Hope is harnessing our power & energy
Our first of many weekly reflections to gather us and push our thinking
I just came back from Pico and La Cienega on April 5th, where a sizable crowd gathered to shout: HANDS OFF! with one loud voice. "I have hope!" I said to myself. "I feel great!"
The day before, I went on the website to look at my 401K. Not a happy sight. "Don't worry!" My brokerage company wrote to me and their many customers. "We hope Trump will reverse the tariffs and the market will surge up!" Hmmm, I thought. There's that word again. Only this time it didn't make me feel very good.
Hope is a tricky little concept. Often thought of as an unmitigated good, it has a darker side.
Hope can represent a form of denial, a justification for inaction. "I hope someone else will do it."
What does hope's virtuous side look like?
I recently asked a wise friend who said, hope, to her, looks like courage. I hope that through my actions, things can change. I hope I have the strength and tenacity to act. I have hope I can support others to do the same. I hope I will act in a way I will be proud of, regardless of the outcome.
Adam Grant tells us hope is a realistic belief of a possibility of a better future, as opposed to blind faith. Ideally, hope is a motivator for action.
As one of my dear friends said, "Hope is harnessing our power and energy!"
How has your hope revealed itself so far? Share your brief story in a comment here…