Moving from Hopeless to Hope

Yesterday at the ICAHN Social Determinants of Health Conference, the closing speaker, Kathryn Goetzke, MBA, Chairman and Chief Hope Officer at the Shine Hope Company, said something that really resonated with me. She said, “We as humans are at times all hopeless.” I think we forget that it is ok from time to time be hopeless. In this Barbie infused social media fake world we live in it is hard to remember it is ok to not have it all together.

It is what we do when we feel hopeless and how often we fall into that pit that makes the difference. Sometimes embracing the suck and rising above it can be the biggest win. As leaders, you have to own your struggle in a way that allows other people to see you. You must find the courage to leave your safe harbor to lead a purpose-filled life. The difficult things in life have led to the most beautiful growth. What can you learn from your hopeless moments? Here are a few things I have learned from mine:

• You are never alone in the struggle. I have always found when I am at my lowest there are people that walk alongside me and share the journey.
• We are smarter than we know. Sometimes we doubt what we feel and what we think we know and let self-doubt creep in. Stop it! You are smarter than you know.
• You are loved more than you know.
• You have a 100% success rate of surviving so far. No matter how bad things get, the sun will set and rise again on another day. Hang on to that hope.

Overcoming Hopeless Days

How you overcome struggles and your own hopeless days says much about you as a leader but more importantly about you as a person. According to Psychology Today, “the best way to act against your hopelessness is to do the opposite of how you are feeling. Our beliefs and moods often become self-fulfilling prophecies. If I feel hopeless, I will isolate myself, remain passive, and ruminate. But acting the opposite of the way you feel is often a good way to break the chains of hopelessness.”

Hopelessness is the price one pays for self-awareness. Look deeply into life, and you’ll always find hopelessness. Self-awareness if the first step in emotional intelligence and the path to being a more enlightened human. When you’re feeling hopeless just remember change is coming.

I hope this reminds you that you never have to be done growing, learning, and changing and it is ok to feel hopeless from time to time. That’s the view from where I sit this week.