Your Daily Dose of Hope

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. Anne Lamott When our world seems full of challenges and uncertainty, hope can feel like something that once ran smoothly but has mysteriously crashed. Because hope isn't simply optimism or wishful thinking; it's the engine that powers meaningful change and resilience. Like restarting a computer, we sometimes need to pause, clear our mental cache, and intentionally choose to begin again. Rebooting hope begins with small, deliberate actions.

The resilience class I’m taking has given me so much to think about. This week, we talked about composure and health and how both affect our lives as a whole. One of the ideas Dr. Donita shared was the practice of being persistently hopeful. I love that phrase. Being persistently hopeful doesn’t mean ignoring what’s difficult or pretending everything will work out exactly the way we want. It means staying in the present and actively choosing to hope from all the options available to us. Because there are always other options, aren’t there? We can assume the worst. We can replay everything that has gone wrong. We can try to solve problems that haven’t even happened yet or worry that things will not go well.  Or we can return to what is true right now today.  We can ask ourselves things like: what can I do today? What support is available? What possibility still exists? Persistent hope is not passive. It’s an active decision we make again and again, sometimes maybe a few times a day. Today, when your thoughts begin pulling you toward fear or you feel yourself thinking about the worst-case scenario, try to bring yourself back to this moment. You don’t have to figure out everything that comes next. Just persistently choose the most hopeful option available to you right now. That’s how we build our hope habit, by being persistently hopeful.

I went to a networking event last week and I had a great time. I know. That’s not something you usually hear when people talk about networking, right? So, what made this one different? Part of it was the people, of course. It was a small group of about 15 women, and everyone seemed genuinely interested in connecting. But I think the real difference was the intention behind the event. We were given time to speak for a few minutes with each person. Instead of awkwardly wandering around the room or feeling like people were trying to push their business cards on me, we simply talked. One short conversation at a time. We weren’t trying to learn everything about each other or decide immediately whether we could do business together. We were just making a connection. It reminded me that meeting new people doesn’t have to feel intimidating or transactional. You don’t need the perfect introduction. You don’t need to impress everyone in the room. You just need to be curious about the person in front of you. Ask a question. Listen to the answer. Share a little about yourself. Every new conversation holds a possibility, of a new friend, a new idea, a new opportunity or simply an enjoyable moment with someone you might never have met otherwise. My friend Jason is great at this and he has a resource you can grab for free at his website, coffeewithjason.com Business networking may not be something you need to do, but these ideas work anytime you want to meet new people. Maybe you want to volunteer or join a sports league or meet a few people you see every week at your yoga class. Sometimes hope begins by walking into a room and being willing to say hello. That’s how we build our hope habit, one hopeful connection at a time. https://coffeewithjason.com/start-here

Wanting to be in control sometimes gets a bad rap. For good reason. Think about it. When someone is being controlling it’s not a compliment. Often because we’re trying to control other people, or every circumstance. We’re trying to predict every outcome, or make sure nothing unexpected ever happens. None of that works because we can’t control any of that. But there is another kind of control that can be very hopeful. It’s the control we have over our own actions. Yes, we have 100% control over what we do. I know there are times when I don’t feel like I have a choice, but I do. Sometimes the choice is a hard one, or one that will require a sacrifice, but I do have options and the decision is mine to make.  When we have a goal or something we really want, it’s easy to focus on everything that could get in our way. We think about other people’s decisions, unpredictable circumstances, or whether the final result will look the way we imagined. We think about how we can mitigate all those things. Except we can’t control any of that and it can make a goal feel impossible. What if we started with asking what part of this is directly within my control? Maybe you can’t control whether someone says yes, but you can make the invitation. I can’t control exactly how quickly our business grows, but I can contact one new person today. None of us can control every aspect of our health, but all of us can choose one way to care for yourself. When we identify what we can control, the goal can feel possible. Within reach.  We don’t need control over the entire journey. We only need ownership of our next step. So let go of the outcome for a moment and bring your attention back to today. What is one action that belongs entirely to you? That’s the hopeful side of being in control.

There is always a reason NOT to do something. A reason to postpone or delay.  We’re tired. We’re busy. The timing isn’t right. We need more information. Tomorrow looks like a much better day to begin. I’ve used all of these and more.  And then there’s inertia. Once we’re comfortable where we are, even if where we are isn’t where we want to be, it can be difficult to get moving. I’ll admit that it’s often easier for me not to do the thing, especially when I’m not having one of those wonderful get-it-done days. You know those days. Everything seems to click. We make decisions, finish projects, and wonder why we don’t operate like this all the time. Lately, I’ve been thinking about how to make those days more frequent. I don’t think the answer is waiting to feel motivated. It might be learning how to create a little momentum before we need it. We can choose the first step in advance. We can make it ridiculously easy to begin. We can put what we need where we’ll see it. We can decide that five minutes counts. The goal isn’t to become a productivity machine. It’s to make action a little easier than avoidance. There will always be a reason not to begin. But today, you only need one reason to take the next step. What do you want your reason to be?