Hope

Hope, a small but incredibly powerful word.
A word associated with desire, expectation, anticipation, want, looking for, trust, faith.
 
In my experience, having hope means I have something to hold on to.  It means that even when I feel I do not have hope, I know that I can find it and often it is in the smallest of things.
It means that when things are not as expected, I have hope that I will adjust or improve the outcome.  I just know that things will and always do change and that I have my eyes on the HOPE ahead because it shows up each and every time.   I know this, because I have seen it before, I have wanted it before and I have actioned it before.

Hope is a noun which indicates it to be a thing.  A thing of meaning, fulfillment, expectation, success, desire, obtainment, anticipation.  If you look at these words, you will soon realise that Hope is also a verb, a word of action.  Hope is waiting for you just round the corner. 

Hope is what you desire – a part of change.  You hope for something to be different or you hope something will be different for someone else.   You hope this because you will it for yourself or others.  Willing it into being.  Sometimes we have to action it into being. 

We expect, hold onto an outcome because we truly refuse to believe that this particular moment of hopelessness is permanent. 
Why, because we know things change.  You know this, you have experienced this AND you have used your amazing abilities, skills, strengths to bounce back from these events, phases, moments.  How did you do that? 
Even if the situation now is different, you can still use some of the things you did before.  Perhaps the previous time you did not need to ask someone for help, but you realise this time you may need to.  Why, because you want things to change. 

All well and good, but what if you have experienced hopelessness? 
The feelings that come with that like despair, feeling unseen, sadness, anger, frustration, undervalued, unworthy, rejected, invisible, and the dread of having nothing in your life to look forward to.  Then on top of that, you cannot think of a means to get out of it, so you feel trapped.  You find it more difficult to connect and being sociable becomes exhausting.

What if you have tried everything you can think of to help yourself and you still feel like things of hopeless.   What happens when you give up and therefore have no motivation left to find hope and, in some ways, finding it easier just to slip deeper into despair. 

Well, here is the challenge to shift your mindset.  Doing something different to help you see something with a different perspective.  Have you actually tried everything?  It may seem like you have because you have tried so much.  Perhaps there are things that you would not normally try and so they have not come onto the ‘tried everything list’ yet.   Have you actually spoken to others, shared your feelings.   It may take some creative thinking or seeking support and talking through all the things you have tried and through that collaborative process, discovering one new thing for the list. 
Perhaps some research is needed first, of what is actually available in your area or perhaps it entails you walking in a different area and seeing a resource you have not noticed before. 

We can get so stuck in our ‘tried everything’ mentality that we don’t even allow ourselves to entertain the idea that there may just be something else we are yet to discover.

It may sound counterintuitive but helping others can actually shine a light on your own values and qualities, and therefore can be a reminder for you that you are worthy, have something to give and that others are appreciative of your support.  

What is the key to all of this, well, it is the fact that you give yourself permission, allow yourself to think about, in detail, what you ultimately want.  Allowing yourself to dream the biggest dream, because somewhere in there will be your starting point to your personal and realistic outcome.
Others may put their limitations on you because their thinking is not like yours, but you know exactly what your desire is and along the way will discover just how resourceful and adaptable to change you can be. 

It is your desired outcome, not someone else’s.  Own it, protect it, grow it and nourish it.  Just like when you first get a seedling and you are encouraging it to grow.  You are patient because you know it takes time, feeding it because you know it will not grow otherwise and nurturing it because you really want to see it in it’s full glory and maturity. 

Is this not what you would want for yourself?  How can you put in actionable steps to nurture you, nurture your desire, your hoped for future.

Past experiences and skills
Think back to a time when you were exactly where you wanted to be.  Think of how that felt, what you were doing, who was around you, what it looked like, what it smelt like and sounded like?

• What did you notice about yourself or others during this season, event, time? 
• What would others have said about you during this time?
• What ray of light did you see in the distance? 
• What did you need to clear away for it to shine brighter and how did you do that?
• Now find in that, what you would like to hold onto for now, your current circumstances and just like an anchor steadies a boat in the sea, use it for stability and for supporting you in grabbing a hold of your next desired outcome.

Your celebration, Your Joy
Last but not least, celebrate each and every step, achievement, contact, resource and even set backs that come your way.  This celebration is what is going to continue to equip you, motivate you, change you and inspire you to keep looking, searching, evolving and smiling!
Just writing this, makes me excited and emotional all at the same time, because I have been a witness to the change and renewal of people's lives in a way that brings them enthusiasm, joy and peace.  I can only hope that by reading this, you find YOUR glimmer of hope to hang onto. 

• “The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” — Barbara Kingsolver

 

• “Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there’s no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.” — Laini Taylor