Man : Wish (Hope)

Hope

In life, there are many intangible and indescribable things. Despite, they are not things that we can hold; they are cornerstones of our existence.

Love, faith, and hope are things that we rely on and look for in life, but sometimes truly understanding them is a challenge. In fact, hope is one of those intangible things that we hold closest to our hearts.

Every single person carries at least a measure of hope in their heart. The emotion of hope keeps the spirit going, that keeps the heart pumping, and that allows hurting people to still keep their head up when everything seems to be going the wrong way.

When hope is lost, it can lead to intense pain deep within the human spirit. In fact, with no hope, each day is difficult to live. Everything looks bleak. In fact, the lack of hope can end up breaking the spirit of a person.

a. If you lose hope, you will also lose your focus. 
b. You begin to focus on negative thoughts. 
c. You start wondering why things never go the way they should. 
d. The need to deal with so many difficulties. 

At some point in their life, most people go through a time when they begin to lose hope. If you find yourself losing hope, take a moment to stop and really think about your life.

Napoleon Bonaparte said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.”

Not all hopes are alike. There are many different kinds like daily hopes — that rain won’t spoil the picnic, that the dentist will not find cavities. Or still larger hopes, for example that our children will be healthy and happy or that we will emerge from the recession and find adequate work. Or even more substantial hopes for a cure for cancer, for the well-being of our planet.

Types of Hope

Most hope is good — it’s just important to understand there are different flavors of it!

1.      Inborn Hope –

Most children have hope, it’s their basic disposition unless adults do something to threaten it. Some people have to struggle for their hope while others seem to have it so easily. It depends on disposition.

2.      Chosen Hope –

This is the person with cancer who determinedly chooses to believe that treatment will be successful no matter the current outlook. It’s a parent’s right to hope for a child, even if things don’t look good at the moment. Chosen hope is a life stance.

3.      Borrowed Hope –

Sometimes another person sees causes for hope in your life more easily than you can. If the person is honest and trustworthy, you can borrow their confidence in you, and their hope for you.

4.      Bargainer’s Hope –

When a daunting challenge or crisis crashes into our life, we can take a bargainer’s position. This position says, “If I do this, then that will happen,” There’s nothing wrong with bargainer’s hope, it’s human nature and often a first response to something really hard.

5.      Unrealistic Hope –

This kind of hope belongs to teenagers who believe they could be the next Michael Jordan of basketball. Or the hope created by the promise of a certain cereal will help you lose weight and keep it off for years to come. You’re hoping for things that could happen, but it’s not probable.

6.      False Hope –

There are silly versions of false hope, like chain letters promising money if you send them along. Or more serious false hopes, like the ones created by nasty insurance schemes that bilk money from people. And everyday examples of false hope, such as the hope that one person, whether friend or spouse, can meet all your needs and make you happy.

7.      Mature Hope –

A person with this kind of hope can wait. His or her hope is not based on particular outcomes or on a belief that everything will turn out well. Mature hope is based on meaning. In other words, things are worthwhile regardless of how they turn out.

Why do we hope?

Hope is a feeling or it's an expectation. 
It's something that you long for. 
That longing is paired with a sense of excitement and anticipation.

In a way hope is very similar to faith. 
Having it is important because it is what will get you through the tough times of life. 
The difficult question is how do you keep it when faced with adversity?

People lose sight of their hope at just the moment when they need to hang onto it the most. When this happens you can really start to spiral into a depression. However, there are some things that you can do to keep your faith strong.

If Hope for You Means, Wishing for a Good Ending Only …

… Then that could lead to:

• Being afraid something might turn out bad, stops you dead in the tracks, even before you made the first step.
• Increased stress levels, since subconsciously you’ll always focus on the possibility of it turning out bad. And power follows focus, so it might more often turn out bad in the end.
• You not putting in 100% of your heart, because you don’t want to be disappointed by not making it come true.

If Hope for You Means, Knowing That It Has Meaning, No Matter How It Ends …

… Then that could lead to:

• You making the first necessary step to make it happen.
• Decreased stress levels. It still could turn out bad, but there is so much, that is not in your hands anyway, so you might leave to fate, to God, or whatever you believe in and focus on what you can do. That is all that is necessary.
• Using worries constructively: in the beginning phase you should do constructive worrying. That means : 
• a.taking into consideration all problems that come to your mind, and find out, 
• b. what you could do proactively to avoid them or 
• c. what else to do about them. 
• But once that process is done, you must forget about worrying, or it will rob all energy and boldness from you.

Making It Through Each Day by Finding Hope in Trying Times

Have you ever at time lost sight of your hope? Wondering how to make it through each day? If so, you are not alone.

Unfortunately, losing sight of your hope is much easier to do than you might realize. It can be devastating when it happens. Suddenly it seems as though you are in the dark and unable to find your way to the light.

You can find your way again and get yourself to a healthier and happier mindset.

1.      No Magical Answer

No magical answer will instantly reinstate your lost feelings. You need to do some work to revitalize that feeling in yourself.  For sure, you can get it back, but it may take a bit of time. The key is to stay focused on the fact that you are going to be able to find it again.

2.      Bogged with stress

One of the biggest reasons that people lose faith is that they get bogged down with all of the stresses in their lives. Focus on realizing that all of the good things that you have, going on in your life. Keep in mind that these positives are not always there by large; sometimes they may be simple and small.

Take a moment to be grateful that every day when you come home you have a warm bed to sleep in. Noticing these small positives can help amplify the hope that you have within you.

3.      Take control.

Take a look at your situation. We're talking a serious look here. Are there elements that are within your grasp to change? Are you unhappy because you feel like you are fat?

This can seem like a devastating situation, but the truth is that there are ways that you can take control of this situation. In fact, taking control may be just what you need to start to feel good again.

4.      Put in Place.

You must also put your issues into perspective. We lose our faith when we feel like our situations are of more importance. In actuality there are many issues that you may be worrying about are small in comparison with the rest of the world.

Not being able to afford a vacation does not seem like such a big deal when you realize that there are people in the world who cannot afford simple necessities like food and shelter.

5.      A support system

Hope also exists in a strong support system. You have people around you that love you and that are there for you. Too often we forget that. Lean on those around you because they want to be useful. Allow them to bolster you up, and return the favor when you can.

More than anything else, remember that each minute that passes is a minute that things can change in. You are not stuck in your situation. Everything in life is only for now.

So take a breath and decide where you want to be in life and then carve yourself out a path to get there.

Extracts and excerpt taken with thanks from:

http://www.herbammons.com

Therese J. Borchard

http://www.unwrapyourmind.com/the-false-concepts-of-hope/