How and why to be hopeful – 5 steps

Times of great uncertainty challenge our ability to be hopeful, yet call for us to keep hope alive.

On the one hand, when we are in the abyss, it’s dark and difficult to see the way forward. On the other hand, we know we have to keep trying against all odds, in order to stand any chance of getting out. Hope makes us keep trying.

What is hope? Webster Dictionary defines it as:
“Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large”

I was inspired to create this acronym:

Simple enough – so why is it so difficult? Here’s why – hope is about the future, which is totally unknown, but seen through the eyes of one’s current situation. If you are in a great place, where things are going well, it’s easy to be hopeful. But if you are in a dark place of pain, suffering, indecision, frustration, anger, that’s how you tend to view the future. “What you see is what you are seeing with”. Hope in such situations is irrational. Yet, we hope.

“There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair”
– Nelson Mandela

Fundamentally, hope sustains the human yearning for a tomorrow better than yesterday. It makes tough situations bearable and it motivates us to take action. Hope literally keeps us alive, and gives us a chance to thrive. I often think about my ancestors, who on their unasked and undeserved boat trip across the Atlantic from Africa to Jamaica centuries ago, MUST have had hope … otherwise I would not be here. I can imagine them in the hold of the ship for weeks, shackled to strangers, naked, beaten, alone, cold, confused, uncertain, yet holding on to the hope that one day …. things would be better:

I am bolstered by such imagined memories to believe that I must keep hope alive. Why? Because the alternative is despair, the denial of the possibility of my desired future, and a life devoid of joy and happiness. Not what I want at all, and so I choose hope:

“To choose hope is to step firmly into the howling wind, baring one’s chest to the elements, knowing that, in time, the storm will pass”
– Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Here is a 5-step process I use, and that you too can use to be hopeful:

1. 1. Acknowledge the darkness. Be honest about what’s happening. This is not a time to be in denial, for that only creates a false sense of hope. Know where you are, acknowledge your emotions;
   2. See the silver lining – as with most situations, there is some good, no matter how small. Gratitude helps you to see the light. Be grateful for what’s going right;
   3. Remind yourself that you have experienced tough times before – and that you came through then. If you can do it once, you can do it again.
      

      “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice”
      – Bob Marley

   4. Explore options to make things better:
      1. Think of everything, no matter how crazy
      2. Take small steps, one at a time
      3. Acknowledge your fears
      4. Ask for help
      5. DON”T GIVE UP!
         

         “There is always a way and always a hope in the next sunrise, and in the next second, and in the next minute” – Ziggy Marley

   5. Be a beacon of hope to others. Help others by demonstrating love and caring, appreciating and accepting them without judgement. Doing this will do as much for you as the other person, giving you the energy to sustain your own sense of hope. This is particularly important if you lead others – they are looking to you for hope. Help them.

Sit quietly today and choose hope.