Hope and a Plan

January 10, 2014 by John Andrew Williams

Thought of the Day: Hope increases with a plan.

From a layperson’s point-of-view, hope is something that you have when you don’t have much. It’s not like we think, “Yes! We’ve got a ton of money now and thus our hope factor has gone way up.”

It’s usually something like, “I totally forgot my wallet. I hope I don’t need it.”

Or someone lost in a desert.

Here’s what that hope index would look like:

I’ve got a clear vision to get out of this desert. I don’t have a real plan. I don’t think I can do it. Hope = 30%.

When you hear you car make a weird noise and you’re hoping that it’s nothing but you’re in the mechanic shop hoping to hear a certain number under that the repair will cost.

Hope stinks because you are at the mercy of forces outside your control and you don’t really have a plan.

From a Positive Psychology and Life Coaching point-of-view, hope increases when you’ve have a plan and experience success.

The football team that scores a touchdown and seems like their chances of winning have just increased. The high school student who just got a good grade on an exam, and it looks like she’ll get that A in chemistry class. The parents who see their child shine on stage and handle greeting people afterwards with grace and kindness.

Hope may go up when we least need it to: we’ve just accomplished or experienced something that is very much in our favor.

The element that’s often missing to put in place to go from the desert island to paradise?

A plan.

To quickly review, hope requires a vision, a plan, and a belief that you can follow it through. It’s optimism with an action plan.

What would be the first step in your plan?

Also read: Agency and Hope

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