Thrive v.s. Survive

So i was talking with a good friend of mine about surviving through crazy trials. He suggested thriving instead. I didn't know what that looked like with Arnie in the picture... so i looked up the definitions. Here they are for your viewing pleasure. I've added my own comments in red.

survive |sərˈvīv|
verb [ intrans. ]
continue to live or exist, esp. in spite of danger or hardship :
• [ trans. ] continue to live or exist in spite of (an accident or ordeal) : he has survived several assassination attempts.
• [ trans. ] remain alive after the death of (a particular person) : he was survived by his wife and six children | [as adj. ] ( surviving) there were no surviving relatives.
• [ intrans. ] manage to keep going in difficult circumstances : she had to work day and night and survive on two hours sleep.
ORIGIN late Middle English : from Old French sourvivre, from Latin supervivere, from super- ‘in addition’ + vivere ‘live.’ Not super encouraging, right?
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thrive |θrīv|
verb
(of a child, animal, or plant) grow or develop well or vigorously (amidst trials?) : the new baby thrived.
• prosper; flourish : education groups thrive on organization | [as adj. ] (thriving) a thriving economy.
ORIGIN Middle English (originally in the sense [grow (in Christ), increase (in faith)] This is supernatural!) : from Old Norse thrífask, reflexive of thrífa ‘grasp, get hold of.’ Compare with thrift.

thrift |θrift|
noun
2 a European plant that forms low-growing tufts of slender leaves with rounded pink flowerheads, growing (thriving) chiefly on sea cliffs. A beautiful mess hanging off the edge of a cliff as waves crash in below. Who grows on the edge of a cliff?! ;-)
Also called sea pink . • Armeria maritima, family Plumbaginaceae.
ORIGIN Middle English (in the sense [prosperity, acquired wealth, success] ): from Old Norse, from thrífa ‘grasp, get hold of.’ Compare with thrive.