I celebrate myself, and sing myself.
—Walt Whitman
What does it mean to Thrive? Thriving is not a destination but a journey. It is moving beyond happiness, the absence of depression, a cute butt, a healthy pocketbook, or a cool car. To Thrive is to really know yourself—know your passions, your purpose, your deepest longings, your mission, and your vision for your life. When we are Thriving, we are on fire with purpose. We are being of service and making a difference in the world. We are nurturing our bodies and minds with impeccable self-care, positive thinking, healthy eating, and regular movement.
Thriving is all about excelling and going beyond self-imposed limits. Who are you when you inspire yourself and others? What are you doing? How are you carrying yourself? What kinds of thoughts are you thinking? What do you want the world to be? Are you willing to show up, and be that big and bold? Are you willing to be that powerful and loving?
Living, playing, and thriving affords us the honor of giving in an unlimited capacity. This is the place of serving up our A game, knowing that what we do, how we act, and the way we live has an effect on everything and everyone around us.
Thriving is when your actions are fueled by a love of high service, and the service is all heart, no ego—truly selfless. We transcend ourselves when our livingness serves to inspire greatness in others.
The world needs people to Thrive. So many people are sad, lonely, wired, tired, unhealthy, and disconnected from the truth of who they really are and what they came here to be. Have we settled for status quo? Is this the best we’ve got? Has our disillusionment with the system led us to disbelieve in ourselves?
Standing for a movement against mediocrity is going to test every fiber of your being. Standing for yourself and others is what you came to this life to do; it’s why you are here. This is your time. You are here to Thrive.
We believe self-love and self-care are forms of social activism. When practiced in alignment with big thinking, healthy eating, and daily movement, you will Thrive. What we know to be true is that you are created for magnificence. Your mind and body are designed for expressing inspiring vitality, powerful thoughts, and courageous action. Your spirit reveals this amazingness through physical means of expression—arts, sciences, technology, friendship, kindness, love—that only we, as humans, can do. You serve nothing and no one when you play small.
As you begin to Thrive, inspiring yourself and those around you, take out your journal and write down your intentions in response to these questions:
• What is it that you will leave behind as your legacy?
• How will you be remembered—good energy, kindness, service, generosity, love?
We tend to think of and limit ourselves by defining legacy as something we leave behind after we die. But we can—and should—become living legacies. We leave a legacy whenever we spend time with others and act from our truest purpose, our heart. Look at how you answered the questions and ask yourself if you are currently living this legacy. The practice of living your legacy right now deepens your current presence and fulfills your life’s vision. If you want to be more focused, more aligned, and more open to making connections to the people and things that mean the most to you, connect to the big why you have established. Connect your legacy to your mission and your vision. Now, get out that journal again, and this time, define your living legacy:
• What can you do right in this moment to live your legacy?
• What do you need to let go of in order to fulfill and live this legacy?
If you want to be remembered for your kindness and generosity, be kind and generous every day. If you want to be remembered as selfless and giving, spend time volunteering for a cause that speaks to you; spend time helping at the food bank; volunteer at a shelter (human or animal); give blood. If you want to be remembered as a great mother or father, be a great one now. Do less criticizing and faultfinding, and be more loving, supportive, and patient. Spend time with friends and family. Take impeccable care of yourself so that you have the energy and good health to take care of others. Seek out people that you have been meaning or wanting to connect with, and let them know what they mean to you.
We came to write this book because, in spite of the thousands of books within the wellness category, something was missing. The philosophy behind Think Eat Move Thrive is quite simple: when you attach your bigger why, your mission and your vision, and practice the simple principles of Think, Eat, and Move, you will indeed Thrive. When you create this level of peace, happiness, success, and harmony within yourself, it will touch others and spread throughout the world. And rest assured, we aren’t telling you to do anything that we don’t do ourselves. We are busy parents, doctors, and entrepreneurs that hit the ground running by 5:00 AM and don’t stop until later than we’d like to admit. Yet we still take time to nurture friendships, spend meaningful family time with our daughters, exercise daily, and put quality food on the table every day and night. Sure, we may have had a head start; we’ve made this our life’s work. And we’ve learned a ton along the way—what works and what doesn’t. We’ve done a lot of weeding out in our lives, and it hasn’t always been easy.
We are asking you to take a leap of faith—to courageously step up and choose to apply these tools to support your innate wisdom. There is a positive vulnerability we all have: an openness to receive our highest expression. You have everything that you need to step into the void and take action. Think, Eat, Move, Thrive (TEMT) is a philosophy for living well, but it will only come alive when you choose to dedicate yourself to living it. Inspired self-care is the most powerful form of healthcare. Know that you are a healer; and with each move you make toward thinking big, eating well, and moving with passion, power, and gratitude every day, you raise your vibration and create a wave that moves everyone in your wake.
Thank you for choosing to be openly awesome. We are grateful for your willingness to live with your heart out loud and, as Gandhi said, “be the change you wish to see in the world.”
We believe we all deserve to Thrive. It is never too late to create—or re-create—the life of your dreams. Reclaim your awesome life today.
In peace, love, and thriving,