Why “Don’t Just Survive, Thrive!”

In a recent post I explained why Rural Resurrection was created. However, some tend to question the tagline, “Don’t Just Survive, Thrive!” So it makes sense to create a post explaining the tagline.

Too many communities are only focusing on survival. They concentrate just enough on the things that keep the community  alive. They’ve been beaten down over the years by businesses leaving and a number of potential businesses passing them by. This includes community leaders that are disheartened by the decennial census numbers that show continued decline despite their greatest efforts through the years.

Everything centers on surviving, a survival instinct takes over. Though community leaders won’t admit it, there’s a voice in the back of their heads that is defeatist in nature. Not only do they see their community struggle, they see other rural communities nearby with the same issues.

This blog has been created to help those individuals who want better for their community. But don’t have the information, the relevant examples, the links to resources that have helped other rural communities to help change that mindset. To improve the hope in their hearts beyond just survival to thriving.

But that’s where I often get criticism of my use of “thrive” in the tagline. “Do you really expect a struggling town of 800 to use your blog to grow to several thousand in size?”

No, the word “thrive” should mean something different to everyone, to every community. To some it may be getting 80% of the downtown storefronts occupied. For other communities it could mean an improved housing stock. For some communities “thrive” may be an active arts scene.

The definition of “thrive” can mean a number of different things to different people in your community. There’s nothing wrong with that. Whatever lights the fire in their hearts, the passion to initiate change for the better, it should be supported and nurtured.

So go forth, push to not just survive, but THRIVE!