“Hope is that thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us if we have the courage to reach for it and to work for it and to fight for it.” ~ Barack Obama.
HOPE! Hope means to look forward with desire and reasonable confidence. I look at hope as meaning I trust things will work out. As I wait for that desire to present itself, I will have the courage, faith, and wisdom to take the next best step. That is what I call Active Hope. I heard that term from one of my first coaches, Kim George, about 15 years ago.
Active Hope is different from “passive hope.” Often times we use hope as a form of glorified wishing, and we may sit on our couch, twiddle our thumbs, and wait for our ship to come in. Active Hope means when we are in need of hope, we have faith, AND we do our part to send out more ships and go to the docks each day to survey the horizon.
On Day 2 of the Stay at Home order in March of 2020, I heard Jon Gordon talk about “fear and faith.” He asked the question, “What do fear and faith have in common?” I was stumped. Then he said, “They both believe in a future that hasn’t happened yet”. I internalized his message as my personal working definition of hope. I knew in that moment I had a working model to get me through adversity for the rest of my life.
The topic of hope is near and dear to my heart right now. Several weeks ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am still going through a battery of tests to determine my protocol. Active Hope has been top of mind as I go through each day. In the world of business, there is a phrase: hope is not a good strategy. I want to reframe that and suggest that Active Hope is a great strategy in both your business AND your personal life. I am currently using and will continue to use this phrase as I navigate being poked, prodded, exposed, and uncomfortable during my healing journey.
Active Hope as a strategy:
- I based my desire for the future on the facts at hand, NOT the stories I make up in my head.
- I stay present and refuse to make assumptions (I teach; be wary of “assumicide”, it kills living in reality).
- I ask questions, even if they are hard questions to ask.
- I have meaningful conversations, even if one of us is temporarily uncomfortable. This is how we genuinely connect and grow closer with one another.
- I focus on what is right instead of dwelling on what is wrong.
- I am an informed optimist as an act of defiance toward discouragement and “what if” thinking.
- My destiny is determined by my choices. I choose Active Hope!
I believe this quote sums it up for me:
“What I am trying to cultivate is not blind optimism, but radical hope!” – Junot Diaz
If you are looking for a group of like-minded women, you need community that is supportive and living out Active Hope, I highly recommend you join the Circle of Trust Facebook group.
It is my desire that this newsletter gives you strength, courage, and a working definition of what hope means for you!
xoxox
Betsy