Hope and Optimism | Mindset | Life Advice
Is Optimism an Option for Everyone?
Hope in paralyzing situations — is there such a thing?
“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.” ― Noam Chomsky
Optimism & Happiness: The Connection
I have discovered, as many observant souls have, that the most beautiful people radiate positivity and hope. Simply, they are the ones who find light even in the bleak of circumstances.
They make the world wonder: why sadness should exist (long-term) when optimism shines so brightly.
Then, in terms of the pursuit of optimistic feelings, a question arises: How are they related to happiness?
The universe at that time reveals: earned optimism is the seed of happiness.
For example:
We cannot recall every detail of a happy memory. But we remember the process’s elation, particularly the moment when we thought we were almost done.
To put it more clearly: happiness appears fleeting in its highest form. Of course, happy memories, even after many years, make one’s heart smile. However, the glee we experience in the moment of happiness does not last long in its overjoyed form.
The process to the destination is long. And as we chin ourselves up to face the problem head-on, we create lasting memories.
For example, you remember those who encouraged you when things were tougher? It was the optimism they engendered — optimism living within you (though it might have changed its forms from hope to confidence to bonding to gratitude).
Unjust Life & its Ways
The desire for happiness is inherent within us, even before we can fully comprehend what brings us joy.
Life is hardly fair. It tests you with what you love the most. In some cases, it appears as though heavy clouds are constantly looming above — with different shades for each.
Now:
In the face of such inequitable situations, one may ask: Is there any room for hope? Can those who live in the shadows of death (shadows taking the form of hunger, pain, and abandonment) experience hope that blossoms into tangible change?
To those dwelling in a disastrous part of the world, where it seems no such option as hope, watering the seeds of hope inside the chest will ever sprout growing tees in the outside world?
The true answer (from depth) is: yes.
How Optimism is all there is?
Hope is what tomorrow is all about. Had there been no hope, life would essentially remain as it was yesterday.
An example comes from one of the most common problems we face today — procrastination.
To overcome procrastination, we need a conscious acknowledgment of what we are up to. What are the reasons behind it? Researchers also suggest that procrastination is not just about managing time but more about managing our emotions. When a task seems overwhelming, we tend to avoid it.
Just a step backward into consciousness and reflection on the patterns puts a seal on overflowing procrastinating tendencies.
To put into perspective, if one approaches the task with hope and healthy confidence, one might limit his/her procrastination tendencies.
You see?
In uncertainty, hope motivates us forward. It urges traversing the road no matter the outcome.
Most of the time, life is about what we allow ourselves to hold in mind. They call it mindset.
Optimism, for that matter, isn’t only an option; it is a way for all.
Hope in deprived situations — is there such a thing?
What I discussed above had pertinence with the personal growth journey, where the outside situations were mostly in favor of growth. (For example, a person’s ambition and procrastinating tendencies in a developing part of the world.)
Around 50 nations are currently clutched in armed conflicts. Imagine the plight of the local population there. The defense budget chews every other sector. The day-to-day life of vulnerable parts of society (children, elderly, etc.) gets alarmingly tightened. And, yet global politics goes the way it went years ago.
Now, the question is, in the outright ramshackle how we can expect the seedlings of hope? The places where the debris of shattered dreams and traumatized childhood cover the horizons?
But again, it’s hope against despair. First, you hope that a change is possible in the little world around you, and then you find like-minded people in the near or far world. And, then together you make the change, no matter how big or small it is.
The author Stephen P. Cohen writes,
“Hope is neither a policy nor a planning factor, but it is intimately related to success and failure.”
Things change for the better when hope gets into the equation.
The person works even against overwhelming odds and with every ounce of courage. They concentrate on what they can control.
You might be wondering how it helps those in war. In fact, we came across poignant manifestations of this in the ongoing Israel-Palestine war. Through our virtual connections, we witnessed numerous Palestinians reaching out urgently for work (and/or assistance) to evacuate their families or themselves to Egypt. My Palestinian friend, for example, freelanced her services in any field she could (regardless of her former experience) to provide for herself and her daughter as well as to arrange for the required departure money.
Had she been hopeless, she must have quit pitching for jobs. In other words, she would have resigned herself to the fate of waiting for death with closed eyes.
So, optimism is an option for all. It is a way out from glaring darkness, a way to rebuild the broken parts of our inner being and the world with spirited energy.
Thus,
No matter how hot or rainy it gets, there’s always a hidden light that we may not see — but there’s always a way to find it.
Your role in spreading optimism?
You and I cannot help everyone in the world. This is just an unrealistic chase.
Yet, we can weave optimism in the fabric of our lives and in other lives (whenever possible). Thus, you support them in hanging onto their optimistic part.
Once you’ve cultivated optimism in yourself, your task is to spread it to as many people as possible.
And this approach is only a purposeful attitude towards believing in hope, showing it in acts, and supporting others in glimpsing behind the clouds.
Final Thoughts
When we appreciate our experiences and blessings, we can start to see the way forward, even when it’s not clear at first. Thus, even when it feels like hope is lost, we must hold onto it tightly, knowing that it will support us and lead us forward.
Of course, after optimism the next required elements are planning and action. Without them, hope would be nothing more than daydreaming.
Now, as we nourish our own sense of hope, the universe calls upon us to assist others in cultivating their own. This process can only occur from within ourselves. We must first change our own perspective before we can help others — deeply. Embracing gratitude and hope can transform both ourselves and the world around us.
Shortly,
The key, in life, is to choose a way that would spark hope first in yourself.
Its reflection in the words we speak, in the actions we breed, and in the essence of who we are) would facilitate others in finding and living their light. And, then hope becomes a choice for all.
