The 8 Pillars to Thrive

Pillar 1: Food

The first pillar is what we put in our mouth. Food is absolutely fuel and it is arguably our primary defense against disease and illness. We do not believe in a one-size-fits all approach to diet and we believe that the way we eat will be highly dependent on our indidivual needs. That said, we generally believe in eating as much whole, unprocessed food as possible, regardless of the diet being consumed. Further, we believe that far more important than our diet in the near-term is our overall relationship with food. Food can be used as a primary source of comfort, a drug, or a life source. Our attitude towards food matters and it is always our goal to cultivate a relationship with food that can evolve and persist through time.

Pillar 2: Community

Whether we like it or not, we need each other. It is critical to have a community around us that is based on shared values. Specifically, these should be positive values centered around health, spirituality, fitness, or another similar higher purpose that serves as a driving force to engage in our lives in a meaningful way. In the modern world, community is being lost as more of us disappear behind social media and screens, driving further isolation. If we are able to engage with people outside of our primary workplace who hold common values, it opens the door to a world of support and growth that is unavailable when we don't engage. 

Pillar 3: Mindfulness

It is our opinion that mindfulness practices are not optional if we want to live a life that is not constantly distracted from stories that our mind wants to tell us that take us away from the present moment. Mindfulness practices can and should vary widely depending on the thrive guy. But everyone, regardless of their mental state should find a way to take time for himself, slow down, gauge the information coming through thoughts, and remember that beyond the thoughts, there is always stillness. Mindfulness is backed by scientific literature as being incredibly effective and we hope to arm our thrive guys with several methods to achieve this.

Pillar 4: Substance Use

The Thrive guys in no respect demonize the use of alcohol or substances. In fact, there could be situations where substances can be useful for development or growth. However, it is our professional opinion that substance use, including substances that are largely considered to be benign such as alcohol or caffeine, have consequences, and can hold guys back more than many might think. In our coaching process, we hope to help our clients understand and regulate their substance use. The tactics used to assist in this process can range from referrals to recovery programs to intention setting when we engage in substance use. If substances are consistently and repeatedly being abused, it is a non-starter for more important deep work and thus it must be addressed. 

Pillar 5: Guiding Principle

We believe that believing in a force greater than yourself is imperative to live a healthy and fulfilling life. There are MANY ways to reach this. It can be achieved through religion, spirituality, or simply a deep belief in the power of a concept that is critical in your life. In other words, this can be reached through an entirely atheistic lens, or it can be reached through oranized religion. The point is that every thrive guy MUST believe in something beyond his own ego and intellect. If we have learned one thing  through this life, it is that it will always humble you. Our guiding principles are here to help move us forward when life becomes difficult  and the appropriate decisions may not be so obvious, even with coaching! As coaches, we strive to help our clients find and fall in love with their guiding principle.

Pillar 6: Movement Practice

Every guy needs a movement practice. Primarily, a movement practice needs to be something that you will actually do consistently. Many people belong to gyms but never use them. Movement practices are unhelpul if we never show up to participate! The key is to find a movement practice that you genuinely enjoy.  At Thrive Guys, we also believe that it's beneficial for the movement practice to be something that feels challenging and has built-in goals that can be worked towards. Finally, developing community around movement practices can be highly beneficial as we tend to push ourselves further when we are with our peers.

Pillar 7: Creative Outlet

Many of us are providers for friends and family and can get entirely lost in the grind of our day job or caring for our immediate loved ones. This can leave guys feeling exhausted and without the simple joy of doing something enjoyable. We believe that within every thrive guy is an entity that can create. The medium that he does it is entirely up to the guy's capabilities and talents. A totally classic modality of art like music or painting will suffice, but for many others it may be a household project working with his hands. In any case, the creating should be something that is done for joy and love of the experience. These little expressions have a way of bringing about genuine joy and allow us to fall in love with life again.

Pillar 8: Sleep

When we are feeling psychological distress, one of the first things that needs to be questioned and investigated is whether the thrive guy is getting sufficient sleep. Sleep is often portrayed as something we can "do when we're dead." This is an incredibly backwards way to think. Sleep is the time that we recharge and it is mission critical to our health and happiness. For those of us that struggle with sleep, there's a multitude of natural approaches that can be taken to help achieve a regular circadian rhythm which allows rising and falling at similar times on a daily basis. These include smart phone usage, blue light management, nighttime rituals, and many others.