Hold on to Hope

Hope is more than a vague wish or a passing feeling. It is a positive expectation, a belief that something good can happen. Hope by its very nature is full of optimism, no one hopes for misfortune. Hope is also for the future, we do not hope for what we already have.

Some of us may have experienced disappointment this year. Expectations may have gone unmet and plans may have fallen apart. However, what has happened so far does not always determine what is still possible. Circumstances can change, and they can change for the better.

Hope invites us to keep looking ahead. It encourages us to invest our energy in thinking positively and to remain open to the possibility of improvement.

Hope comes with anticipation of the good things that we desire. We believe that the positive outcome we desire, or something close to it, can come our way. With hope, we choose optimism over resignation.

The psychologist, Charles R. Snyder developed the Hope theory in the early 1990s. Snyder’s theory summarises hope as being more than wishful thinking. Hope is practical. It starts with active planning and setting of goals and includes a belief that what is being planned for can be achieved.

While there are no guarantees that everything we hope for will unfold exactly as we imagine, hope carries with it a quiet confidence. It prompts us to move forward, doing what we can to support the outcomes we desire, trusting that something good can emerge.

Hope is available to everyone. It is not reserved for the young, the wealthy, or the fortunate. Anyone, at any stage of life, can hope.

Let’s all hold on to hope.

Bring the Change

There is a story of a Bus driver who always drove the same route. Most of his passengers were regulars and well known to the Bus driver. There was a passenger who had the habit of paying for his fare with Bank notes and requesting for his change. One day, the passenger again paid for his fare with Bank notes and requested for his change. This time, the Bus driver had had enough. He vented out his frustration and exclaimed – “You cannot always demand change, sometimes you have to bring the change!”.

We all have one or two things we would like to see change. Things that can be made better, easier or even fairer. Sometimes we can fully articulate what that change should be and the associated benefits that will accompany the change. Other times, all we know is that the current situation is not good enough- It simply is not working for us and in some cases for others as well.

As with most things in life, not all changes are within our control. Some are external to us, requiring others to action for the change to happen or for it to be successful.

While we may be unable to change everything, or even change a lot, we will have opportunities to make changes, no matter how little to some things. There will be things within our control that we can change. We can change our outlook to life, looking out for positives. We can change the way we view disappointments that come our way, using them as stepping stones for the next stage. We can be the friendly neighbour, the attentive friend, the diligent employee, the empathetic employer. We can make a change no matter how small.

Expecting a change is not enough, sometimes we have to bring the change!

Contentment as a key to happiness

Happiness is a simple yet intriguing concept.

Part of what makes happiness intriguing is that people experience happiness differently. What makes one person happy may not necessarily have the same effect on another person.

You, like I have, may have come across some seemingly wealthy and successful people who are not happy, making you wonder why. You may even have imagined how much happiness you will derive from achieving a particular thing, only for that thing to happen and the happiness you experienced was at best short-lived or at worst never even materialised.

While there may not be one thing to make everyone equally happy, perhaps there may be something that those who seem to be happy for majority of the time have in common?

Could that ‘something’ be contentment?

I view contentment as being able to be happy with my present situation; where I am and what I have achieved so far. Contentment for me is not an excuse to settle for mediocrity. It does not mean a lack of ambition or desire, giving up or no longer striving to be better. It is not an act of surrender or hopelessness.

Contentment is about appreciating the here and now. It is about counting my blessings, no matter how small they may seem and looking ahead with optimism that things can and do get better. It is choosing to be happy, regardless!

Learning to be content with who we are, where we are or what we have achieved can hold a lot of positives. A sense of contentment does not limit our expectations, rather, it allows us to appreciate how far we have come while we pursue our ambitions and look forward to the next stage of our lives.

Consider contentment as a key to happiness!

Nothing wrong with normal

What a year 2020 has been!

For most of us in many parts of the world, 2020 has been a year like no other. The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in so many changes including to the way we live our lives. It has had some impacts on what we do, how we do it, who we meet, where we meet, where we go, who we go with, how we work, where we work.

One thing this year has taught me is that I may have previously taken ‘normal’ for granted. Many of the things that would have previously been referred to as normal, ordinary, not worthy of celebrating….even boring are now very much missed! it was normal to spend time with friends and family, to work alongside colleagues, to go out for drinks and meals, to go out in groups to watch movies, meet at the park, visit places to mention a few.

Not so much anymore! There is now some disruption or another to what had previously been perceived normal. The old normal days are missed and are longed back for. While I long for those days, I am learning to pause and appreciate what is left available to me. To embrace the new normal and to look forward to better days ahead… days to be celebrated, days that will not too long afterwards become normal, but with what I now know should not be treated as such!