10/02/09

Affirmation: I no longer choose to believe in old limitations and lack. I choose to be peaceful and harmonious.  (Affirmation from "You Can Heal Your Life" by Louise L. Hay)

Today I want to challenge your thinking a little bit. How do you feel about hope? Hope can mean many things. It can be something we wish for and expect for it to be fulfilled. It can mean looking forward with confidence. It can also take on a religious meaning where we desire something in the future and look to God to help us fulfill it. All of these definitions seem, on first glance, to have positive connotations and if used the right way can have positive effects on our lives.

In 1991 Dr. Robert Anthony published a book entitled “Doing What You Love, Loving What You Do – The ultimate key to personal happiness and financial freedom.” Anthony discusses hope and says, “The problem with hope is that its basis is in the way you believe things should be. And whenever they turn out some other way, you lose a little more hope.” Have you ever said to yourself that you will go into a situation thinking the worst and then if it turns out ok than you will just be pleasantly surprised? I have done this numerous times and it is a result of past times when I was hoping that something would turn out one way and when it didn’t I gave up hope and turned to the negative. You are trying to protect yourself from hurt but what you are really doing is sending out a negative vibe in the world.

Anthony encourages people to stop saying things like “I hope this works,” and “I hope things will get better.” These statements take away our power to make change in our lives because we are waiting for someone or something to change our situation. Anthony further notes that “Hope is a sublime illusion. It promises a lot of vague answers in some far-off, foggy future. It is what keeps us suffering in place when we should really be DOING something!”

I want to note that I don’t think hope is all bad. Looking for something in the future and expecting a positive outcome can be very powerful. However, I think it must be accompanied by a willingness to take action. We must take responsibility for the things that we hope for. We can hope for things and we can even ask God to guide us on our journey, but it is still our job to make these things happen.

What are you hoping for? Are you hoping to get a better job? Are you hoping for more money or a more secure future? Perhaps you are hoping to have a better relationship with someone. Take a minute to examine what your hopes are and if by hoping for these things you are just waiting around for them to happen. Make a list of small steps you can make that will help move you forward. By combining hope and action your dreams just may come true!!