The Power of Hope - and Why It Matters
Why are you here? Why do you read? Or why do you write?
And how often do you sit back and think about your responses to those questions? Let me wager a guess and say the answer has something to do with hope — something you’re striving towards.
Hope isn’t just a mood or a form of positive thinking. The difference between hope and optimism is that while optimism is considered an attitude or mindset (being positive about your situation, and thinking that it will get better), hope is the actual belief that things will work out, the future will be better, and you have the power to move towards it.
It’s not just a mentality, but an actual belief, no matter how small it may seem.
In a world so full of constant judgement, challenges, and negativity, hope can take us places we never thought we could go. When everything around you is saying, “this won’t work”, it’s the little voice in the back of your mind that says, “but what if it does”?
And yet, we are constantly underestimating ourselves and the power of that little voice.
All it takes is the tiniest glimmer, somewhere, somehow, and from there you can keep going. But so often we don’t listen and convince ourselves that for one reason or another — it won’t work, we won’t succeed, we won’t get what we want, and we will fail.
Who am I to try?
Who am I to talk?
Who am I to think I’m important enough to ever make a change?
But, in the words of Michelle Obama,
“Don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have, because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”
We have seen throughout history how one person can change the course of the future by raising their voice, whether it be by giving an influential speech, writing a book, saying “no” to the rules and standards of the time, or spreading information and intention that leads to a movement.
There’s a reason people talk about a ripple effect — because it works.
Now, we live in a world of approximately 7.5 billion people. And tying that into writing— I recently learned that of all the people in the world, there are also over 500 million blogs. That is an insane amount of content! Those are astounding statistics — enough to discourage the best writers from trying to reach an audience, let alone those of us who are just starting out or trying to gain traction.
In fact, when I read how many blogs were out there, I looked at my own stats and had a moment of amazement and gratitude that those people had somehow found their way through the maze of the internet to something I had written. When you look at it that way, it’s almost a miracle anybody found me at all.
But despite the overwhelming odds, we all still put ourselves out there for the world to see.
Thousands of people, every day, writing their hearts out on this platform and others. Why? Because we have hope. Hope to share stories, spread information, improve other people’s lives, earn some extra cash, maybe even make a living, shed light on stories or issues that haven’t gotten enough attention, start a movement, or change the world.
Whatever the reason that you and I put ourselves out there, it started with a spark of hope.
Even if only one person reads what I write and it helps them or changes their perspective in some way, that makes a difference. You never know someone else’s situation or what they need to hear. One page, a paragraph — even a single sentence could change someone’s life. It certainly has changed mine.
And that’s a lot more powerful than you think.
So whatever your answer as to why you’re here, why you write, why you read, speak, work, or continue to put yourself out there in the world - hold onto that hope and run with it. And trust that even if it’s small, you can make a difference.
