Einstein said, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow”.
If you listen to the news there seems to be so much going on – increased complexity, economic pressures, chaotic weather changes, the tyranny of busyness and urgency, increased stress in our daily lives and the need to stay sane and happy in an increasingly challenging world. With all of this going on no wonder the incidence of anxiety and depression is at an all time high! One of the key things that helps us survive and flourish in amongst all of this is hope.
The dictionary defines hope as a state which promotes desire of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances in one’s life or in the world at large. The opposite to hope is despair. Hope is a belief that things will turn out for the best. It is looking forward to something with desire.
Barbara Fredrickson, a specialist in positive emotion and psychophysiology states that hope “comes into play when our circumstances are dire, when things are not going well or at least when there is considerable uncertainty about how things will turn out. Hope literally opens up and removes the blinders of fear and despair, and allows us to see the big picture – enabling us to be creative and have a belief in a better future.
The 80’s band Simple Minds said, “I can’t change the world, but we can change the world in me”. Given that, I have pulled together a collection of quotes on hope for your musings. (PS – I believe we can change the world – it just needs to begin with us!)
- I always knew that someday I would once again feel the grass under my feet and walk in the sunshine as a free man. Nelson Mandela.
- A leader is a dealer in hope.
- We cannot think, feel, will or act without the perception of a goal.
- Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal. Henry Ford.
- Everything that is done in this world is done by hope. Martin Luther.
- What oxygen is to the lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life. Emil Brunner.
- Hope is the sum of the mental willpower and waypower that you have for your goals. Dr Charles Snyder.
- You can gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you stop and look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt.
- Don’t allow your history to get in the way of your destiny. Bishop TD Jakes.
- If you can conceive it and believe it then you can achieve it. Napoleon Hill.
- Despite the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. Martin Luther King.
- The very least you can do in your life is to 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.
- The great danger is not that we aim to high and we miss, but that we aim to low and we achieve it.
Oprah recently asked the question, “How do you stay hopeful?” Some of the responses were:
- I remember that every little thing is going to be alright, eventually.
- I keep believing that my life has a purpose and that I have not yet fulfilled my destiny.
- I look at the faces of my kids – what else could give me more hope?
- I’ve found that hope, like happiness, is a habit. It’s a choice you make every day.
I stay hopeful by focusing on what I want and imagining it with all of my senses. I read inspiring stories of hope and achievement, and I regularly spend time in contemplation with my spiritual books and learnings to gain a more illuminated perspective. I also practice gratitude daily which focuses my thinking on all of the wonderful people, things and opportunities in my life.
So, how do you stay hopeful? As always, I love it when you share with me your stories, ideas and musings so please email these to me.