Turning Hopes Into Reality

Hope is patience with the lamp lit.

If you are in the 45 percent of people who typically make New Year’s resolutions, it is said that you have just an eight percent chance of being successful in achieving these goals.

This month I would like to suggest another way to make positive, substantive changes to our lives. This simple yet powerful exercise is often called the “hope letter.”

One of the key platforms of positive psychology is hope theory which was originally developed just a quarter of a century ago. Hope theory states that achievement comes by focusing on three factors: having a goal, having pathways and methods of achieving that goal, and believing in our ability to reach that goal. In their research Rick Snyder the chief architect of this theory and others learned that people who have high hopes tend to cope better with physical pain and be happier and more satisfied.

The hope letter

Snyder’s ideas have inspired the idea of the hope letter. For when we write down how we will achieve our hopes and dreams, we are more successful in making them come true. These are my suggested steps to doing this:

1. Write it down

Address your hope letter to yourself and date it one year in the future.

2. Don’t limit yourself

Take the time to imagine how it would be if you accomplished all of your goals. Consider your career, health, relationships, finances, family, friends, community, fun and personal growth. If you need a writing prompt, try this: What do I hope to have accomplished a year from now?

3. Be accountable

Give your hope letter to a family member or friend you can confide in. Ask them to send it back to you one year from the date you wrote it.

You may be surprised by just how many things on your list you achieved. One reason for this is that when you make an intention, your actions follow. Celebrate what you do achieve, learn from what you don’t, and then write your hope letter for the year ahead.

You may also like to encourage your family, friends and colleagues to write their own hope letters and send them to you! So rather than just simply wishing for what you want, try writing a hope letter instead.

Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

By Ron Tustin. Read more here.

Revive and Thrive Coaching, Professional Coach.

Website: www.reviveandthrivecoaching.com

Email: info@rtc.org.nz

Motivating baby boomers to see the world with fresh eyes.