Some people believe society is in free-fall.  Others think it is simply caught in a temporary malaise.  By any measurement, the past few years have been rocky and difficult many people.  The news is full of tragedies and violence.  The past years has exposed a deep level of division and animosity among people.  Therapists report elevated anxiety and depression in clients, due to a difficult election and ongoing frictions in society.  

In fact, recent stories have reported marriages upended by political disagreements.  And some groups of people have heightened levels of hopelessness about the coming years and their potential for progress.  

Less than a year ago, the Consumer Anxiety Index hit a 3 year low.  The Better Life Index shows the United States scores a 6.9 out of 10 on Life Satisfaction.  That amounts to a score of less than 70% of life satisfaction.  Hidden in the numbers is the wide spread of scores and satisfaction between various segments of the population.  These numbers are also in spite of the fact that Americans are in the top levels of earning in the world, have better access to health services and live in far more hygienic surroundings than many other countries.  

In other words, by objective measures, people are living well.  By subjective indicators, people don’t feel like they are living well, and are experiencing anxiety or depression over social and societal concerns.  

Perhaps this age needs a new profession.  One expert suggests “Thriveologists,” experts in helping people to thrive throughout life. Dr. Lee Baucom believes society is ready to make a shift away from just being alive and surviving, to thriving.

In fact, Dr. Baucom has been teaching “Thriveology” courses since 2005.  In his upcoming book, The Thrive Principles, Dr. Baucom outlines 15 principles for building a thriving life.

According to Dr. Baucom, Thriveology is “the art and science of thriving in life.”  He recalls that in a 2003 book Dr. Paul Pearsall proposed a  study of thriving, coining the term, “thriveology.”  But  the term languished a bit.

“Up until then,” Dr. Baucom explains, “I had been studying resilience and was working as a life coach.  I believed that resilience was a good start.  For people who hit major bumps in the road, it is great to get back to normal.  But ‘normal’ just gets people to zero — back to where they were.  In my experience, some people come through those difficult times and move beyond where they were.  They thrive!”  Dr. Baucom believed there was a way to quantify that and teach it.

At that point, Dr. Baucom changed his business card to read, “Thriveologist.”  He states, “I figured I was studying thriving, was applying it to my coaching, and was teaching about it.  It just seemed more honest to say what I was.”

In 2007, Dr. Baucom launched http://Thriveology.com, a place to write his observations and share his thoughts.  Then, in 2013, Dr. Baucom launched the Thrive Nation Podcast, offering his theories through a weekly podcast.  “I was pleased to hear from people from all over the world who wanted something more out of life, who wanted to thrive,” shares Dr. Baucom.  And along the way, it made sense to formulate some principles for people who were ready to thrive.  

With the help of Morgan James Publishers, Dr. Baucom is sharing his principles, so that others can thrive.  When asked about why this is so important to him, Dr. Baucom reveals that in 2003, he was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.  He has since recovered, but claims the illness “was a wake-up call” to him.  He shared that although he was studying resilience and thriving, his life was not thriving.  

“Honestly,” Dr. Baucom states, “I was out of shape, pretty burned out, and not feeling a lot of purpose.”  After his illness, Dr. Baucom realized he needed to thrive and teach others to do the same.  And he realized that part of thriving was taking care of his body.  Since, Dr. Baucom has turned around his health and says he feels better than he did in his 20’s.  “But,” Dr. Baucom cautions, “we all have a ticking clock.  Our health will eventually catch up with us.  Thriving is not about living forever, but fully living for as long as you have, within the limitations of your body.”

When asked to boil it down, Dr. Baucom states that thriving is really about “taking full responsibility for your life, so that you build a meaningful and purposeful life.  When challenges come, you learn from them, grow from them.  And you commit to making a positive impact on those around you.”

Sounds like a good formula for thriving.