 Maya Angelou, an American poet and civil rights activist, once said, My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to try and to do so with some compassion, some humor and some style. Like Angelou, every one of us desires to try, not to struggle through life. However, life happens, and we, through specific situations, that make this dream somewhat challenging to accomplish. What we do when we face challenging situations in life is what determines the results we obtain in the end. Julian Michaels, an American personal trainer and businesswoman, describes both concepts like this. Triving, that's fighting, surviving is barely getting by. So how do we thrive through life and not struggle? In this video, I'll share with you 5 ways to stop struggling and start thriving. If you're new here, consider subscribing so that you won't miss other exciting videos like this. 1. Start by being grateful Sometimes, we let ourselves get carried away by our ambitions, so much that we lose sight of the things that we have accomplished. We forget about the things that we once pursued and hoped to have and have gotten. We bother only about the things that we haven't achieved, yet, as a result, we get stressed. How about doing a little gratitude exercise? It will help you feel better and realize how put together your life is. After all, understanding these can help give you a better outlook on life. Everything you do, it becomes easier to focus on the positives and enjoy the journey of life. Thanks to researchers, the relationship between gratitude and well-being has been proven over and over again. According to studies, people who habitually focus on the positives in their lives may have greater self-esteem, lower rates of depression and overall improved life satisfaction. You know you can keep a gratitude list to help you keep track of all the things that you are grateful of in life. You can start by listing all three things that you are thankful for every night before going to bed. Doing this will help you cultivate the habit of gratefulness, which in turn will help focus on the good things in your life. 2. Focus on what's working, not what's not. Focus on your progress, how far you've come, not on what you are yet to do. Again, sometimes the things we stress about aren't worth it. They are unnecessary borders we allow flood our minds, created anxiety for us. When that happens, it becomes a struggle to focus on the things that matter in our lives. We spend time chasing the future, ignoring the present moment. A great way to help you stay focused is to least out your achievements daily. Be grateful for the results and use it as a push or motivation to try out what's left. Not get ourselves worked up, frustrated and sad over the things that are not working. 3. Meditate. Meditation is a mind awareness program which can lower stress and increase personal well-being. According to research, it leads to small and moderate improvements in level of psychological stress. Meditation is any activity that you do that makes you conscious of your thoughts. For instance, yoga, working, etc. You can download a couple of meditation apps to help you. 4. Take off the extra obligation. You know, these days there are so many things we have to do that we hardly have time for ourselves. Here's the thing, in the real sense of things, we do not need to burden ourselves with some obligations. They are a matter of choices. Recognizing some of these extra obligations and taking them out of the way can help you feel less stressed, hence there won't be any need to struggle through life. For instance, we do certain things because we think that we are supposed to but not because we love to do them. In the end, they end serving as a burden to us and we find ourselves struggling with the unnecessary weight that we have created for ourselves. It's pretty much straightforward. It will help to drop the dead weight and make choices more in line with the life we want. When you are stuck doing things that you don't like, it will stop you from completely loving yourself. As a result, everything you do will be out of struggle. Bruce Limpton, an American development biologist, said, to fully thrive, we must not only eliminate the stressor, but also actively seek joyful, loving, fulfilling lives that stimulate growth process. To thrive through life, it'll be best to start doing what you love and enjoy doing. According to Paul Bronson, an American journalist and author, people thrive by focusing on the questions of who they are and connecting that to work that they truly love. 5. Ask for help if you need to do so Okay, we get it. You are a perfectionist and you believe so much in yourself and your ability to do things to perfection. Even when you don't know how to do something, you're willing to learn. Well, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, you also need to learn how to ask for help when the need arises. Trying to do everything all by yourself can be a complete waste of time that will leave you struggling through so many things at once. So instead of trying to do it all, why not stick to what you love? What you are good at doing and ask for help on the rest? Chances are there is someone out there who would love to help with what you need and it frees you up more time to spend on what you love. That way, you'll thrive. After all, what matters is the excellent results you get, but necessarily who did what and who did not. The goal is to win. So if it takes an extra hand to make that happen, then by all means go for it. 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