When I receive greetings for the new year, the word HOPE is often expressed: “ I hope that this year will be a great one for you”; “I hope that peace will come to the world”; I hope that you will find health, happiness and success”,; “I hope that you will find a job soon”; etc., etc.
But, what do we do with that hope? Wikepedia defines hope as “a feeling of expectation and a desire for a certain thing to happen”. I find it interesting that this word can be used as both a verb and a noun. One can have hope that something will happen, but also the action of hope is implied. It seems to me that to have hope, you’ve got to do something towards the outcome you desire. For instance, if I hope to do well on a test, I had better study the material! When I learn to play tennis, I hope to get better at it. How? By practicing, and taking small steps toward that goal.
Taking those small steps is key. Most of our hopes, dreams and aspirations lie in a bigger place. Martin Luther King, in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, really communicated this mixed phenomena of having hope and taking action to fortify that hope, and how slow, steady movement is the way to make things happen. Among all of the great things that he said, was “And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.” In other words, putting one foot in front of the other will move you towards your goal and having your hopes realized – not stopping or giving up. Little by little, your hopes and dreams can become reality.
To me, there is nothing worse than having lost all hope. It is a prison of the soul that can find no way out. This often happens when the challenges are so great that they become an overwhelming obstacle to what is possible. It is hard to take that first small step. And yet, that is what it takes to restore that sense of hope and resolve.
Getting back to those New Year’s goals – they are pretty big, aren’t they? If we really wish those things to happen, we must each find a way to take those little steps in our own little corner of the world. It reminds me of the Hummingbird Story, as told by Wangari Mathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner from Kenya. I will not tell it here, but will instead refer you to a website called: hummingbirdchallenge.org. There you can click on her U-Tube video and experience it for yourself. This website, by the way, is one of my projects to promote that very idea: to have hope, we need to do something to foster it, however small. The hummingbird is a tiny, but quite powerful little creature, who can make all the difference in the world, just by acting small and thinking big. So can you!
And so, if we hope for peace in the world, how can we start by bringing that into our own lives and passing that message on? We hope that we will be healthy, happy and successful, but that doesn’t just happen. We have to work towards achieving that by exercising, eating right, making choices that are right for us and working hard and smart.
I HOPE that you will feel empowered by this message, and realize that your hope is dependent upon your willingness to act on that hope.
Ingrid Sarrat