The Gift of Hope in Hopeless Times

Hope is the difference between “Good morning, Lord”

and “Good Lord, morning!”

Did you know that hope is good for you? Optimists and pessimists are both right some of the time, but optimists live longer, are more successful in business and marriage, and are 250 times more immune to disease! The truth is, the hopier you are, the happier you are.

Some of my cohorts are spending lots of time listening to the news these days and then telling me it’s challenging to come by hope. So let’s look at our options. At the end of our rope, whether things look bleak politically or personally, we have a choice.

We can think about, talk about and dream about our future:  where we’ll go, who we’ll meet, what we’ll accomplish, who we’ll bless. In my book I call it “Getting the Picture” - using our imagination to actually create the very thing we’re dreaming of.

What we think about, we bring about.

Or we can think about, talk about and stress about what we fear might happen. That’s using our imaginations to help create the very things we dread.

One morning as I sat in the lobby of a Fortune 500 company waiting to be escorted up, I was humming one of my favorite songs. A gentleman in a thousand dollar suit walked quickly by, and then stopped and turned back to me. "I wish I had something to hum about," he said, shaking his head.

"Oh but you do..." I said to his back as he rushed away.

As a music minister in the Catholic Church for 30 years, no Pope that I didn’t care for (and there was more than one) ever stopped me from accomplishing my dreams. I just rode them out. Now the man who heads that church is one of the most respected and beloved leaders in the world.  

Hope isn’t a political slogan, nor is it magic fairy dust. It’s a muscle in our hearts that we either exercise or neglect with each thought we think. Those with the strongest hope muscles are the doers, the darers, the dreamers that shape the world. I am proud to be among them.

Join me, won’t you? What have you got to lose but the safety of your cynicism?

I invite you to come out on the end of the branch with those of us who dare to hope. You’ll find that’s where the fruit is.

MK Mueller is the author of 5 inspirational books, including "Taking Care of Me: The Habits of Happiness," and her newest book now available on Amazon, "8 to Your IdealWeight: Releasing Your Weight and Restoring Your Power in 8 Weeks." 8 to Your IdealWeight