done to thrive? Catch you next month, thrivers!

Another month! What have I done to thrive?

Hey Thrivers! It's that time of the month again... Reflection! Check out my Tumblr page to follow up on all the fun things I've been working on! http://ift.tt/1MyVwsW Share with me: What have you done to thrive? Catch you next month, thrivers!

And Were Back! (And Awfully Arty)

Hello!

After a little bit of a break, Life Thriver is back, and better than ever (a small statement when I've only had a handful of posts before).

It's important to have fun with life. If you don't have any hobbies, then your life will most likely be quite boring and tedious. By introducing some fun artistic hobbies, you can mitigate the daily grind and get back to thriving! While obviously it's important to also plan for work time, taking a break once in a while can only lead to good things. After all, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

Here are some of the hobbies that I've picked up recently.

During my interim, I've restarted a hobby of mine, photography!

This photo, and many more, are available for public consumption on my profile on 500px (great site by the way). You can access that by visiting 500px.com/cadensmith

Along with photography, I've gotten into music making! Yes, that's right, original music production. While I'll be the first to admit that I've got a lot to learn, it's fun to tackle a new challenge. If you're interested in hearing some of my creations, I will be uploading them to soundcloud.com/cadensmith2 for all the world to hear. In addition, I plan on creating some Youtube videos demonstrating the work that goes into making music on my freshly minted youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjyL5HVmlD1ZbCLM2tPz0WA. 

Along with all of these exhausting creative endeavors, I am writing a book!

Yes, a book. Have you heard of National Novel Writing Month? Well, its in November. And its June. But it's not the month that's important. I thought it would be a fun challenge, and I was right. The important thing is that I fully expect not to make any money off the book, much less actually publish it. But it's the experience, the engagement of writing that's fun. If anything ever progresses with the project, then I'll keep you posted.

The lesson here from all of my personal endeavors is that it's important to engage your creative side with what ever facet you choose. It doesn't have to be amazing or perfect or even really amount to anything, as long as it's engaging and makes you happy, it's worth it.

In the comments below, share what your creative passion is! As always, every comment is appreciated. If you enjoyed this week's post, share it with your friends! It's extremely helpful to the blog, and I am gracious for your support. Have a good week, and remember to Thrive!

An Excercise in Patience

Patience is a muscle. It will be pushed to its limit, and a sign of true strength is maintaining strength after being pushed to the breaking point.

We've all been there.

Recently, I experienced this threshold first hand.

We went to a swap meet.

For those who don't know,  a swap meet is like a garage sale, only with hundreds of people selling unwanted items. 

Amazingly enough, after 4 hours, the piles of brikabrack all start to look similar.

I do not get too excited over other peoples unwanted items.  One man's trash, is still trash.

Still, it was important to her, so I put up with it.

It's important to realize that some things, while not ideal, can lead to opportunities later down the line. It could be as simple as returning a favor, or even bolstering a friendship that will last a lifetime. Think about how your actions have more implications than you may realize. You never know when your patience may be rewarded!

Remember to thrive!

Caden S.

If you haven't already, be sure to follow us on twitter at @cadensmith for updates! Thank you for your support as we try to get this blog going, and as always, any feedback is greatly appreciated! See you next week, Thrivers!

Tell a Good Story

Things happen.

Things that you may not want to happen.

Unexpected things. Crazy things.

Life has twists and turns, and can uproot your daily life for longer than preferable. It's important to stay calm when things don't according to plan. Instead of letting one bad event ruin your day, it's helpful to have a positive mindset. A personal motto of mine is to "tell a good story".

Look at adversities as opportunities. Don't fret molehills, craft stories. I've found that many events that could be horrible create funny and engaging stories after-the-fact. Don't be upset, be a story teller.

I've had my fair share of adverse events, many that have become some of my favorite stories to tell others. When I was a rower in high school, bad weather was a common phenomenon. Being surrounded by open water and exposed to the elements makes weather very relevant. One of my favorite stories involves an element of danger.  It was at our regional championship regatta. Just as the race was starting, a thunderclap rang out and beckoned in a torrential thunderstorm. 

It was a life-threatening situation; I was on a lake, in a fiberglass shell, during a thunderstorm. 

The only thought running through my mind as we raced for our lives: I can't wait to tell someone about this.

I could have panicked, but that would have done little to change anything. Instead, I fully enjoyed the craziness of the moment, and smiled as all hell broke loose.  Life's too short to be miserable. 

The secret to coping with life's issues is in your mindset. Look at problems with a positive attitude.

Tell a good story, Thrivers.

Someone will enjoy it.

In the comments below, share an event that was not ideal but makes an awfully good story to tell. As always, every comment and advice is appreciated. If you enjoyed this week's post, share it with your friends! It's extremely helpful to the blog, and I am gracious for your support. Have a good week, and remember to Thrive!

Surviving Life - A Life Experiment

Surviving Life - A Life Experiment

Hello World!

Frankly, I'm quite amazed that you have found this blog at all, considering it didn't exist at the time of writing this post. Kudos to you for making it here!

I'm sure you are all wondering (as am I) about what exactly this blog is about or will become as I try to grow it. This blog is sprouting out of a personal desire and drive to accomplish something, and I aim to act a companion and guide along the path we all follow to survive life and, hopefully, to thrive. 

Because, as you are probably aware, life rarely acts helpfully. At least, thats how it seems. Whether it's a car getting towed or freak accident, life happens without asking our permission for it to. We all just are trying to live our lives as best as possible, to survive.

So let's survive.

Let's make our own opportunities when it seems impossible to do so. Let's make the best of what we have, and let's help each other all achieve the goal of surviving in this crazy era.

Life isn't easy, but it is survivable. Let's see if we can't do even better than that. 

Here's to the Survivors; we will not fall victim to tragedies that come our way.

We will survive. Remember that.

Maybe even thrive.

Caden S. 

 If you have any suggestions as to what you would like this blog to cover, please feel free to do so down in the comments. I am gracious for any comments that you may have, and look forward to improving this "experiment" as much as possible. We can all be thrivers, it just takes a bit of work. It's time to thrive!