Humans need hope. It is the belief in a brighter future. It gets us moving. Creates connection and energy.
As UMen our role is to be a beacon of hope. To stand tall, stay composed and create hope for others.
Be very mindful / aware of the language you HEAR and USE yourself.
Some ways to reframe a challenging situation with someone that might be finding it hard to see a way forward or even in your own inner dialogue:
Use words like
“Perhaps this is…”
“What do you think the world will be like 10 years from now?”
“What might be some things we could do to make the world or our community a better place right now?
Tell a story about some of the great initiatives you’ve seen
THE PRINCIPLES OF HOPE
Hope is built through a few key principles
The future will be brighter
It is in giving that we receive
Pain / hurt / struggle is a part of life – it is what we do with it that counts
The storm will past, the night will end – there is ALWAYS a dawn
Pain with meaning – gives HOPE – find your meaning in the midst of pain (e.g the movie ‘Unbroken’ based on a true story)
CREATING HOPE
Telling stories
E.g. The story of John D Rockefeller whose career started with the 3 year great depression of the 1870s.
Be aware of negative energy sources in your life / world – those people who are spinning in a negative cycle and driving you crazy. Either avoid them – or invite them to reframe. Challenge them.
Go on-line and download an Ebook about a great person who was a positive influence – share what you have read with others through your social media. e.g. The great Rugby League coach Jack Gibson would only read autobiographies about people who had made a difference.
Look for a project – that you and your family can join in together – that will make a difference – bring hope;
Save some monies for a charity that has taken a big hit
Do some tree planting in a local creek bed
Volunteer for a cause in your community
Become aware of gratitude – deliberately name (make lists) of those things you are grateful for. Develop a mindset of gratitude – each night before the family begins to eat name those things you are grateful for that day. We gradually become more aware of how lucky we are – and hence become dealers in hope.
Creating rituals of meaning and hope with those you love – recalling great times, recalling those who have gone before us
Create a self-discipline – e.g Don’t watch and watch and watch program after program on the TV about C19. Find an information source that you can trust – check in with it ONCE per day to get the objective information you and your loved ones need. That is all. Stop. Full stop – do not watch any more – you have all the information you now need. Use the time for something positive – watch a comedy – play a family board game – phone a friend etc.
Refer to our Podcast on Opportunity – when others see you becoming a better, more skillful, more positive you during this time – this can rub off on them – you will be like the proverbial pebble in the pond – ripples of hope
Find some self-reflection time – when you reflect – you gain balance – and from that space of balance you will be less reactive and less negative – you grow ears for others and your eyes see your brothers and sisters in the human family in ways you did not see before
Never forget legend, that sometimes you can be completely unaware of the hope you have provided for others. It’s out turn now…to Deal Hope.
