Hope and Optimism

As I write this week’s posting Christmas is just four days away. For weeks now the media has been inundating us with messages suggesting our economy and country are in the worst shape since the Great Depression and government leaders, including our president-elect, are likewise painting a picture of gloom and doom. Various taxpayer-funded bailouts have been implemented and more are being proposed to lift us from our malaise. During a season that is associated with hope and joy many of us are simply depressed or angry.

The dictionary defines hope as a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. To hope is to wish for something with the expectation of the wish being fulfilled. Sadly the voices of hope have been conspicuously silent during these challenging times. Leaders in every arena have failed to encourage and invite us to believe in ourselves and actually address the problems facing companies, communities, and the nation.

What would a message of hope sound like? First, I would suggest that being hopeful doesn’t mean we ignore reality. Telling people the truth and recognizing the pain of our current situation seems like a necessary ingredient for anyone who is seeking hope. A cancer patient facing treatment, families grieving the death of a loved one, or a parent reeling from the loss of their job share a common bond of anxiety and fear. Emotionally they must acknowledge their state of affairs while clinging to a belief that things will get better. Seeing a brighter future begins with the darkness that fills today.

Second, a message of hope depends on the support of others. Facing any obstacle alone is a recipe for despair and misery. Knowing that others care, hearing their kind words of encouragement, and experiencing their presence during our times of struggle can sustain us and provide a foundation for hope. When a business, government, or civic leader not only challenges us to believe in ourselves but also invites us to be part of the solution then the seeds of hope can sprout and grow. This thinking requires an optimistic outlook.

Optimism is a conclusion reached through a deliberate thought pattern that leads to a positive attitude. It differs from hope in that it is based less on emotion and more on putting actions and events in a favorable light anticipating a constructive outcome. Optimism and hope seem related in my way of thinking because we need both an emotional context and a practical approach to solve life’s toughest problems. While hope might be dismissed as blindly imagining a better future, being optimistic encourages us to actually see the obstacles as opportunities and work to create that same future.

I’m not suggesting that hope or optimism is easy or that either approach will quickly solve the incessant challenges we face as a nation. Many of us will first need to drink the bitter medicine of our own avarice and indifference. We must confess that spending what we do not have on things we do not need is at the root of our problems. There will be weeks, months, and maybe even a few years of real pain.

It will be the messages of hope and an optimistic spirit that carry us through and make us stronger. More than 2,000 years ago a message of hope was offered to a small group of society’s lowest class, peasants and shepherds. None of them understood the full measure of the words or what they witnessed. But they did act on the hope they were promised. Their willingness to share the message and optimistically embrace the possibilities that a new era was dawning has impacted our world in immeasurable ways. Are you, as a business and community leader, also committed to sharing a word of hope and living with an optimistic outlook? Your decision could also shape the depth and breadth of our current environment. Status quo or change the world, it’s up to you.