Hope is one of the driving forces in intentional change and
is necessary to have when setting goals and charting a course of action to
reach those goals. Hope has a unique
ability to not only create resiliency and transformation within ourselves, but
also spread this message to others as well.
I found Oana Branzei’s description of hope being like a rainbow to be
very accurate description because it really defines how hope came be a contagious event that leads to positive experiences, but also doesn't always happen all the time. Hope seems
like such a simple concept and something we all understand and recognize, but
to actually create hope within ourselves can be a difficult task to achieve.
Thinking
about how to embrace hope and utilize it to modify my current reality in order
to continue moving forward, several actions seem to be most beneficial for
me. I think it’s important to first have
a strong vision for the future and a plan for getting there. Having a dream is absolutely necessary for
engaging in hopefully thinking. In my
own experience, I often have dreams and aspirations, but am quickly shunning my
hope for them because I allow negative attractors to take over. These emotions and our ability to effectively
respond and overcome them are key factors in maintaining hope (Howard, 2006). Negative emotions are generally the most prevalent
factor for my struggles with maintaining hopefulness. What I have discovered over time is that in
order to remain hopeful toward the future, creating small goals along the way,
along with visualization and rephrasing of specific statements in my head are
crucial to my success. I’ve mentioned
before that I often get derailed by my struggles with staying focused; however,
I have recently started to practice setting small goals and reaching those
goals in order to maintain my focus on the path toward the future. This has helped me a lot and has been very
helpful in allowing me to not default to negative emotions (Boyatzis & McKee,
2005). By setting easier, short term
goals, I’m allowing myself to view my long term focus as attainable and more
realistic, which has allowed me to remain more positive and hopeful for a
successful outcome (Boyatzis et al., 2005).
Another
step I find beneficial in creating and using hope to continue to move forward
is positive visualization and reinforcement.
I try to actively seek out the opportunities in bad situations and focus
on those alternatives, rather than the negative, easy to see negative
consequences (Marques, 2013). By rephrasing negative emotions in my head, I’m
also allowing myself to recognize that everything is flexible and nothing is
forever in my plan. This has really
allowed me to not focus on worrying and stressful consequences, but instead
stay focused on what I am wanting and hoping to get out of a situation. I’ve started to realize that to really reach
my goals, both professionally and in my personal life, staying positive and keeping
a certain level of control over my future is key to my success. It is so easy to lose hope in our world,
especially when we are constantly bombarded with negative situations and
contexts and are generally viewing many situations from a negative perspective
instead of positive. It can be easy to
quickly lose site of your dreams and hope, but by setting reachable, realistic
goals, visualizing the future I want, and reframing negative situations into
potential positive opportunities, my ideal future is more likely to be achieved
through hope.
References
Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A.
(2005). Resonant Leadership: Renewing yourself and connecting with others
through mindfulness, hope, and compassion. Boston: Harvard Business School
Press.
Branzei, O. [Ashoka Canada]. (2013,
April 17). Oana Branzei on the Theory of Hope[Video file].
Retrieved from http://youtu.be/kH_pw4v7xXo
Howard, A. (2006). Positive and
negative emotional attractors and intentional change. Journal of Mgmt
Development Journal of Management Development, 25(7), 657-670.
Marques, J. (2013). CHOICE: Creating
Our Own Reality. Business Renaissance Quarterly, 8(1), 49-59,61.
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