As we edge towards the end of one year, and beginning of another, we have a chance to get reacquainted with hope and what it means to us.
We can begin to think about…
- How is it present or missing from our lives
- The ways we crave it, and sometimes put it on things that don’t deserve it
- Times we lost it in ourselves, along with our ability to connect with, and successfully create, what we dream about in our hearts
The idea of hope can get a bad rap, too, because it gets mixed up with the energy of “expectation” – the desire for things to turn out a specific way in order to be happy and fulfilled.
And when we hope, but take no action or trust ourselves, it can fall flat. It can also become derailed if we ignore what we are feeling and “hope” it will change, missing the power of what it can really offer.
Which is why I think that during this time of year, it’s especially important to give hope a powerful side-kick.
Connect it with gratitude, forgiveness, a deeper connection to what you value, and faith in what you cannot yet see in the material.
Give it a boost by offering some to another, supporting a cause you believe in, or offering time to help someone you know.
Create art and share words about what you love and why it matters to you, as an act of self-healing and inspiration to others.
Make it a priority to daydream and trust that what you see and wish for is possible, even in the smallest of ways.
See the value in the little things you do for yourself and others, and all the ways you contribute to the world around you, even if they seem insignificant. Trust me, it’s not.
Yet the most important thing is to acknowledge how the seeds of hope held close to the heart grew into something bigger and more powerful in unexpected ways.
For me, personally, hope enabled me to:
- Learn how strong I am in ways I didn’t expect.
- Connect with beautiful hearts and souls I never thought I would find, who are now my friends.
- Grow my creative skills through amazing opportunities because I carried a sense of hope that inspired me to jump into them with both feet.
- Start and grow a Creative Mastermind group at my local co-working space, The Articulate, filled with amazing, beautiful creative souls, and more on the way.
- Participate in a 48 hour film festival with a magnificently talented team, and we won.
- Find new ways to speak out through my blog, podcast, writing, while discovering a few new areas of personal growth to learn through.
However, there’s no denying the last few years have been hard for so many in different ways. I am not exempt from my own personal challenges. While there are some curve balls I’m juggling as I head into the new year, hope is part of how I’m handling them with as much grace and ease as I can. The other powerful part is knowing the experience will provide me with richer, more amazing insight and self-growth along the way, if I’m open to receiving it.
A new year ahead might signal just another 365 days to some. To me it’s 365 opportunities to live by my creative heart. And I truly believe hope inspires creativity.
So, in what ways did you call on hope this year, and how has it served to you create, grow, or inspire? How have you lost it, but found something more powerful?
Interested in connecting with posts on similar topics, check out this oldie, but goodie on the blog, Anchoring in a Personal Power Theme. Looking for a little creative coaching or an intuitive reading to get through the rest of year, and inspired for the next? Connect with me for an appointment.
Have a great holiday season and back in mid-January! Cheers!