Hope is the belief that things can change — our circumstances, relationships, countries, the world. To be hopeful is not to look past the despair and dysfunction that is so abundant around us but to look beyond it. To see the world as it is while believing that it does not have to remain that way.
Hope is, therefore, an active mood. It inspires and precedes action. Without the belief that something is possible or even worthwhile to achieve, we resign ourselves to the status quo.
But sometimes, we shy away from hope because it's associated with idealism or naivety. A pipe dream far removed from reality. And so, to avoid being perceived as naive, we assume a "realistic" albeit cynical view of the world. We would rather be accused of cynicism and be "in touch with reality" than be hopeful and seen as frivolously removed from it.
But this is only part of the story because reality — the full reality — includes that which is going well. As Krista Tippett puts it:
"...hope for me is distinct from idealism or optimism. It has nothing to do with wishful thinking. It is a muscle, a practice, a choice: to live open-eyed and wholehearted in the world as it is and not as we wish it to be. [...] Yet I know that in life and society, wisdom emerges precisely in those moments when we have to hold seemingly opposing realities in a creative tension and interplay: power and frailty, birth and death, pain and hope, beauty and brokenness, mystery and conviction, calm and fierceness, mine and yours. We are at one of those in-between moments as individuals, as nations, as a species. I cleave to a line of a poem by William Stafford, on vocation: "Your job is to figure out what the world is trying to be." You could make a persuasive case that humanity is hurtling backward. But hope calls me to attend, too, to the world that wants to be born. Our strangeness turns up as ugliness and betrayal and destruction, and it turns up as bravery and creativity and unfathomable dignity. I see beautiful lives, everywhere, stitching new relationships across rupture, seizing new life out of loss."
This is the type of hope around which we have decided to arrange our thoughts and actions — hope that is firmly grounded in the full reality of the moment and propelled by the belief that change, however slow, is nonetheless possible.
Maintaining or restoring a sense of hope when outrage, tragedy, and subsequent hopelessness infiltrate our conversations and digital lives is no easy feat. Resignation, or hopelessness, is one of the hardest moods to counter because it is so pervasive and usually backed up by strong evidence. But there are ways to strengthen the practice of continuously restoring hope for yourself, which we have found helpful and would like to share with you.
The Cycle of Restoring Hope
1. Notice where and when you are drawn into hopelessness
It might be a recurring conversation, a bad habit, a non-stop consumption of news and information, doom-scrolling, comparison to others, disconnection from yourself and others, self-judgment, etc. Can you identify that moment and name the feeling?
2. Determine what it means for you
Hopelessness is usually an emotional response that leads us to disengage or retreat in an effort to protect ourselves. So, when you notice the feeling, what is going on for you in those moments? What do you feel is at stake? Or, what is this feeling taking care of for you?
3. Take some form of action
As much as hope begets action, sometimes action also begets hope. The action you take might be directly related to the situation you find yourself in — a habit you want to change, a different conversation you want to have, a counter practice you want to introduce. Or, it could also be entirely unrelated to your situation, especially helpful when the source of hopelessness is out of your control. Volunteer somewhere, help someone else, reach out to a loved one, spend time in nature, and become aware of the full reality of your life, including that which is going well.
To restore hope in yourself is to make a contribution to something or someone worthwhile.
4. Evaluate and repeat
After taking action, notice what has changed for you. How do you feel now? What do you want to continue doing? If little has changed, is there a different action you want to take?
These steps are not a quick fix but rather the first steps towards developing your own personal practice of restoring or maintaining hope.
The liberating idea about hope, as Krista Tippett formulated it above, is that it is a choice. The choice might seem more difficult for you than for others, but it is available to you nonetheless. And it is often disguised as an opportunity to make a difference, however small and seemingly insignificant, in your corner of the world.
And so we leave you with these guiding words by the late Czech statesman, Václav Havel:
"Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good."
Explore Further
If these ideas resonate with you, our programmes are designed to create the kind of space where hope, leadership, and meaningful action meet.
School of Leadership — A three-day retreat for leaders seeking clarity and renewed purpose in complex times.
School of Facilitation — Our flagship four-day programme for leaders who want to deepen their craft in guiding meaningful conversations.
Or explore all our programmes to find the right fit for where you are right now.