Your Daily Dose of Hope

Today I want to reflect a bit. I started this 8 weeks ago and have shared a post M-F since then about hope and hopefulness and how it can help us in moments big and small in our lives. Since then, many have reached out to let me know that you've found this encouraging and I really appreciate the feedback and the encouragement. Thanks for letting me know and for your suggestions. A few questions ab...

Today I’m diving into something we all experience: the struggle between hope and fear. These two forces shape our decisions, our outlook, and ultimately, our lives. The Nature of Fear Fear is hardwired into us. It's that voice that whispers "what if everything goes wrong?" It's the weight in your chest when facing uncertainty. Fear served our ancestors well—it kept them alive in dangerous environm...

Hope is more than just a positive emotion or an optimistic feeling. It’s also a powerful psychological resource that impacts our physical and mental health as well. Research tells us that a hopeful outlook can lead to health benefits. We know that hopefulness involves having goals, finding pathways to achieve those goals, and maintaining the motivation and inspiration to to pursue them, even when...

Hope is one of the foundations of our world And what’s even better is that hope isn’t just something we can have, it’s also something that we can give.  Hear the 5 Stages of Hope and how they can help you recognize how you can cultivate and nurture hope.

Hope and curiosity share a special connection. Both look at the unknown with a sense of anticipation rather than fear. While hope helps us envision a better future, curiosity helps us check out the pathways that might lead us there. Curiosity keeps hope honest. It asks the essential questions: How might this work? What haven't we considered? Where else might we look? Who knows more about this than...

Hope and creativity share a profound connection because they both require us to imagine what doesn't yet exist. When we create, we bring something new into the world; when we hope, we envision a future different from today. Creativity gives hope its form and substance. Through art, innovation, and problem-solving, we take things that can feel abstract and make them tangible. The painter captures t...

Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. Anne Lamott When our world seems full of challenges and uncertainty, hope can feel like something that once ran smoothly but has mysteriously crashed. Because hope isn't simply optimism or wishful thinking; it's the engine that powers meaningful change and resilience. Like restarting a computer, we sometimes need...

Hope begins as a small spark within us - it's a belief that better days are possible. There's also an energy surrounding hope that extends beyond ourselves. I have always considered hope as a solitary mission - something that's personal and up to me to choose and to nurture. That still feels right to me but I've also seen the effects of hope - and its impact extends far beyond its origin.

"We choose hope over fear. We see the future not as something out of our control, but as something we can shape for the better through concerted and collective effort. Those words were part of a speech given by President Obama at the UN general assembly in 2014. He went on to talk about how there are a number of things in the world that make us worry if we are safe, and if we can pull together to...

Here in Ohio, it's still cold but the days are longer and we've seen the sun a bit lately so it feels safe to think of spring. My good friend Teresa is an amazing gardener. It's one of her passions. She plans her vegetable and flower gardens and every year take joy in tending to and then harvesting and enjoying what she's grown. But it starts with planting seeds. That's a hopeful act -isn't it? Pl...

I was fortunate to go on a business retreat recently and one of the things that I came away with was the idea of no agenda. Not the meeting agenda but the "no agenda" idea that sometimes I can do things just because. Because it feels right in the moment, or because it makes me happy, or because it's something I like to do. In the business sense I recognized that I can share things that are helpful...

Sometimes, we can’t find hope within ourselves—but that doesn’t mean we have to go without it. Borrowing hope means you can lean on the belief, encouragement, and vision of others when our own feels out of reach. That might look like the friend who reminds you of your strength, the mentor who sees your potential, or the community that uplifts you when you’re struggling.

Hope Floats, a poem by Donna Ashworth

Today I want to share a few resources that I find hopeful. There's a lot going on in the world at large and most of us are doing the best we can to make good choices and decisions for ourselves and our families today. Big problems require big solutions and there are times when I feel like nothing I do will really matter. Except it does. We have evidence that when we do what we can to stay grounded...

One of the things I like best about the idea of holding hope and being hopeful is that it can exist in less-than-favorable conditions. Hope doesn't require perfection or ease or a plan. In fact, when none of those things are around - that's when hope is most helpful. Today I'm covering few examples that came to mind for me when i was thinking about how hope can co-exist with all manner of circumst...

I've been thinking about the infinite nature of hope. We all see and experience the world through our own lens after all, but I do think hope is one of those universal truths – one of those things that transcends culture, time and space and everything that makes us all unique humans. In that way hope is for all of us, everywhere, in any circumstance. What does it mean to share hope as a resource t...

Hope is a risk because it's a choice. It's choosing to move forward when we'd rather quit. It's asking for help when we'd rather not. It's saying I'm worth it when the world wants us to devalue ourselves. It's risky to want things, to hope for a better tomorrow, to have faith that things can improve. Because they might not. We aren't guaranteed anything in this life - even tho we'd like to think s...

Why is it so hard for us to admit we need help now and then? Is it a woman thing? I don't think so. I know plenty of men who would rather struggle for hours on something before asking for help. It may be a bit of an American thing. After all, part of being an American is the belief that we can do anything, accomplish anything if we just try hard enough. But we know that effort alone isn't always e...

What does it mean to be an advocate? How can self-advocacy help us? I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Today I see information related to advocacy around things both political and cause related. At it's essence it's taking a stand for myself, for others, for a cause I care about and it's a way to engage with our world. Big problems often require complex solutions that aren't black and whi...

What would your tomorrow self think about what you are doing (or not doing) today? today? That perspective is helpful for me especially when I'm avoiding a task or project that needs my focus and attention. Sometimes it's little things too. Like emptying the dishwasher. I don't know why I avoided this but a I did and then a couple years ago, I had something heating in the microwave for a couple mi...

Car trouble when I was away from home meant I needed to ask for help. Thankfully, there were people who did and who showed concern and kindness in what would have been a much more stressful moment. Their kindness brought me hope and made me think about my own willingness to be helpful and what it means to befriend a stranger if even for a few minutes.

A few days ago I talked about the idea of a bucket of hope - things we carry with us to help us stay hopeful on the days when you need a little help. A friend mentioned that affirmations do that for her. I wanted to know more since that's not something I've really used. Here's what I've learned: Neuroplasticity, or your brain’s ability to adapt to different circumstances throughout life, is part o...

What's the next thing? I'm a small business owner and many of my days are full of "next things" like the next deadline, the next zoom meeting, the next podcast launch. I'm guessing you have days like that too. I'm okay with it because I like the work I do and I enjoy our clients so much - they are so talented and smart. It's fun work. But there are days when I spend too much time thinking about wh...

What's your soul's purpose? Is that something you think about? I confess wonder now and then about the whole meaning of life - I mean why ARE we here? My friend recently did a soul reading for me based on a specific practice that she's learned and it was fascinating to hear what felt like my thoughts spoken back to me. I believe you and I are here for a reason and I think that we are connected in...

Why hope? Good question. There are so many things in life that are unpredictable and outside our ability to change or control - hope is one of those things that makes the uncontrollable feel less overwhelming. I'm not talking about the rainbow and unicorns - maybe we'll win the lottery kind of hope (not that there's anything wrong with that) but hope that's grounded in what we know to be true. Abo...