Cultivating Hope: Finding Light When Life Feels Heavy
Hey everyone,
I’ve been off the grid for a few days—had to get a couple of tooth extractions, and to make things more interesting, I ended up getting the flu on top of that. Let’s just say it wasn’t my best week. Between the physical pain and the frustration of feeling completely knocked out, I found myself in a space I don’t visit often: hopelessness.
We’ve all been there, right? Those moments where the hits just keep on coming, and it feels like you can’t catch a break. Whether it’s health problems, job stress, or just life throwing curveballs, it’s easy to slip into the mindset of “What’s the point?” But I’ve learned something important—hope isn’t just something we stumble upon when things are going well. It’s something we cultivate, especially when things are hard.
The Practice of Hope
Hope is not passive. It’s not sitting around waiting for things to get better. Hope is active, intentional, and, like any skill, it requires practice. In the middle of feeling sick and physically drained, I realized that hope isn’t about ignoring the bad stuff. It’s about acknowledging the pain, the setbacks, the frustration—and then choosing to believe that something better is coming.
In a way, hope is like planting a seed. You put it in the ground knowing you won’t see it sprout immediately. You water it, tend to it, and trust that with time, it’ll grow into something real. The tricky part is that when you’re in the thick of it, feeling like you’re not making progress, hope can seem pointless. But that’s precisely when hope is most powerful—when it’s hard to hold onto.
Finding Hope in Small Moments
During my recovery, there were days when even getting out of bed felt like an accomplishment. But here’s the thing: sometimes, hope isn’t about big, sweeping changes. It’s about noticing the small victories, the little shifts. Like the day I finally felt the swelling go down in my mouth or when I could get through a few hours without feeling like I’d been hit by a bus.
Hope can be as simple as appreciating that small improvement, even when everything else still feels tough. It’s acknowledging that even though you’re not 100%, you’re moving in the right direction. And sometimes, that’s enough to keep you going.
The Power of Perspective
One of the things I’ve learned—both through my own struggles and from helping others as a spiritual counselor—is that hope is all about perspective. It’s not about denying that things are hard; it’s about choosing to focus on the potential for things to get better. When I was lying in bed, feeling physically and mentally drained, I had two options: I could spiral into frustration, or I could remind myself that this was temporary.
Hope doesn’t eliminate the pain, but it gives you the strength to push through it. It’s like a guiding light—something to move toward, even when you’re not sure how long it’ll take to get there.
Hope Is a Choice
I’ve come to realize that hope is a choice we make every day. It’s easy to be hopeful when things are going well, but the real practice comes when life gets messy. When you’re tired, sick, or feeling overwhelmed, that’s when you dig deep and choose hope, even when it doesn’t feel natural.
Cultivating hope means letting go of the need to control every outcome. It means trusting that, despite the setbacks, there’s still potential for growth, for healing, for better days ahead. It’s about embracing uncertainty and believing that the future holds possibilities you can’t yet see.
How to Cultivate Hope in Your Life
If you’re feeling stuck, sick, or just plain out of steam, here are a few practical ways to start cultivating hope:
Focus on Small Wins: When everything feels overwhelming, shift your attention to the little victories. It might be something as simple as getting through the day or finding a moment of peace in the chaos. Celebrate those wins—they matter.
Change the Story You Tell Yourself: Hope begins in the mind. If you’re constantly telling yourself that things won’t get better, you’ll start to believe it. Shift the narrative. Remind yourself that setbacks are temporary and that growth comes from struggle.
Surround Yourself with Support: Whether it’s friends, family, or a community, having people around you who can offer encouragement makes a huge difference. When your own hope wavers, let someone else remind you why it’s worth holding onto.
Create Space for Rest: Sometimes, hope comes from giving yourself permission to pause. Rest, recover, and give your body and mind the time they need to heal. Hope doesn’t always mean pushing forward relentlessly—it also means knowing when to step back.
Trust the Process: Remember, like that seed you plant in the ground, you won’t see instant results. But trust that with time, effort, and care, something will grow. You may not always know when or how, but trust the process.
This week reminded me how fragile we can feel when life hits us with the unexpected—whether it’s tooth extractions, the flu, or something far more serious. But in those moments, we have a choice. We can surrender to the difficulties, or we can cultivate hope, even if it’s just a small glimmer.
Hope isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a daily practice, a decision to trust in the possibility of something better. And even when you’re knocked down, tired, and wondering how you’ll make it through, remember this: hope has a way of sprouting when you least expect it.
With Love,
Gene
