What is Hope?

What is Hope?

Here is another post from the Winners Circle; and, as with all of them, it really gets the brain cells working. In this post, Lou Tice asks us to consider what hope is, and encourages us by suggesting that it is something which can be learnt.

I think everyone would agree that a hopeful attitude is a good thing. But what exactly is hope? Can it be learned? Centuries of folk wisdom and religious teaching have taught the benefits of a hopeful attitude. These days, researchers believe that hope may be associated with good health and greater success, both personally and professionally.

But what exactly is hope? Well, according to Dr. Rick Snyder while at the University of Kansas, hope is a practical, goal-oriented attitude – a stance people assume in the face of difficulty. It combines a goal-directed determination with the ability to generate the means of reaching the goals.

Dr. Snyder developed a test to measure hopefulness, and he found that college students who scored high in hope also turn in the best academic performance, regardless of high school grades or SAT scores. Folks who are injured or seriously ill do better when they have high hopes, too. Actor Christopher Reeve had every intention of walking again, and had he lived, I would not have been surprised to see him do so. Hope was a very large part of his being.

The research also suggested that – all other things being equal – a hopeful attitude helps people overcome obstacles like poverty, lack of education and even lack of social support. In this latest economic downturn, it is those people with hope, who can express that hope, who will best weather their circumstances.

Can you learn to be hopeful? You bet you can! See failure as an opportunity to learn rather than a flaw in your character, and make a habit of remembering your past successes. Break down your long-term goals into short-term sub-goals, and reward yourself for reaching them. Visualize a positive outcome for every situation, affirm yourself for all your good qualities, and no matter what happens, hang on to your hope.

Lou Tice
The Pacific Institute

As with the post I posted last week, the first thing I want to do after reading this is add God into the mix. I think Lou has a lot of good things to say in this, but adding God, and the Christian hope into the equation, adds a new dimension to this. Adding God in reminds us of what, and who, we put our hope in.

Our hope is not just in what we may be able to accomplish in the future, but also in what God may be able to accomplish with and through us.

I find Lou Tice’s thought provoking emails are very helpful. If you think you would too, do, please, consider subscribing to the Winners Circle.