You’ve probably seen the words “faith, hope, and love” on a bookshelf or wall hanging somewhere. Maybe in your own home. Or you’ve seen them mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:13 in the bible. Hopefully, these words have a positive meaning to you with love possibly being the most meaningful. Love makes life joyful. Being loved and loving others has to be one of the most relevant parts of life.
The word faith also probably has meaning to you. Perhaps it scores a tie with love in importance. Believing in something bigger than yourself and having the reassurance that comes with faith is what sustains many people, especially through tough times.
What about the word hope? Does it have equal importance to you? Or to your family? Your co-workers? Do you experience the power of hope in your life or use it to help others in your circle of influence? In particular, if you are a parent, spouse, boss, or leader in some way, do you create hope in those around you or within your care?
The dictionary defines hope as: to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. A simple example is planting a seed. You do it with an expectation that it will grow into a plant or flower. Or perhaps a better way to understand hope is to consider its antonyms: pessimism, despair, skepticism, and desperation. When you lack hope for something good to come, you likely find yourself with pessimism if not despair.
Beyond the power that hope provides, two additional reasons to give attention to hope are its simplicity and availability to everyone. Hope applies to all cultures and circumstances. It can be fulfilling and life giving to everyone. It can be embraced by everyone regardless of social status, age, gender, or personality.
A fourth reason to give attention to hope is its broad impact. Because it is equally a feeling and thought, it makes us feel good as well as guides our reasoning. It is reassuring when we feel upset as well as when we think and plan.
Life – personally or professionally – without hope is living and working without anticipation of something better ahead. It is the equivalent to running on a treadmill without looking forward to getting off. Or working on a repetitive assembly line without ever moving on to something new and different. It is believing that you will forever live with an adversity, ailment, bad relationship, or miserable job. A life without hope, aka hopelessness, is a primary cause of depression.
In contrast, having hope, is life giving. It provides comfort through anticipation of something better ahead. Maybe more money, improved health, or something truly meaningful. Maybe something easier or more joyful. In the context of work, hope for a promotion, raise, or successful project gives meaning to work. In the context of a relationship, hope for more harmony enables people to not give up. In the context of neighbors, friends, co-workers, and even customers, hope for fun, social interaction, or achievement enables people to dismiss insensitive comments and overlook temporary difficulties.
Of course, there are times when adversity over powers hope. We lose our hopeful perspective and struggle, at least temporarily, to see a brighter future ahead. Or we experience the loss of hope in others around us. Then what? What can we do to regain our hope or help someone else regain theirs? Or when in a position of leadership, how might we inspire hope in others to persevere through tough circumstances long enough to experience the better future ahead?
For some people, hope accompanies a plan of action. When people have a realistic plan with specific steps to follow, they can picture the journey and feel assured of reaching the desired destination. For others, thinking about a plan with a lot steps or a lot of time can be overwhelming. They might better find hope in simply thinking “I can do this.” They just need a mindset that makes them feel in control of their situation. Or some feel hope by seeing themselves more positively such as being worthy or valuable. Regardless, hope comes from believing current conditions are temporary, that time heals, and better circumstances are ahead.
Listed below are some ideas to consider when you find yourself in need of hope such as in moments of despair. Or when helping others develop hope as they get through tough circumstances. In particular, apply these when encountering feelings of hopelessness like “I just can’t do this anymore” or “Why am I doing this?”:
- Take charge of your thinking. Don’t let others dictate what you think, especially about yourself.
- Become self-aware of and take responsibility for your contributions to your circumstances.
- If you made a mistake, recognize that you are not perfect and it’s okay. No one is.
- Look forward to applying any new knowledge you’ve gained or lessons you’ve learned.
- Think about and act on what you have control over that gives you energy and positivity.
- Be careful what you depend on. If it is unhealthy or untrustworthy, take steps to make a change.
- Consider what is working well and enjoy that which you can be grateful for.
- For that which isn’t working well, put it in perspective. It could probably be a lot worse.
- Realize that time heals and as bad as current circumstances might be, they become history.
- Create your vision of a better future. Dream about who you want to be and what you want to do.
- Set and pursue realistic goals that make progress toward your vision of a better future.
- Believe in yourself, your goals, and that you can achieve them as you work toward your dreams.
- Implement a plan that breaks down goals into near-term achievable tasks, milestones, and habits.
- Involve trusted others as wise counselors, supporters, and accountability partners.
Joseph Addison, the 17th century English writer said, “Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.” Ensure you experience your happiest life by having hope and inspiring it in others.
PDF version of this article: https://alpinelink.com/docs/The_Power_of_Hope.pdf