by Kathi Szabo

Last year I wrote about hope. Seeing all the suffering and destruction in the news this week got me thinking once again about hope.

Once again, I asked myself again, “What is Hope?”

“I hope I won’t be late for my meeting.”

“I hope I find the right property for Eclectic Inn and Sanctuary.”

“Geez, I hope I’ll win the lottery.”

You may have said something similar over the last few days if not the last few hours. Well, maybe not the second statement, that one is pretty much all me!

But what is hope?

I hope I’ll win the lottery is pretty much wishful thinking.  It’s not exactly hope, it’s a wish. And one with very low odds of happening.

It’s a wish because there is absolutely nothing you can do to make that happen except to buy a ticket and wish.

Hope is not wishing for something to happen that you have no control over.

There are things one can do to be timely and there sure the heck are things I can do to find my Inn and Sanctuary.  (like calling my realtor today!)

Last year I wrote, “Hope is being optimistic for the future, clearly understanding where you are now and where you want to go.  It’s being able to recognize potential actions to be taken that will make the positive outcome more likely.”

Hope is definitely needed in the world today.

We need optimism, not all gloom and doom.

We need compassion and understanding, an open heart, and an open mind.

Without hope, there is no reason to help those in need.

Without hope, there is no reason to get up each morning.

Many who suffer from depression have lost hope. Depression steals that hope for a better future.

A country that sees no end to its destruction can also lose hope as if they don’t matter.

Hope is essential to improve upon what we already have. It’s what helps us create happiness.

Hope can lift us up.

But Hope must be paired with action.

You’ve  heard me talk about Einstein’s famous quote, “the most important decision man can make is if he lives in a friendly universe or an unfriendly universe.”

Hope requires us to decide we live in a friendly universe.

That one decision allows us to see the suffering, the hurting that is around us, but than to believe there must be better days ahead.

That is hope.

Currently, it may seem hard to see the universe as friendly, especially with all the killing and destruction. I can’t begin to make sense of it. But, I choose hope. I choose a friendly universe. I decide that the universe has some ultimate plan that will bring better days ahead.

That hope sets me up to take action. To do what I can to bring about Peace. To help those in need. Those in their darkest hour.

That is why Eclectic Well-being is donating 10% of all revenue this month to one or more organizations providing resources and aid to Ukraine. (Maybe it’s time to set up that Well-Being 101 Discovery Call or book that last spot on our retreat to St Croix so we can send even more funds to create hope.)

And our hope drives us to do what we do.

To help others consciously create a life they love. To spark hope in our clients so that they can take their own action to create more hope for those they love.

A world without hope?

That would be a world of suffering. A world without love and compassion.

I can’t imagine not having hope. Not believing that the future must be better than today. That love can conquer.

A world without hope would be filled with destruction. Filled with war. Filled with greed.

Let us all hope for peace.  

Not wish for peace, but hope.  Meaning we create a vision of peace and then we take action to move us toward our vision.

No action is too small.

Perhaps it’s simply being kind to a neighbor.

Or listening to someone you disagree with, with an open mind.

Action can also be sending money or volunteering for a cause that is working toward the same vision.

Hope is listening to someone who has no hope. Being there for them. Showing them, not telling them that there is reason for hope.

If you find yourself feeling a bit hopeless, take a moment and acknowledge one thing you are grateful for. Then another. Then another.

Use that gratitude to help others. To give them Hope. So that one day they too will be grateful and we can all find happiness and peace together.