Where do you put your hope?
In a leader, in an idea, a cause, a group of colleagues, nature, a deity, universal law….?
Wherever we put our hope, there are bound to be times when that hope is deeply tested, when we are tempted to give into despair. I know the ache of continual disappointment and frustration when we keep trying to work for good and things out of our control keep getting worse.
Taking a rest from a struggle in the face of continuous blocks can be helpful. Giving up permanently is tempting when the obstacles keep piling on. Sometimes giving in makes sense. But then what?
Perhaps in these times when it is hardest to find a spark of hope, we face the crux of our human condition. We don’t know what lies ahead. We can speculate about possibilities. We can’t even know for sure what will result from our own actions. The theme of faith, belief and ultimately hope in human existence is a thread addressed in many faith traditions, in social justice traditions, in legends and stories handed down through many cultures. Stories of people who achieved great accomplishments almost always include mis-steps, failures, obstacles along the way.
One of the most often repeated is the story that a reporter asked Thomas Edison how it felt to fail over and over before he succeeded. He said he didn’t fail it was a ‘two thousand step process.’
Finding, sustaining, restoring hope is an ongoing continuous effort for many of us. I find people writing about it everywhere.
So I offer this article from Forbes (yes, Forbes): 5 Ways Leaders Keep Hope Alive in Difficult Times
We can expand our capacity for the complexity of hope in our lives.