Guest post by Ted Cole/@crossrdofchange
Once you choose hope, anything’s possible” – Christopher Reeve
“Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark” – George Iles
I am delighted to feature Wellness Coach and Writer, Ted Cole to expand on one of my favorite topics, the power of hope. Ted and I met through his wife Cate Russell-Cole when Ted emailed me with his thoughts on how hope has worked in his life. He has some interesting thoughts about how hope is a choice we all have.
Welcome, Ted!
The Power of Hope
My interest in hope started just after surviving a series of life challenges. These challenges came in quick succession, barely allowing me to take a breath in between. I became unemployed, when my job of 25 years disappeared through downsizing; then divorced after a 25 year marriage. The challenges progressed into a full-blown life crisis, where I questioned whether or not I was getting what I wanted from life. Then the truth hit me… I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Without any life purpose, I had no direction and a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness pursued. I was truly drowning in despair. I became clinically depressed and stressed, which resulted in a serious of related medical problems. I was hanging on by a thread.
How I could have survived all of this? That is where “the power of hope” comes in. I remember sitting under a tree in a park reading a self-help book and desperately seeking a solution. One of the chapters was on change. In essence, the message was that we are the product of the accumulated changes in our lives. Now, surprisingly that chapter did not mention something which came quite intuitively to me. That being, that if we are the product of our changes, then it must follow that we are the product of our choices. That became the spark I needed to move forward. It became evident that hope would not just happen, instead it had to be as a result of a conscious choice. I could choose to do nothing and continue down the spiral of despair, or I could choose to make choices which would lead me along a path of becoming more hopeful.
In my despair and depression, reality became quite surreal. That seemed to make me gravitate towards writing as a means of recording what was happening. This was a journal of sorts, a way of slowing down and giving more meaning to what was happening, thereby making it real. This grounded me, which led to me to ponder my real purpose in life. With a lot of soul-searching I discovered that my purpose is helping others who have been drawn off-course by events in their lives. This eventually led me to my pursuit of Intentional Living. I realized how close I had been to being spiritually bankrupt and I got back to my Christian roots, which was the missing link in the chain.
Looking back, my progression was that I first viewed hope as a separate entity (this was a symptom of my spiritual bankruptcy); which then developed into my belief that hope and faith were intertwined (my faith rediscovered). However, a more recent revelation occurred to me, which was that hope could only come from a foundation of faith.
Faith and Hope compliment each other and work together as “the power of hope.”
After a lot of research as to how other people define hope, I have come to the conclusion that hope, like faith, love, compassion, joy and happiness, is unique to each person.
Each of us defines what hope is in our own context, and the power that can be derived from it.
The following is my summation of lessons learned about the power of hope and faith:
1 Faith is the foundation of hope. Without faith as the foundation, hope becomes empty and false.
2 Faith provides the confidence and assurance of what we are hoping for.
3 Without faith and hope you cannot move forward with your life’s purpose.
4 Faith is the belief that the unseen will happen, hope is the energy we put into nurturing it.
5 Transforming Purpose and Hope into fulfillment takes a high degree of Determination and courage (I call this PHD – there will be more on PHD on my blog).
6 Excuses do not support a path to hope, only action will pave that path. I personally have to be actively participating, or at least influencing an outcome, to remain hopeful.
7 Hope, like acts of encouragement, joy, love and kindness, are all magical gifts which we can give in abundance; never having to worry about depleting their stores.
8 The power of hope thrives when we joyfully embrace it and are truly thankful for it.
Hope is the flame on the candle of faith. The flame of hope can flicker and dim, but it can never be extinguished by life’s challenges, as long as we maintain our foundation of faith.
May your flame of hope shine brightly, to help light the path for others.
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Thank you ,Ted, for sharing your personal journey of how the power of hope has worked in your life. I especially appreciate the idea that hope is a choice, rooted in faith. I also agree that hope is unique to each person.
How about you? We may all have a different way of finding hope in our lives. How has the power of hope worked for you? We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~
Next Week: “Music Matters in Memoir Writing: A Reflection”
“Hope is the flame on the candle of faith.” I often light a candle in my darkness and I will never do so without thinking of this line. Thank you Ted and Kathy for this blog. Like many people I struggle in January and recently had a setback in my treatment and was feeling so discouraged. This post inspired me to keep on fighting. I was introduced to Ted’s wife,Kate Russell-Cole, through her Written Acts of Kindness Award and it lifts my spirit to meet, even if only vicariously, such good people.
Dear Pat, I love how our words can keep us connected in so many meaningful ways. Thank you so much for your lovely comments. I’m happy your spirits have been lifted through Ted’s post. Ted and Cate are shining their light all the way from Australia and you from Switzerland. I hope your discouragement will continue to lift. I agree, January can be a bummer. It’s nice we can choose to “think spring” 🙂
Best wishes from down under. Thanks for your kind remarks Pat. I find it takes a determined, almost warrior-lke attitude, to conquer setbacks and turn purpose into reality. You may be interested in catching my blog posts on PHD (Purpose Hope and Determination). The first installment went up on my blog yesterday. These three elements are intrinsically intertwined and are the essence of purposeful living……. Hope to catch up with you again.
