Cheat Sheet to Hope
Life Cheat Sheets (3 of 7)
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In our neighborhood the snow has nearly melted, green shoots of crocuses and tulips are suddenly visible, and the robins have returned from wintering wherever it is they winter. Easter is around the corner, too! It feels like a good time to ponder HOPE once again. Yes, I’ve written and entire series on hope called Reasons for Hope in which I shared my personal reasons for hope. But this time I would like to provide quick and effective ways to raise your own level of hope with a “Cheat Sheet to Hope.”
In the next week, give one or more of these ideas a try and see what happens. First, take inventory: at this moment in time on a sliding scale of 1 to 5, how hopeful are you for yourself, your community, your nation, and your planet? If any of your numbers concern you, then why not see if these cheats are useful?
Look Closely
As humans we have evolved to notice the worrisome and scary things, the things that indicate danger, Danger! Such a propensity means we might actually be missing out on the obvious signs of promising and good things - hopeful things - hiding in plain sight. This suggests we must consciously look for the signs of hope around us every day. Your reality is as you see it! Today is as good of a day as any to find hope simply by noticing what is already there.
When is the last time a stranger held a door for you? picked up something you dropped and handed it back to you? wished you well? made way for you on the on ramp? Don’t miss the hopeful signs that your neighbors can and do mean well. (When did we become so wary of one another?)
Cheat Cheat Choice 1: Make note of the little moments that strangers interact with you in a positive way.
Far Out
Sometimes zooming in is effective in building hope, as was just suggested, but sometimes zooming out is needed. How many times do we get so caught up in the details that we miss the big picture?
For a moment, bring to mind the pandemic. We know for certain that this worldwide event put a strain on individuals, families, and systems. And we definitely know how devastating it could be. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean we can’t also pan out and re-see the effects of the pandemic, too. (Let’s allow for the complex system that Life truly is.) For example, in the year we “shut down,” our planet actually began to recover. Air and water quality increased, endangered species made significant gains, and humanity had a long enough breather to re-evaluate our individual and collective lives. We were given an opportunity to begin creating new systems and structures and to let go of or re-recreate those that hadn’t really served us so well. By practicing this idea of panning out for the long view, you can bolster hope.
Cheat Sheet Choice 2: When some routine or system seems frustrating or broken, take a moment to zoom way far out so that you can see the bigger picture and the new potentials that are out there. Allow for a new question to come forward: What if this is leading toward something better in the years or decades to come?
Beware of Distortion
If you are like me, you get caught in media rabbit holes. You watch one program or video and the next one pops up “just for you”. It’s more of the same thing or same type of thing. Do this long enough and a distortion occurs. Everything begins to appear dire; hopelessness looms. Let me remind you that your little rabbit hole is NOT the whole story!
I’ll illustrate it this way. In 2019 when our family was living in Hong Kong many protests took hold against the government. While most days of protest were peaceful and without conflict that did not make the news. Did you know, one could easily walk in and through a protest of millions (Brent actually did this) and there was no danger? Early protests were organized and occupied certain areas of the city while other areas were untouched and remained business as usual.
“But, I SAW violent protests!” you may counter. “They were on television all the time.” Well, it’s true, there WERE protests that became violent in certain areas of the city. Police were spraying pepper spray then later tear gas and student protesters eventually started throwing molotov cocktails and shot arrows at police in standoffs and altercations that occurred over a few weeks. Nonetheless, even those protests were contained to specific areas of the city, not to the grand scale they appeared to be. Had the media cameras moved a few blocks over, they would have seen people in malls, restaurants, and businesses - even with children and families - safely living their lives. To me this was a huge lesson in keeping any images of violent communities or countries in perspective.
Cheat Sheet Choice 3: Over the next week, challenge yourself to reduce your media intake and/or to pause and recognize that you are only getting the “tip of the iceberg” when you see media coverage. So many good deeds go unsung and unseen. Don’t let a distorted view take away your hope.
Contagious Hope
Finally, did you know that hope is contagious? (And, well, that’s hopeful!) When you feel hopeful other’s pick up on your actual vibe! And that’s important. The more we can lift each other, the more we can see, experience, and maintain a collective hope. So don’t underestimate the power of hope to change how you and those around you walk through the world. You don’t need to even talk about it; you can simply BE hopeful and that is enough. But, if you’d like to keep hope at the forefront, then try choice 4 or 5.
Cheat Sheet Choice 4: Ask yourself what brings you hope, and create something to demonstrate that hope.
Cheat Sheet Choice 5: Ask others what brings them hope and thank them for bringing hope to you.
May you find hope in the little things, the big picture, and from deep within. May you have hope as each day unfolds. And may you radiate hope to others and in so doing lift us all.
Suggested Reading
Karuna News: Responding with Compassion. Karunanews.org
-A place to access good news!
You can find all of my series in the archives:
Adulting 101 Coupons: A Gift from your Parents
Partnering 101: A Deep Dive into Leaving Kindly
Me-Time: Self-care in the time of Covid
Reasons for Hope
From Fog to Flow
With a Grateful Heart
Lessons in Life School
Life Cheat Sheets
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Writer. Gong Player. Teacher.
Find more of my writing at GreenBaytoKorea.blogspot.com
Learn about my business at CelestialSoundGB.com
On Instagram @applebb09
All photos by © Brenda Brayko 2023 unless otherwise credited.
Love you and your writing!
Great post. . . and we need to follow up on our time at B & N.