Cultivating Hope as a virtue

There are ways in which hope can be cultivated consciously

1. You need a GOAL/WISH or better said a clear vision of a better future/outcome, a Target

This goal/target must fire you up, must be something that you find important.

2. You need to TRUST you can turn that into a reality

You need to believe in yourself that you can reach that goal, even if it won't be an easy walk

3. You need to think and visualize the OUTCOME

Think about why do I want this, how will the world be better when this happens, what drives me towards this.

Realizing you have the wrong reasons can actually change the Goals/wishes you have so it's an important step on the way, it will also help you know yourself better.

4. Think about the obstacles you may face on the way

Once you realize it's really what you want and it's worth your full energy investment, then, with all that excitement do a reality check: think about what could be the things that can pull you away from it (hint: it can be yourself and lack of motivation, focus etc). Focus on the things you can control and don't let the unknown demotivate you from the get go.

5. Build your plan (a, b, c… ) to get there

I guess here the number of plans doesn't really matter, at this moment the point is to show yourself that the goal is nor just possible (wish) but probable (real steps can be taken towards it -1 step at a time).

It doesn't mean that if something you haven't thought of at the get go happens your goal will not be reached, you have to be open to adjust your plan as you go and if one reaches a dead end, bet to plan b (to be read path b) to get you to that same place.

The best analogy i think of is the way google maps is "recalculating" how to get to your destination when you had to take a different turn at some poit.

6. Have in hand your “if”…”then” on how to handle your obstacles, when stress kicks in we’re sometimes prone to not remember the solutions we already knew

7. Final thought: hope is a big driver for people when working on a common goal

Teams are more engaged when leaders are driving with hope.

Valentina