Tag Archives: hope

Hope is like the sun

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“Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts a shadow of our burden behind us.”

—Samuel Smiles, Victorian-era British author and Government reformer

Image from Unsplash by Martino Pietropoli

Hope is a powerful force, much like the sun. When we walk in hope, our focus shifts forward, towards possibility and light.

The struggles we carry — worry, fear, and pain, begin to trail behind us, no longer blocking our path.

By keeping our eyes on hope, we allow the warmth of possibility and progress to melt away the grip of our burdens.

It’s not that challenges vanish, but their power to overshadow our journey lessens. Just as the sun’s rising light pushes the darkness behind us, hope invites us to move boldly and optimistically into the future, letting our burdens stay where they belong: in the shadows, not in our way.

EXERCISE:

Commit to doing one small kind act a day for someone else.

Helping others generates positivity and builds a hopeful outlook.

Afterwards, reflect on how these actions made you and those you helped feel lighter.

“When we raise our hopes and lower our expectations, we establish a resilient way forward.

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“When we raise our hopes and lower our expectations, we establish a resilient way forward.”

—Seth Godin, author, entrepreneur, and teacher

Image from Unsplash by Pedro Sanz

I recently looked for an easy-to-understand definition of resilience. Here is what the American Psychological Association had to offer:

Resilience is the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.

Seth’s view on the subject is a lot easier to understand and implement!

EXERCISE:

In what areas of life would raising your hopes and lowering your expectations boost your resilience and help you move forward?

Each small step forward matters

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Each small step forward matters.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by NASA

Who isn’t familiar with Neil Armstrong’s famous quote, That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind?

Hearing those words never ceases to inspire me with hope for a better future.

Although we all wish to take giant leaps in our lives, those moments are rare. If, however, we focus on how our small steps lead to bigger things, we can all climb steadily to the peaks of our lives and reach for the stars.

EXERCISE:

How can you more fully recognize and acknowledge the small steps you and others take each day?

How can even your atomic efforts result in quantum leaps of achievement and life satisfaction?

It is good to have a compass to point the way

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It is good to have a compass to point the way. Hold your expectation lightly and be prepared for unexpected roadblocks and detours.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Jamie Street-

Throughout the Christmas holidays, many young children pointed their compasses toward the north pole and Santa. With high expectations for what they hoped to find under the tree, they have been pointing their recent efforts to both good decisions and behaviors.

Most of us have been disappointed by things not always turning out as we’d hoped. To navigate around various setbacks and point the way, it is helpful to keep our visions and values in mind.

Regardless of the direction we are headed, we can almost always “course correct” and find ways to give ourselves the gift of a more rewarding life.

EXERCISE:

What internal compass do you use to point the way?

How can you hold your expectations lightly and be more prepared for life’s unexpected roadblocks and detours?

Hope is like a road in the country

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“Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.”

—Lu Xun — Pen name of Zhou Shuren, 20th Century Chinese writer and essayist

Image from Unsplash by Greg Flessing

Life From Above is a new 4-part PBS series where cameras in space tell stories of life on our planet from a brand-new perspective.

Our planet is constantly on the move —from individual animals to powerful weather systems.

In episode one — Moving Planet — I was fascinated to see how rotund hippo communities, in their movement to find the freshest vegetation, actually build networks of waterways to irrigate and transform areas that would have otherwise become barren wastelands on the African continent.

EXERCISE:

Where are you walking with others in your personal and professional communities with hope and optimism?

How can and will your collective efforts reward you with greener pastures where things bloom and blossom.

“No matter how far the distance you have traveled or the failures that have gathered… Hope would still meet you anywhere.”

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“No matter how far the distance you have traveled or the failures that have gathered… Hope would still meet you anywhere.”

—Dodinsky, Author of In the Garden of Thoughts

Image from Unsplash by Marc-Olivier Jodoin

How far have you traveled in the past seven months? How many failures and setbacks have you experienced during the same period? How hopeful are you about the future?

What information and clues did you use as you examined these questions?

We have all heard the idea that Hope in itself is not a strategy. For many—including me—it sure does inspire and mobilize us to take bolder, more committed action toward a better future for ourselves and those in our communities.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can you meet, greet, and embrace Hope wherever you are, regardless of the distance traveled or the failures gathered? What steps can and will you take today, tomorrow, and down the road to realize the hopeful future you desire?

“The key to the future of the world is finding the hopeful stories and letting them be known.”

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“The key to the future of the world is finding the hopeful stories and letting them be known.”

—Pete Seeger, 20th Century American folk singer and social activist

Image from Unsplash by NeONBRAND

Where do you get news about local and global events?

To what extent do these outlets use the “If it bleeds, it leads” approach? What do they do to keep your eyeballs glued to the site, so you also see the ads for various pharmaceutical products to speak about with your doctor?

What percent of these newscasts and articles focus primarily on the negative rather than offering a higher percentage of hopeful stories along with the objective fact-based realities?

Stories of hope, compassion, empathy, and courage can and do inspire us to bring out and express these qualities in our personal and professional communities.

EXERCISE:

What positive and hopeful stories do you write and share, to uplift those around you?

How can and will you inspire others in your world to do the same to raise our global spirits?

“Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.”

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“Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey toward it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.”

—Samuel Smiles, 19th Century Scottish government reformer

Image from Unsplash by Martino Pietropoli

Given our turbulent times, it is clearer than ever that hope is not a good strategy to right our world.

Wishful thinking and turning a blind eye to the objective truth has delayed the full mobilization of our world to come together as one.

Hope is, however, very powerful in that it can and will inspire our individual and collective efforts to cast the shadows of our challenges behind us.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can and will you mobilize your most hopeful energies and committed actions as we journey together to better our world?

“The grand essentials to happiness in this life are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”

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“The grand essentials to happiness in this life are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”

—George Washington Burnap, 20th Century Unitarian clergyman

Image from Unsplash by Tyler Nix

Thank you for being a loyal member of the Quotable Coach community!

May you and those you love have all the grand essentials to happiness during this holiday season and throughout the new year.

Most sincerely,

Barry