The Hope Cycle

Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast

Hope is the antidote to fear. It gives us enough belief that good things can happen in the future. Hope can help us get through tough times and lead us to a more fulfilling life. Hope is much more than an emotion. It is actually a resourceful tool that is available and abundant. We just need to learn how to create and share it with others.

To obtain hope, you need momentum. It is helpful to name the core beliefs that undergirds on how to hope. Not just knowing the core beliefs but, how they work together is even more important. Rick Snyder first proposed the idea of hopes three-part process that carries us to a better future. These three parts are presented as a set of learnable skills. Let’s examine these.

GOALS

We all seek out and identify an idea of where we want to go and what we desire to accomplish, who we want to become – whether tomorrow or over a lifetime. Many life goals are vague and fleeting and soon forgotten. Other goals are actively sharpened and modified over time. Hope is built from the goals that matter the most to us – we keep coming back to them time and time again. These types of goals fill our mind with pictures of the future.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1.

Agency

The word agency is short-hand for our perceived ability to shape our lives day by day. As agents we know that we can make things happen or stop them from happening. We take the responsibility for moving forward toward our goals. In time we develop the necessary ability for the necessary motivation to stay the task. We build our capacity for persistence and long-term effort. Agency makes us the authors of our lives.

I can do all things through him who strengthens me – Philippians 4:13

Pathways

We seek out multiple pathways to our goals, pick the most important routes for our situation and monitor our progress over time. These are the plans that carry us forward. We remain in touch and aware of obstacles that can arise at any time. So, we remain curious and open to finding better paths to our desired future.

For now, see these elements as a continuous feedback loop. Each element can set the others into motion. Each interacts with the others in ways that can reinforce, modify, or diminish them. When each of these elements are strong, they form a cycle that enhances our hope. When even one element is weak hope diminishes until we intervene to strengthen the element that is undeveloped or failing.

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