“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”
~ Cynthia Ozic
There are times in this life when we have to be tougher than we think we know how to be. Perhaps for you it is facing one of your largest fears; perhaps it is a promotion, or being overwhelmed with your work, maybe it is an illness - either yourself or a loved one, or maybe you are financially strapped. Regardless of our troubling times we must always try to remember the importance of hope.
It has been said we can live 3 months without companionship or love, 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, 3 hours without shelter (in extreme conditions), 3 minutes without air, but only 3 seconds without HOPE. "Hope is what faith is made of" (Claude Hamilton), so we truly have to strive to keep hope in our hearts at all times. We need to count our blessings each day, look at the life we are living, the loved ones around us (near or far - "around" with loved ones means the distance in our hearts only), the food in our tummy, and the opportunities we are presented with each day. Chances are good that if you are reading this, you have more to be thankful for than you realize, by times. I am not trying to be rude or tough-hearted, don't get me wrong. I, personally, find a good "slap up-side the head" in thankfulness can really bring me up and out of the dumpy hole I can tend to dig myself into.
Having hope and being thankful for what we have in troubling times, does not mean we overlook what is happening that was/is troubling in the first place. However, the hope and thankfulness gives us a different outlook and attitude towards the situation. Attitudes are contagious (just like yawns), be it positive or negative, they can spread like wildfire. If we can choose to not dwell on the negative in a troubling time, we can give and spread hope to everyone around us by having a positive attitude - leading back to being thankful for what we do have and knowing (pending your own personal beliefs) that there is a higher power that knows a bit more and is making the best decisions for the situation. I am not trying to tell you what/how/who to believe - I just hope you know why you believe what you believe.
HOPE is defined as the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. This is a jammed-pack definition of so many things that can be expanded on, but one specific word jumps out to me personally: belief. Belief gets us through our days. Maybe its believing in our goals and dreams and having something to run and strive for, maybe its belief in a better tomorrow if our today isn't quite right, maybe its belief in a higher power in a time of turmoil or struggle; the strongest is belief in ourselves. Belief in ourselves will get us closer to our goals and dreams; belief in ourselves will get us through the today to get to the tomorrow; belief in ourselves will give us courage, faith and strength in the times of struggle.
One of the most powerful gifts we can give others is the gift of belief. Giving belief is giving a hand-up out of the struggle instead of giving a hand-out. Perhaps there are times when a hand-out may seem like the right thing, when really a hand-up will be much more powerful long-term. The hand-out is a one shot deal providing no long-term affect on the person's life and can sometimes even hinder their situation even more. A hand-up is a learning opportunity, a chance to build for a brighter tomorrow, not just a not-so-dark-today (that a hand-out gives).
Giving belief to others starts within us. We must first have belief in ourselves. This belief in ourselves gives us a positive attitude automatically, the positive attitude is contagious, giving others hope. By giving that little piece of hope we have no idea how much we can change a person's life.
We all want to have an impact on this world we live in, live a life of significance and leave a legacy for future generations. I think this poem is a great way to sum it all up.
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I Wanted To Change The World
When I was young, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town and as an older man/woman, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man/woman, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family. My family and I could have made an impact on our town. Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.
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Focus on changing from within; start with having a little hope and belief in yourself. Who knows what kind of an impact and ripple effect you will create. What if? and Why not?
Dream Big,
M
