“Hope is a fantastic noun and a shit verb.”
Unknown [1]
Just take a moment to reflect on that quote for a minute.
How many times have you heard people say, “I hope ..”?
Hope as a verb is not a strategy for success because hoping for something, doesn’t make it happen.
Having hope, however, is a different story.
People who have hope think in three distinct ways [2]:
- They think about goals and solutions, rather than focusing on the problem;
- They generate multiple pathways or options to achieve their goals; and
- They believe that have agency and the skills to achieve their goals.
So, if you want to help someone generate hope:
- Help them to think about their goals by asking them about what they want, rather than what they don’t;
- Help them develop multiple pathways by working with them on different options; and
- Work with them to identify their strengths and situations when they have achieved similar goals in the past.
[1] Does anyone know the origins of this quote?
[2] David B. Feldman, C. R. Snyder (2005). Hope and the Meaningful Life: Theoretical and Empirical Associations Between
