On Being Hopeful

By showing up with hope to help others, I’m guaranteed that hope is present. Then my own hope increases. By creating hope for others, I end up awash in the stuff. Anne Lamott, author, quote taken from National Geographic magazine, October 2018

With all that’s going on in the world and under my nose, it is harder than ever to be filled with hope. And yet, I remain hopeful most of the time—-I hope this is true for you also. I’ve interviewed over fifty daughters who have lost mothers as children, been abandoned, their mothers murdered or lost to Alzheimer’s, yet each one spoke to me with the hope that their tearful story will make a difference in the life of another. If they had not yet recovered from their trauma or grief, they were all hopeful that eventually they would be joy-filled again.

We remain hopeful because even though most of us have been through devastating times before, we know our friends, family, faith, and the healing properties of time helped us to move forward. And, as Lamott says, “By showing up with hope to help others, hope is present.” As we reach out, hope flows in. 

Affirmation: I am hopeful.

Coaching question: If you’re feeling hopeless, what’s one thing you can do to regain your hopefulness? (visit an elderly neighbor, volunteer at a school or hospital, help register voters, write a thank you note to someone who has been kind, walk in nature)