Thanks Ted and Kathy for your motivating post today. The phrase you mentioned Ted, “if we are the product of our changes, then it must follow that we are the product of our choices,” is the one that resonates with me the most.
I believe it takes effort and drive to reach our dreams. When I wanted to get married in my late twenties, I didn’t wait for “Prince charming” to land in front of me, when I wanted to publish my memoir and was rejected, I took charge and set up my own publishing company, when our oldest son was heading down the wrong path in the U.S., my husband and I uprooted our family and moved to Central America. I do believe we are responsible for the direction we wish to take our lives; now there are always going to be setbacks, and things that we have to adjust to, however, it’s our personal choice as to how we decide to overcome these obstacles. Thanks again for making me think early on a Monday morning.
Yes, Sonia, you show so well how you have created your own hope by taking responsibility for your choices and now look at you- the poster child for what it means to be “Gusty”:-)
That was my favorite part of Ted’s post,too. We can be proactive and make our own choices, thereby creating our own hope. So empowering. Thanks so much for weighing in with your great comments so early on Monday morning!
Thanks Sonia. Yes, choosing hope is the best gift that we can ever give ourselves. Hope also comes from choosing a course of action by making those tough decisions that advance us along our path. It sounds like you have also discovered the ingredient that creates miracles…. that being determination. So set your mind on coming to Australia and it will become a reality. My wife and I will be your tour guide when you arrive 😉
I forgot to say, I’d love to visit Brisbane. I have several blogger friends in Australia, and that’s another country on my list of places I’d like to do a house swap or spend several months experiencing life in Australia.
And, I have no doubt you will make it happen, Sonia xo
Hi Kathy, this article written by you and Ted will give hope to many of the needy readers. Thank you both for producing these marvelous gems. There was a nice article in NY Times: Are you the person you had thought you would be. I responded to that article, basically giving all the reasons “why not”. To begin with, I believe, the genes we are born with, being ‘in the presence’ with an aptitude to improve our life, and finding a way are the keys. Our culture also plays a big role. The range of one’s cowardly emotions puts us back. MLK said,”Take the First Step in Faith.” Our faith strengthens our hope and we see changes in our thinking power and actions…as you know.
Great points, Smita. We each have our own unique perspective and have to negotiate with ourselves to step out in faith to nurture our hope. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate you stopping by, as always.
Hi Smita. Thank you so much for your comments on my blog post and the thought provoking question “Are you the person you had thought you would be?” The sad part is when people get so misdirected by being bombarded with external influences, that they lose sight of WHO they are and their life purpose. It then takes a lot of soul searching to rediscover their life purpose and what we must do to satisfy that need. Then it takes a mix of courage, determination, faith and hope to change course and make it happen.
Ted,
Your discussion about how faith and hope are intertwined is certainly aligned well with the theme of Kathy’s memoir! I, too, believe that the two are related, and I derive much hope from my faith. Kathy, the little angel holding a butterfuly (a symbol of hope) that you sent to me a couple of years ago sits prominently on my dresser, reminding me every day of the good things that await those who seek them. Wonderful post!
Yes, Libbye, Ted’s ideas resonate deeply with me and the theme of my memoir. So happy the angel is doing her job,nurturing hope in things unseen.:-) Thanks so much for stopping by. I’m happy you enjoyed Ted’s post!
Thanks for your comments Libbye. Hope is such a wonderful topic to write about. Although everyone has their own definition of hope, the one thing that seems common is the unshakeable certainty that hope and faith are intertwined and supports each other. It is good to have little treasures to remind us ever day to be hopeful.
Kathy and Ted:
Thanks for sharing your insight into the power of hope! I think the “dark days” of winter challenge even the most optimistic among us, so I can only imagine how difficult they must be for those tending toward depression. I do believe hope is a choice and faith is its precursor. The two go hand in hand. The Bible tells us that!
Amen, Debbie! “Hope is a choice and faith is a precursor” really does sum up Ted’s thought-provoking ideas on the power of hope. I think it’s a great reminder for all of us to seek and grab on to all the hope we can. Appreciate your comments, as always. Thanks.
Thanks Debbie. The power of Faith and Hope together creates our miracles to overcome any obstacle. My conscientious choice of taking a hopeful path changed my life forever, as I am sure it has for many other people who made that same choice.
Dear Kathy and Ted,
Thank you for sharing this and all the other stories of hope and testaments to faith on this site.
Indeed the power of hope lies for me in this:.never stop believing in the magic of a new day, a surprise waiting around the corner when you least expect it, a new person you might meet, an amazing conversation.
And as you say, Ted, life is a series of choices; mostly, you have to believe in yourself . . . the rest will follow, as long as you take action, put one step in front of the other . . . moving forward.
