I have heard acronyms for the word ‘hope’ such as “Hold On, Please endure" and "Hold On, Pain Ends." I believe those capture the essence of the word and many people's experience. I’ve learned through counselling that there is massive power in hope. When hope then mixes with optimism a resonating power emerges. A structured approach for achieving goals comes when hope and optimism fuse together. With hope and optimism there is less permanence with a challenging situation. I have witnessed many people cultivate hope and optimism as two ingredients in their recovery journey with substance use. That their lives could be different. Free from the shackles of slavery. Alcohol. Cocaine. Gambling slot machine. The slavery takes many forms. I have seen men find optimistic hope for their lives by being able to deal appropriately with anger and not have anger deal with them. I have watched men and women who have been through trauma discover their inner healing. As individuals, as family units, as co-workers, as a society, may we not underestimate the power of hope and optimism!
If you feel you are lacking in hope - counselling can be a great place to start by borrowing the hope offered by your therapist.
