Thriving Despite Obstacles
“Thriving is beyond survival—it’s a vibration of aliveness that can hold our yearning for peace.”
Welcome, friend. We’re Rick (with Gene chiming in) and we’re delighted you’re here. Together, let’s explore what it truly means to thrive even when thorns show up on the path.
Walking Beyond Survival
“You can feel there’s a richness to it.”
Step outside the tight grip of mere survival and notice the subtle hum of vitality all around and within you. Whether we’re standing in a desert, a jungle, or the middle of Tuesday’s inbox, there’s a living current inviting us toward freedom, connection, and a lot more than just getting by. As we breathe into that current, we remember: thriving is an ecosystem experience—we feel it in relation to life, each other, and the wider field that holds us.
Measuring More Than Pain
“A SUE scale goes from –10 to +10.”
When discomfort shouts, the old SUD scale (“how bad is it, 0‑10?”) can shrink our world to pain management. Let’s upgrade. The SUE scale invites us to track the whole arc: from distress, through neutral, into genuine uplift. Zero isn’t the finish line—it’s the launch pad. Notice when you land there and ask, What new aliveness wants to emerge now?
Me & We—Inside the Same Skin
“The line between me and we is woven and living.”
We start by checking the me space—this body, these sensations. Yet we’re never alone in here. Empathy keeps us wired to family, clients, the world’s shifting rules. Tapping helps us quiet the buzz so we can feel, Ah, here I am. From that centered clarity we touch the we again, bringing steadiness to the shared field instead of losing ourselves in it.
What Matters to Me
“Even when I’m discombobulated, I ask, What matters to me here?”
Yearning points the compass. Safe connection, courageous expression, depth, play—your words will differ, but they’re real. When we stand in that clarity, grief, resentment, or wild joy can surface without knocking us over. We’re anchored in purpose, not just problem‑solving.
The Doorway of Wonder
“I wonder if it’s possible to be thriving anyway.”
Curiosity softens the primitive brain’s all‑or‑nothing alarm. Tilt your head, raise an eyebrow, whisper Huh… and feel space open. Even micro‑doses of wonder reroute energy toward creativity and choice. We love pairing that with the phrase, I’m open to the possibility… Together they unlock fresh agency.
Resilience in Real Life
“Resilience matters to me.”
Life includes surgery schedules, uncertain test results, and midnight brain‑loops game‑planning every scenario. We tap while naming what matters—presence, support, steadiness—and we line up practical help before the storm hits. One loyal friend on standby can quiet a hundred nightmare scripts.
Good & Sufficient, Today
“How much resource would you need this week in order to be thriving?”
Aspirations are gorgeous, yet when we mistake them for urgent deficits, they morph into distress. Instead, we ask: What is good and sufficient right now? Often we discover we already have enough for today’s thriving—and that frees energy to plant seeds for tomorrow.
Thriving Anyway
“I like being a person who imagines people being peaceful and free and abundant.”
Thorns exist, systems wobble, uncertainties pop. Still, the invitation stands: We can be thriving anyway. With tapping, wonder, and values held close, we practice absurd calm and creative weirdness. We walk the world offering the energy we wish to see multiplied.
Closing Notes from the Heart
“I was in the work that matters to me, and I was in the thriving that matters to me.”
Thank you for sharing this journey with us. May today bring you clarity on what matters, courage to wonder, and the lived experience of thriving—even, and especially, when obstacles appear. We’re cheering you on every tap of the way.