Permission to Thrive in a Broken World

By Eva Schmidt, FNP-BC, PCC, NBC-HWC, CEC

These days, anyone with a pulse can see that the world is a total mess. Not just a little disorganized but cracked wide open. Systems are collapsing. Truth is being bent. People are burning out while those in power feed on the chaos. It’s the kind of mess you can’t mop up because the floor itself is gone.

If you’ve ever thought, Who the hell am I to be happy right now? you’re not alone. Somewhere between news alerts about the next catastrophe and the cultural pressure to do something about it, we’ve been sold the idea that joy is a luxury. That thriving while the world burns is selfish, naive, or delusional.

Somewhere in the wreckage, we’ve been taught that wanting more than bare-minimum survival is indulgent. That thriving is for people with “extra.” Whether it’s extra time, extra money, or extra stability, the rest of us should just keep our heads down and be grateful for the scraps.

I call bullshit.

Thriving is not turning your back on reality. Thriving is your middle finger to the forces that profit from keeping you exhausted, distracted, and small. Thriving is radical, subversive, and necessary if you want to have the energy and the spine to make anything better.

Thriving isn’t a perk. It’s a survival tool. It’s what keeps your body from breaking down, your mind from unravelling, and your spirit from going numb. It’s not denial. It’s defiance. And the more fractured the world becomes, the more essential it is to choose it on purpose.

Thriving is not ignorance. It’s resistance. Thriving doesn’t mean you turn your back on the truth. It means you refuse to let the truth break you. You don’t have to pretend bad things aren’t happening. But there’s a difference between staying informed and being consumed. One keeps you engaged, the other swallows you whole.

When you decide to thrive, to feed yourself well, move your body, nurture relationships, create something beautiful, protect your peace, you’re not ignoring the world’s problems. You’re fortifying yourself so you can face them without being swallowed up by them.

We’ve been conditioned to feel guilty for wanting more than survival. We apologize for being happy in front of someone who’s struggling. We downplay our successes, so no one thinks we’re bragging. We dim our light to avoid making others feel uncomfortable. We work ourselves to exhaustion because rest feels like cheating when the world is on fire.

But guilt doesn’t solve anything. It just keeps us all running on empty. And an empty person can’t fight, can’t build, can’t love well. Thriving isn’t selfish, it’s what gives you the fuel to actually contribute something meaningful.

Here’s the hard truth: no one is going to show up and hand you a certificate that says, “Congratulations, you may now live fully.” Permission is not given in this world. It’s seized.

That means deciding you deserve to nourish your body even if your inbox is on fire. It means saying yes to rest even when hustle culture whispers that you’re lazy. It means saying yes to beauty when the headlines tell you everything is ugly. It means chasing joy without apology. Not because the world is fine, but because it isn’t, and you need the strength joy gives you.

In a broken world, thriving isn’t a luxury, it’s how you survive. A grounded mind makes better decisions. A nourished body fights longer. A hopeful mind sees options that despair can’t.

Thriving keeps you in the game. It keeps you clear-eyed, steady-handed, and able to tell the difference between what’s urgent and what’s noise. And when you thrive out loud, you give others permission to believe they can too, proving that it’s possible to care deeply while still living fully.

Don’t wait for things to calm down before you start living. That day isn’t coming. The chaos is not going to clear itself to make room for your joy. You have to carve it out with both hands, guard it like your life depends on it, because it does. Remember that thriving is not selfish, it’s contagious.

Write your own permission slip. Frame it. Burn it into your brain: I am allowed to thrive. Even here. Even now. Especially now.

Eva Schmidt is an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), an NBHWC Certified Health and Wellness Coach, a Certified Executive Coach (CEC), a Certified MentorCoach  (CMC), and a Board-Certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC).   

As founder of 3 Springs Coaching, she combines two decades of experience in healthcare and business coaching to serve her clients. Her website is www.3springscoaching.com.