- Hope empowers us to “Run with the horses”
- Goals help us stretch, go beyond
Hope is Passion for What is Possible
Soren Kierkegaard
I am not an optimist, because I am not sure that everything ends well. Nor am I a pessimist, because I am not sure that everything ends badly. I just carry hope in my heart. Hope is the feeling that life and work have a meaning. You either have it or you don’t, regardless of the state of the world that surrounds you. Life without hope is an empty, boring, and useless life. I cannot imagine that I could strive for something if I did not carry hope in me. I am thankful to God for this gift. It is as big as life itself.
Vaclav Havel
My son lives in Sweden. Everyone talks about the land of the midnight sun, but they don’t talk about how dark it can be in the winter. In Stockholm, the sun doesn’t rise until 9 and sets at 3. Plus, it’s pretty gray even when there is light.
Yet, as soon as it gets dark, lights appear in every window. Not to light the house, but to shine out into the streets. Downtown, there are major light displays. It’s pretty impressive to see lights floor after floor, street after street.
What’s it for? To lift people up, to give them hope.
Hope gives us strength to pursue, persevere, and prevail.
In the Bible, the prophet Jeremiah talks about the power of hope when he says, “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?”
We grow by stretching ourselves. Our goals need to be large and ambitions so that we reach beyond our current grasp. There is little satisfaction in simply retracing one’s steps.
The beginning of every year is a time to plan, to dream, and to fill up on hope. It will sustain us as we take on our goals and chase our aspirations.
Those who say that hope isn’t a strategy are right. Nevertheless, hope plays a big role. It gives us the energy to keep on, especially when things seem bleak.
Hope…
Ready, Mindset, Grow!: Nuggets Mined from the Leadership Journeys
Business leadership books abound today. What makes this one worth the read? Actionable insights! Ready, Mindset, Grow, delivers to today’s leaders entertaining stories of the transformative power of culture. Backed by solid research, these brief tales, and the lessons they convey, can be put into practice for short-term wins and long-term growth. Entertaining and insightful, the author has filled the pages with cultural nuggets and jewels from his 30+ years of experience in leadership coaching and consulting. Smart leaders will appreciate the candor, catch glimpses into their own circumstances and gain the conviction needed to accomplish positive cultural change.
