“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” — Maya Angelou

What does it take not just to survive, but to thrive in the world today? For starters, you must come to terms with the fact that you were not born to muddle through a life of mediocrity, but instead, you were born to greatness. Secondly, you must realize that thriving is possible, not just in some general sense or for the fortunate elect, but for you. Finally, you must take the steps necessary – seize the day! – to ride the wave of life rather than having it crash upon your head over and over again.

The best place to start is with the little things in your day: the brief conversations and simple tasks. Pepper these with a bit more passion, compassion, humor, and style than you usually do. Build up a little momentum. Show yourself how easy it really is. From there you can begin to tackle the more challenging elements of your day in the same spirit.

As you go along you’ll find that those things which used to annoy you start to be seen as exciting challenges, tests of your capacity for thriving. No circumstance is ever bigger than your ability to handle it with grace, dignity, and flair. But don’t just take it from me, prove it to yourself!