Hope

Hope is a feeling that a person can have for a particular outcome. It can be something very minor such as hoping it doesn’t rain or that tickets to the movie they want to see isn’t sold out. Other forms of hope are more serious in nature. For example you may be hoping that your dog makes it out of surgery without any complications so they can make a full recovery.

The hope that we have is something based on our personal believes. It is often tied into our own faith and religion as well. For example many people have family member’s right now in Iraq fighting the war. They hope and they pray each day for that person to return safely. They hold on to their faith as it is a way to get though difficult situations.

The benefit of having hope and a positive outlook for a situation is very important. Many people will tell you they just had a feeling that everything was going to work out alright. There has been plenty of research to indicate individuals who have hope recover from cancer and other types of illnesses faster and more often than those that don’t.

Some people keep their feelings of hope to themselves and they do engage in prayer. Some religions openly tell their congregation to engage in hope for themselves, those they know, and the world as a whole. Others give very emotional and motivational appeals about how to reach for hope and what it can offer you.

There are some great books out there that offer great information on how you can become more hopeful. Sometimes life throws us for a loop and we aren’t sure what to make of it. We can change our outlook though by finding things to hope for and to motivate us to keep striving for better things ahead.

Hope can provide a person with the strength they need to handle any situation regardless of what is taking place. Many professionals feel that hope is nothing more than a coping mechanism. Yet for many individuals it is a feeling that is much stronger and much deeper than that. What is agreed upon though is the hope a person has and the depth of it varies by individual.