Finding Hope
We are living in a time where we are constantly bombarded by negative images and stories in the media. Even for the most mentally healthy and positive people it can have an impact. According to Wikipedia Hope is an optimistic attitude of mind based on an expectation of positive outcomes related to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large.
So how do we find hope when our world seems like a dark and angry place? It is remarkably easier than we think. There is hope all around us. The co-worker who is about to have their first child, the sunny day in the middle of winter, the friend who is starting an exciting new business or the neighbour who asks you to come over for tea just because they enjoy your company. Hope is there and we don’t have to look too far to find it. The problem is that despair is there too.
Lately I have consciously chosen not to watch the news about the recent violence happening overseas. It is not that I am not compassionate to others or that I don’t want to be aware but seeing the images over and over is too difficult, too hopeless. I instead choose what I expose myself too. I filter the amount of violence and trauma that I view.
Information is out there to help understand the facts and not include the media sensationalism that sometimes follows a story. I choose to believe there is hope because honestly the alternative is not a possibility I want to entertain. Hope means looking for a positive outcome in some way.
In an article Live, Give, Love and Learn: 10 Places to Find Hope they suggest opening up to others and letting them know you need them or “find hope in love“. We can find things in our daily lives to be grateful for. Another place is to “Find hope in the least expected places.”
In an article Finding Hope by Psychology Today the author Karyn Hall states that when we feel hopeless people can become passive and apathetic. She suggests doing small things that can make a difference such as doing something different from your daily routine or performing an act of kindness. Creating hope is something we can do for ourselves in a very purposeful way.
In my search for something hopeful that might inspire our readers I found an exceptional Ted Talk. With over 22 million views this amazing Ted Talk from Brene Brown is worth watching. She talks about expanding perception. A researcher/storyteller, she describes herself as seeing that “life is messy, clean it up, organize it and put it into a Bento box.”
So grab a cup of tea and spend 20 minutes listening to a very funny, hopeful talk that looks at the power of vulnerability and set your intention to be hopeful and powerful in your own way.
