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The differentiation line between surviving and living is only thin in dictionaries, when talking reality, it comes large. What makes the huge difference is what deliberate actions and sanctions you choose to initiate to change the current status.

There are many stages of life, and one stage completed, launches you into the other. You can choose to stay put in a particular stage, and grow only by age, or you can choose to let yourself grow out of it into another. You can even shorten the span of a stage, or you can just let things play out.

Surviving is one of these stages. It leads to the living stage. The survival stage is more like the luck/miracle stage, where you made it through a situation you could not help, or that others couldn't make it through. This is the stage where you catch your breadth and rejoice. It brings the cool feeling of lightness and calm.

To some people, the survival stage is an inspiration to explore their strengths and aspire all the more. But unsurprisingly, others get too comfortable in this stage that they forget to grow out of it. They stay in there grateful that they at least have life and they are not in a bad situation. When you are in this state, you may not be sensitive to the fact that not being in a bad situation does not mean you're living, in the true sense of the word.

This is not to say that the survival stage is such a bad one to stay in. There are other underrated stages, and it is important to know the difference. Let's simplify this by illustrating thus:  
everyone breathes, everyone exists, everyone has survived, but not everyone is living.

Between living and not dying is a long bench. This means that, because you are not dead might not directly have to mean you are living. It will be fair to say here that death is not the opposite of life. The opposite of life could be unfulfillment, frustration, purposelessness, and the likes. This is because, there are times and situations that death becomes a luxury. To live, you have to take the bull of life by its horn.

You know how when you're being bullied by a life situation and you keep running away, the moment you choose to stand up to it changes everything, a new stronger you emerges and that situation loses its grip on you? It is the same way life has to be handled. It throws stones at you, you dodge for a while, and then you pick up the stones and build yourself a fence.

When you keep growing from strength to strength and making the best of situations, life eventually gives way, and lets you live. Challenges will persist, but at this level, it is either your defences are too strong for them to stay, or they are now just too little to get your attention so they melt away.

If you show life you're scared of it, it makes your existence its playground. I don't believe there is anyone too weak or feeble to bounce life, you just need to believe in yourself, want it more than you fear it, and put the right attitude to work.

You know you're making progress when if situations show up, you stare them in the face, then smile soothingly. At this point, fear, weakness, and every other negativity lose their place in the options available.

Whether it appears good or bad, life is meant to be lived, and this happens when you have made some sacrifices that qualify you to enjoy your living experience. 

It is no longer enough to wake up in the morning. If you do not have any form of satisfaction, fulfillment, or desire for a better levelled lifestyle, then there might be a need to review your current life stage. Get to the point where when life throws lemons at you, you make yourself a fine lemonade, or better still, a lemon cake with cream cheese frosting!

Life does not have favourites, it only acknowledges strengths and weaknesses. My suggestion now is:

By any means necessary, survive. But by all means possible, LIVE!
#withsteemfromwakky