Can you think of a moment in your life when you felt particularly alive? These moments are known as thriving, and they are often characterized by a sense of learning, growth and overall vitality.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, thriving has numerous benefits. Thriving employees tend to report higher levels of job satisfaction, creativity and courage. This is because they feel more confident in their abilities to achieve anything they put their minds to.

Thriving employees also report fewer instance of burnout, because they enjoy their work more. They find it energizing and engaging: something that increases rather than depletes their energy reservoirs.

Obviously, companies should help their employees to thrive. This can be done by providing a positive work environment.

One key element to creating this is weeding out inappropriate, disrespectful and rude behavior.

Danny Meyers, who owns 27 restaurants in New York City, has built his success on emphasizing civility in the workplace: If a chef behaves disrespectfully toward others, the chef needs to change his ways. Otherwise, he will be fired without any qualms. This zero-tolerance policy ensures a positive work environment.

On an individual level, you can also help yourself thrive. There are two ways to tackle this.

First, acquire new knowledge and expertise. A study of high-tech workers showed that people who seek out opportunities to get more informed – for instance, by asking for feedback – tended to be more energized and confident than others.

Second, you need to ensure that you get enough rest and exercise. Scientific evidence shows that by engaging in cardiovascular or strength training, you can improve your mood during the work day.

But it’s also important to get enough rest or it’ll be hard to stay positive, so you should aim for at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night.