Hope Believes We Will Get Through It
“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
Life is full of twists and turns, that it’s easy to become despondent. Obstacles and adversities show up unexpectedly and we find ourselves out of our comfort zone. People say life is unfair. I presume they’re referring to life not working in their favour when things don’t go as planned. Regardless, one thing that’s helped me remain optimistic is that not everything will go as planned and that’s okay. In fact, not getting what we want is often a good thing, since there’s often something greater on the horizon to fill its place. How about you? What is your relationship with hope? Have you ever hoped for something and it later showed up when you least expect it?
We must accept life will be full of obstacles, roadblocks, negative emotions and circumstances that will derail our best laid plans. Knowing this should remove the burden, life is not pure sailing, but an adventure full of valleys and victories. If we fear, “What could go wrong next,” we place an unnecessary burden on our shoulders while dreading the worst. If we adopt an optimistic heart, we can breathe easier and expect a more pleasant future. Hope is more valuable than we give it credit for. It’s a soft burning flame, unable to be extinguished and capable of enduring any conditions. Hope has what it takes to get us through anything. “Hope is the belief that your future can be brighter and better than your past and that you actually have a role to play in making it better,” according to authors Casey Gwinn and Chan Hellman in their book: Hope Rising: How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life.
Hope is the belief things will work, especially when it seems otherwise. It helps us stay calm and peaceful when something less than desirable emerges. Hope believes we will get through it. Hope remembers the times we made it through. Hope teams with faith and believes in the impossible. When times are tough, our emotions are intensified and not symbolic of who we are. When the boss tells you, the company is downsizing and your position is terminated, when your son gets expelled from school, your partner decides they don’t know if they want to spend the rest of their life with you, the doctor gives you an adverse health report or your dog’s gone missing, then your emotions are in for a roller-coaster ride. But with hope, your thoughts gravitate toward optimism. Unexpected conditions will arise, not to overwhelm us but to test our inner resolve and awaken us to our true power. Our emotional response in such times is not indicative of our true self. That’s because we respond to our external environment instead of staying composed.
See Life From A Different Viewpoint
“The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveller than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination.” — Marion Zimmer Bradley
Sometimes when a situation is bleak, you’re invited to master a lesson greater than you expect. This is when hope will get you through. If you lose your job, there might be a series of experiences during your transition of looking for another job. You may realise you loathed your previous job and are now more determined to find a career path that makes you happy. Maybe you want to start your own business instead of working for someone. Consider this something to learn from instead of dwelling on the unfortunate setbacks. Assuredly, there’s a powerful lesson and inner growth contained within your circumstances, even if you can’t see it yet.
During hard times, do your best to envision a positive future. In fact, what you dwell upon is what you likely will get. Call it what you will, though what you hold in your mind is what you will receive. We’re the product of our emotions, and if your emotions are fixed on negative aspects, you’re likely to attract those situations because of your predominant reactions. The universe reflects what you put out into the ether. As an example, if I entertain negative thoughts related to not having enough money to pay my bills, I’ll see evidence of this echoed in reality.
I might notice a TV commercial discussing debt prevention or perhaps someone mentions their financial difficulties. If I’m aware, I’ll recognise my thoughts are out of alignment. If I persist with these thoughts, it’s likely to materialise because I’ve willed it into existence, whether or not I like it. How do you see your future developing? Close your eyes for a moment and visualise a positive future. It requires work and discipline to create an intentional future and it can’t be achieved overnight. This is because you’re likely to slip into your old ways if you’re not mindful of your thoughts.
The world is full of people who have overcome incredible hurdles and failures to become successful and happy. They’re unattached to outcomes because they appreciate not everything goes as planned. When one door closes, another opens at the right time; as long as their thoughts are in alignment. Allow life to be mysterious by being detaching from outcomes. What appears detrimental at first may simply lay the groundwork for something greater later on. Commit to a life of optimism, irrespective of the circumstances, and raise the beacon of hope when times are tough. You can become confident through your willingness to see life from a different viewpoint. Hope will get you through your difficulties, but first you must create the circumstances for it to flourish before it sets your world alight.
