Hope

To hope for something is to have desire for something. It is to think that something may happen. Without hope, you are unlikely to want to do a task. I believe hope is the precursor of what you desire to happen. Without hope, you will likely feel discouraged. There is no motivation to move on as you believe that you cannot do anything to improve a situation.

To hope for something is like you are opening up a path of possibilities. Before you entertain hope, you have to allow yourself to be open to ideas you think are impossible.

For example, a patient tells me that she wants to lose weight. Let us call her Jodi. If Jodi thinks that there is no hope in her losing any weight, she will not entertain the possibility of it happening. She will not have any motivation to do anything different, such as increase her physical activity or modify her diet. She probably feels kind of blah of the end result is that her weight remains the same, or even increased.

If Jodi, on the other hand, has hope that she can lose weight. She sees the possibility of it happening. She feels motivated and excited. She knows that changing her lifestyle will help her lose weight. With the hope that it is possible to lose weight, she is motivated to take action. Her end result is that she loses weight.

I believe hope is a very powerful thing, as it opens your mind to even things you did not think was possible. Once you have hope for something, imagine that it has already happened, or you already have it. Bring yourself to the future. How does that feel?

Decide that it is possible to achieve what you are hoping for. Believe that what you are hoping for is going to happen. How do you feel about it?

Hope is a prerequisite for believing something is possible. When you believe something is possible, you will be open to the commitment to taking action toward that thing you are hoping for.

Hope without action is not helpful. If Jodi is hoping to lose 50 pounds, but she is just doing the same things, eating the same way, moving the way as she has been doing, then nothing is going to happen. She will not be losing any weight.

Let us examine your life. Is there anything that you are hoping for but you have not committed to doing anything about it? Does it serve you?

Changes require action. Control what we can control. Do what we can do. Even small steps every day will add up.

Jodi hopes to lose 50 pounds. She thinks that is possible, even though she has not done it before. She decides to believe this as her future reality. She imagines that she has already lost the 50 pounds. She feels proud, energized and motivated. Now she is committed to making it happen. She is following an exercise regimen daily, and is watching what she eats carefully. Her end result, after about 7 months, is a 50-pound weight loss.

Hope with action helps you move forward to achieve your goals. I invite you to examine your life again. Is there anything in life that you hoped for, that you committed to take action and achieved your goal?