“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
– Viktor Frankl
Belief in a brighter future is hope. Starting with the belief that there can be a brighter future allows us to begin to imagine that future for ourselves. We have “wants” and create goals to seek a brighter path, with the ultimate goal being that of finding true bliss or happiness. “If I lose 10 pounds, then…” or “If I make more money, then..” or “If I find my true love, then…”. In order to begin the work on our wants, we must believe that we can make a difference in our lives. Three ways to fuel hope are by goal setting, agency thinking, and pathway thinking.
There are two different kinds of goals. Significant goals are large-stretch goals like graduating college or starting your own business. Mundane goals require fewer steps but are important all the same. Some examples of mundane goals are making sure to get an annual check-up or making dinner at home five times a week. Both significant and mundane goal setting are important in fueling hope. Deciding on something you want as a goal and working toward it fuels the belief for a better tomorrow. In addition, writing your goals down shows a significant increase in accomplishment of your goals.
Agency thinking is the second aspect that fuels hope. Personal agency is defined as the sense that I am the one who is causing or generating an action. A person with a sense of personal agency perceives themselves as the subject influencing their own actions and life circumstances. Personal agency is believing you have ownership over your thoughts and actions. Personal agency initiates and sustains the motivation to work toward your goal. The first habit in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is “Be Proactive,” which author Steven R. Covey defines as having the ability to choose your response. Behavior is a product of a conscious choice rather than a product based on conditions and feelings. This is agency thinking. You can blame others all day long, but you are responsible for your life.
Pathway thinking is the third aspect of fueling hope. Pathway thinking is the ability to problem solve as life inevitably shifts the plan. Pathway thinking is creating a route to achieve your goal. In addition, pathway thinking is seeing the obstacles that may appear and then creating routes or ways around the obstacles. Pathway thinking allows for creativity in behavior. Seeing that there are many paths toward the goal propels hope and belief in achievement of your goal. Like Marie Forleo’s book titled Everything Is Figureoutable, pathway thinking is recognizing that you can figure ANYTHING out.
Having hope allows you to believe in yourself and believe that you can create positive change in your life, but you must keep in mind that hope alone will not create the change within. And “the change” will not produce “true bliss.” Thich Nhat Hanh reminded us that although hope makes the present moment less difficult to bear, hope is an obstacle because it is set in the future. His belief was that all is good and perfect right now as is and warns that in clinging to hope, “we do not focus our energies and capabilities on the present moment.” You are fully capable right now, trust the present moment, and discover that joy is already here. He said, “We must go back to the present moment in order to be really alive.”
Believe in yourself. Have hope for yourself and for your future. Write down your goals and create a plan on how to achieve your goals. But remember that all is perfect here in this present moment. You have the ability to create the life you seek. Keep the present moment alive within and recognize that all can be peaceful here and now.
