The most challenging moments in our lives, I think, are the ones where we are afraid to hope.
The definition of hope is:
A feeling of expectation and desire for certain things to happen.
As you sit here right now, let me ask you this question:
Are you hopeful about achieving whatever goal it is that you are chasing? Do you believe in the possibility of achievement?
In my twenties I wrote a weekly column for a local newspaper in Pennsylvania, and one week, my article was inspired by the Disney movie, “The Rookie.” The story was based on the real-life journey of Jim Morris, a high school science teacher who found his way to the Major Leagues at the age of 35.
I loved that story, and I wrote passionately about the importance of persistence and hope in pursuing the dreams and goals that are most important to you. After the article was published, one of my co-workers, who was in her forties at the time, was cynical about my point.
She chalked my optimism up to the naïveté of youth. Life, she said, would zap that optimism out of me eventually. It’s not as simple as remaining loyal to your dreams, she said.
In that moment with her, all I could think was that I hoped I would never feel so dour at the prospects of what I might be able to do in my life. And yet, as the years have gone on, I see more and more of that cynicism that she was talking about.
And I think that skeptical attitude comes from experience - from setting out to achieve a particular goal and falling short. Once you’ve ridden that cycle of behavior - set a goal - work towards a goal - fail to achieve a goal, or you achieve the goal but only for a short while - it becomes harder and harder to expect that you will succeed.
But I still think that your goal has to be rooted in hope and possibility. You need to find it within yourself to believe that you won’t just try to hit your goal, but that you will hit your goal. And if that belief is becoming harder and harder to come by after a lifetime of attempts, then it’s time to look for some inspiration.
A baseball player who succeeds in only three out of every 10 at bats will go down in history as one of the greatest in the game. Google the failures of Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Edison. Look up the story of the baseball player Jim Morris.
But whatever you do, look around you for hope and possibility. Past failures are just the roots that will make you more grounded in your success. Keep looking skyward - keep moving forward. Good things will happen.