Volume 2 | #26 | May 11, 2020

Hope is an optimistic state of mind based upon an expectation of a positive outcome….. as you can imagine my world is full of HOPE. You can’t have a positive outlook on life without HOPE. I always believe things will work out for the better especially when I’m confronted with the opposite. My memories produce a desirable outcome, I have made it through this before… I can do it again. I don’t know what the outcome might be, I will have to adjust along the way, and I’m never sure when it will happen… so I keep at it !!! HOPE supported by resilience and determination will see me through to a positive result. The key for me is to never give up, maintain your composure and the positive results will happen.

Life is never a stable and smooth course. It’s unpredictable and messy !! Events will confront us, often unexpectedly, to upset our “perfect balance”. Whether it be an issue with my job, my family, my health, or this little COVID Calamity, we are constantly confronted with challenges and set-backs…during these constant challenges our inner self is often confused, unsettled, uncomfortable….we demand resolution, instant gratification and it doesn’t come…Resolution starts with HOPE, followed by a PLAN of ACTION !! A positive thinker produces positive results…. you get what you ask for!!!

As Leonard Cohen wrote, “there is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in “ !!! But simply Hoping for a resolution is not an option….” I hope this COVID is over soon, I hope to be a better singer ” I hope that my children succeed, I hope that he/she loves me !! ” Hope is not a Plan for resolution…yes, events occur around us to test our resilience, to test our very foundation of HOPE.

HOPE NEEDS HELP !! List the things I can do to positively help me get through this Calamity, Issue, or Event. What are the things I can directly control to clear a path to resolution….step by step I can set a course of action to make a positive future outcome my own…. and sparkle this PLAN with the Spirit of HOPE!!

Martin Luther King said,” Only in the darkness can you see the stars “!! So adversity does make you stronger if you take advantage of the challenge. Hoping adversity goes away is not a PLAN. The discomfort and uncertainty of the COVID Calamity comes from not knowing the absolute outcome and when will it end. But that doesn’t stop you from planning for a positive resolution….if you lose your job because of COVID without HOPE you might think that your world has come to end, how will I pay my mortgage, how will I support my family? If you withdraw into hopelessness and succumb to negative outcomes… voila… things will get worse. But if you have a strong HOPE foundation you might assess the situation quite differently.. maybe it’s time for a change, this job was never for me… what an opportunity to pursue what I really would love to do!!  What I was intended to do!! Now set out a PLAN to get it done !!!