There is a definite spiritual aspect to sharing our stories – whether here on this blog or in a community of writers in person; the generosity and the gift of giving that part of us that is most human through the power of words and storytelling.
Susan, Thank you for sharing what the power of hope means to you,” never stop believing in the magic of a new day”…lovely thoughts. I also appreciate your comment on the spiritusl aspects of sharing our stories and am so happy you stopped by to share your thoughts. I agree Ted has prompted a lot of heartfelt responses.
I appreciate your wonderful comments Susan. It is always a pleasure to share ideas on the power of hope and blogging is such a great way of doing that. I agree, words can be a powerful gift to express our beliefs, emotions and attitudes and sharing these thoughts, whether written or spoken, can indeed be very spiritual.. Thanks again.
I too, was energized by this post. Hope is often misrepresented as something that happens in the future. I now can see that hope must have faith and without the foundation of faith, hope cannot be realized. I will choose to embrace hope, believing that the choices I make will be God’s direction for my life. Faith will provide the confidence and assurance of what I hope for. Such a great thoughts to give me assurance that 2013 will be one of joy and blessing from the Lord.
Dear Kathy, It’s nice to meet you. I appreciate you taking the time to leave your lovely comments and am happy that Ted’s post on hope and faith resonated with you. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks Kathy. Hope is the best gift that anyone can choose to give themselves and others. The marvelous thing is that like love, we can give away as much hope as we like, never having to worry about running out. Given unconditionally we always get back more hope then we have given. This is the circle of hope.
Embracing hope with a foundation of faith, can create miracles in our lives. I am sure that 2013 will be your most hopeful and joyful year ever.
Thank you Ted for a thoughtful essay on the importance of hope in your life. And thank you Kathy for offering this site as a meeting place for connection around a very important topic, hope. I’ve long held to what I call the “Tapestry theory of life.” In it, my life is a large tapestry, a beautiful tapestry, but one that I can see only a small portion of. But I believe, I have faith that if I could, I’d see how my part fits into the whole. Others I know have used this same idea but call it a “TV Show theory of life” — if we are changing channels all the time, we never get a chance to really know the full program, what our life is really about. Sometimes we just have to sit still and listen. I find opportunity in your site to sit still and listen. And I thank you. Yours is a quiet voice among so much noise.
Hi Janet. I really like your “Tapestry theory of life.”You are right, we never get to see the whole tapestry, only the part which we are busily weaving. The trick is to step back sometime and enjoy the tapestry, instead of focusing solely on the task of weaving. The intriguing question would be… what we view the treads to be. With my blog called “Crossroads of Change” I think you might be able to guess what I believe those treads are…… One change intersecting another, just as our lives intersect each others. One huge never-ending tapestry. I hope you drop by my blog sometime so we can discuss your wonderful tapestry theory further.
Dear Janet, I am so happy you enjoyed Ted’s post and am enthralled with your description about the “Tapestry theory of life” as well as with Ted’s response to “step back and enjoy the entire tapestry not just the part we are weaving.” Your comments about being able to sit back and listen when you visit this site are everything I want to hear. Greatly appreciated as is your presence here “around my kitchen table”. Thank you so much for your comments.
Oh, Kathy, you knew I’d treasure Ted’s message! I, too, believe hope is necessarily all wrapped up in faith. They are divinely intertwined. I also appreciate Susan Weidener’s thoughts, and Ted’s replies, about using our words to share our hope with others. It took me more than half a century to notice it, but the Bible tells us in several places that we are supposed to share our stories of hope and faith with our children and grandchildren (Deuteronomy 4:9, Deuteronomy 6:5-9, Psalm 145:3-7, etc.). That’s what your memoir is about, Kathy, and so many others. I can’t think of a finer way to invest one’s time and energy and skills! Thanks, Ted and Kathy, for this inspiring blog post, and I’m looking forward to checking out Ted’s blog.
Linda
Dear Linda, I’m so glad you are enjoying this conversation as much as I am. Ted’s post on faith and hope certainly has resonated. I appreciate your reminders of biblical references to sharing hope and faith with our children and memoir writing being”no better way to invest time and energy.” It inspires me to keep doing what I’m doing. Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support and validation.
Blessings,
Kathy
I appreciate your comments Linda. “Divinely Intertwined” perfectly described the interplay of faith and hope. I really like that phrase, thank you. It was such a pleasure to finally post my thoughts on the Power of Hope, which has been percolating for quite some time. Please drop by my blog. Future posts will be centered on “Challenge – Choice – Change” and “Purposeful Living”.
I have nominated you for the above award. Check my blog at http://newkidintown1995.blogspot.com for the rules and guidelines.
Thank you.
Thanks, Daron. I appreciate the nomination!
I am sorry. I forgot to name the name of the award that i nominated you for. It is the Inspiring Blogger Award. Check out my site at http://newkidintown1995.blogspot.com
for the rules and guidelines.