When you have hope, you have everything you need to pull you through.
As a confidence and HOPEful living coach, hope is obviously a big deal to me. Long before I even knew what coaching was, hope was, and is, what gets me through the darkest periods in my life. That is not to say that everything always works out exactly the way I want or that I've never been sad, upset, or disappointed by an outcome. I have many times, and yet, even then, hope never left my side. The little voice inside me is always encouraging me and reminding me not to give up. When I practice awareness, I can hear hopes whisper when it tells me to take a step back and reassess or keep moving forward even though the obstacles seem insurmountable. Sometimes when I listen closely, hope will say pivot, go a different direction, find another path. And, sometimes, hope is the unanswered prayer that we end up grateful for in the end because it led us to something even better.
I recognize that having hope or trying to live a hopeful life can be scary in some circumstances. I get it. Who wants to get their "hopes up" only to be let down or disappointed? To have hope doesn't mean you will not endure that at times; it does mean that hope will be there to pick you up, dust you off, and give you another glimmer of what else is possible or out there.
When both my mom and dad were ill, I held on to hope like a life jacket. I hoped the test results would show my dad's cancer had gone into remission. I hoped my mom's Alzheimer's would not progress further, so I'd have a few more years with her. I hoped they would not endure too much pain as they approached the end of their lives. I hoped I would be able to survive the loss after each of their deaths. Hope did not prevent some of the inevitable outcomes, but it buoyed me and kept me afloat. Hope is what has allowed me to weather the storm of grief while looking forward to what is to come.
Without hope giving me daily glimpses of my short- and long-term dreams and goals, along with new ideas and possibilities, I do not know what would drive me forward every day. I woke this morning knowing I wanted to write this blog, and I "hoped" the words would come to me when I sat down to write. Now, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it and has maybe led you to reflect on how hope shows up for you every day.
Question to ponder: Is hope a part of everything you think, do and accomplish acting like a faithful and loyal friend, always on your side and rooting for you?
Today and always, I wish you a confident and HOPEful day!
Kindly,
Karen Ann