Hope is a feeling of expectation. It is a desire for a certain thing to happen. It requires confidence, optimism, and faith that you can create a positive outcome—in any circumstance and any transition experience—as long as you seek the right support and provide the proactive behavior necessary on your part.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, hope means “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true” as in “hopes for a promotion” and “hoping for the best.” Hope may also mean “to expect with confidence: trust” as when you hope all is well with a friend.
Each one of us needs the light of hope to shine on the path of our life. Without it, we cannot develop the coping and resilience skills we need to successfully handle life’s transitions.
Hope often arrives in the guise of people who love and care about you, who are willing to mentor you, or who happen to cross your path at a crucial moment and perform a random act of kindness. Think about transitions in your life—starting school or a new job, moving to a different place, dealing with a loss—and consider who encouraged you to feel hope.
• Who did this for you?
• How did you find the right person to help you on your journey?
• What did they say or do (or both) that inspired you?
• When you go through another life or work transition in the future, how can you reignite that feeling of hope?
• Have you ever been the “hope-bearer” for someone else?
Many of my clients are facing life challenges that require a transition from one stage of being to another. When the coping skills they have been using cease to work, they need to find other—positive, hopeful—skills to ensure a better outcome. This requires self-reflection. It is most successful with a large dose of belief, hope, and determination that there is a better outcome awaiting them. We create realistic expectations to give a sense of hope to move forward.
Hope is indeed a feeling of expectation. If you are feeling hopeless or your coping skills aren’t working and you would benefit from an infusion of hope, contact me about setting new expectations.