Hopeful people are able to get what they want out of life.
Hope is the belief in a better future and that action can make it happen. Hope
is proactive and has three distinct components: Goals, Willpower, and Waypower.
First, clearly identify the goal for your self, accessing
your mental or spiritual energy (willpower thinking). This creates a clear and
compelling mental picture of the Goal. Waypower is thinking of numerous ways to achieve your
goal—this action counteracts frustration and fear. Willpower is tapping into Mind and Spirit to muster the
mental energy to pursue the goal.
Hope is a positive motivational state that is based on an
interactive thought process of a.) Goal identification; b.) Agency (willpower,
goal-directed energy); and c.) Pathways (waypower, strategies to meet goals).
Emotions follow thoughts. Thinking hopefully creates a range of emotions, such
as joy, awe and excitement that energize willpower thinking.
Core Beliefs
·
The future will be better than the present.
·
I have the power to make it so.
·
There are many paths to my goals.
·
None of the paths are free of obstacles.
Hope-related thinking is important. By constantly planning
strategies to meet one’s goals, and monitoring progress the individual stays on
task actively engaged in hopeful learning. Research shows that a hopeful
approach to learning goals is positively related to successes from academic
achievement to
sports
to arts to science to business.
Often goal identification, waypower thinking and willpower
energy are interactive. To move forward, trust the process and list tentative
goals and be open to revision throughout the process. Hopeful people pick good
goals, know how to make them happen, and spot and seek out the pathways that
will move them forward.
Goals—set
clear, attainable
goals
·
Picking goals can be tricky
·
Pick goals that you are excited about
·
Goals should align with your strengths
·
Develop multiple
strategies (waypower) to reach those goals
·
Stay motivated
(willpower) to implement your strategies
·
Use cues and defaults (waypower strategies) to help
implement and reach goals
A cue is a signal, such as a word or action, used to
prompt or help us remember and focus on the goal. With a default plan there is
no decision to make; it’s made for you. For example, setting up an automatic
transfer of money from a checking into savings account monthly to achieve a
goal such as a child’s college fund.
Hope is shared, interactive and contagious within our social
networks (best friends, role models and associates). We share hope by
displaying hopeful attitudes, taking proactive actions, sharing our life
stories, and by providing support to others. Hope empowers change.
The power of hope expresses in the many practical areas of daily life, the spiritual and religious, as well as emotional and mental processing.
Hope can create success in our relationships at work, at school, within
families, and in athletic team sports.
Hope Thinking—research
demonstrates improved:
·
Attendance—students are more likely to go to school,
and employees are more involved and enthusiastic at work.
·
Sustained effort—(Willpower) sustained effort on
academic and work tasks
·
Productivity---workers are more likely to be engaged,
satisfied, and creative.
·
Health---hopeful people tolerate more pain and
demonstrate healthy lifestyle practices
·
Well-being—satisfaction with life, positive emotions,
find meaning and purpose in life, and have strong support networks.
·
Longevity—people live longer and live better
Genuine hope is choosing to act as though good things
(goals) are possible and our actions (willpower and waypower) will have
meaningful results. Every imagined plan, goal, or objective is a sign of Hope
Thinking. Hope may not always be supported by the facts. However, rather than
give in to negativity and frightening circumstances, hope thinking proactively
creates alternative goals and strategies.
Hope thinking is an effective problem solving approach in
one’s personal life, relationships, group or team activity, and the work place.
It is a skill that needs to be developed and practiced until it is an automatic
reaction.
Begin with
small acts of hope
·
Train your attention to notice what is you want (this
is goal setting)
·
Respond with appreciation, express positive feelings
(demonstrate willpower)
·
Notice evidence of movement toward the goal comment on
it, and about it.
·
Train your attention to find genuine positives and to
be honestly appreciative (this is your waypower strategy)
When you feel stuck and frustrated as if you have no
purpose or focus, just pick a place to start. For example you are
procrastinating about job hunting, you could, a.) go for a run (any physical
activity) to energize will power; b.) make a list of activities that you enjoy
and next to each activity list a job with similar characteristics this
initiates goal setting; or c.) make a list of waypower strategies, ex.
Identify: your character strengths, professional organizations, networking
opportunities, job placement agencies.) As you stimulate creative energy in one
area, other areas become energized.
For example, you have a child, or employee that needs to
take out the trash in a timely manner. Set the goal: “It is important to keep our place clean and
healthy. Please take the trash out at the specified time.” Demonstrate
willpower: “I really appreciate your help
with this. It contributes to our success.” (repeat a supportive positive
comment often) Waypower strategy: “Over
the past weeks I have seen your good work on getting the trash out on time. I
am pleased by your work ethic, let me know if you have any ideas to share that
will make things run smoothly.”
Hope in the Workplace
Hope thinking managers develop active strategies
forcreating and maintaining hope in teams. They develop waypower strategies
that motivate workers when no incentives are available. Research confirms the
most effective rewards of work are intrinsic; it feels good to do a good job.
Hope thinking increases stress tolerance, develops resilience, and strengthens
productivity.
Workplace
Strategies to sustaining Hope
·
Willpower thinking
·
Discipline yourself to hopeful thinking
·
Stay focused on what is real,
·
Develop attentive listening skills—to create
relationships that foster hope.
·
Identify and believe in that one good thing might
happen to focus the team’s attention
·
As you train your own focus and attention, you are
training employee attention.
·
Waypower strategies
·
Share stories that emphasize the ability to survive
difficulties
·
Attention and focus set up opportunities for emerging waypower strategies
·
Listen to
workers until you find seeds of hope (you will be modeling the search for hope)
·
Model motivation (Hope thinking) to the team, discover
what they need to be motivated
Lifestyle
Changes to Foster Hope
· Aim
for eight hours of sleep.
· Expose
yourself to a little sunlight every day—for at least 15 minutes a day
· Exercise
now… and again. A 10-minute walk improves your mood for two hours
· Keep stress in check.
· Practice relaxation techniques.
· Do
something you enjoy every day—make a list of activities
· Spend
some time in nature
· List
what you like about yourself
· Talk
to friends or family face-to-face
· Listen
to music
· Do
something spontaneous
· Don’t
skip meals.
· Minimize
sugar and refined carbs.
· Focus
on complex carbohydrates
· Boost
your B vitamins.
· Try
super-foods, such as bananas (magnesium to decrease anxiety, vitamin B6 to
promote alertness, tryptophan to boost feel-good serotonin levels), brown rice
(serotonin, thiamine to support sociability), and spinach (magnesium, folate to
reduce agitation and improve sleep).
Snyder, C. R. (2000).
Handbook of Hope : Theory, Measures, and Applications.
San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
No comments:
Post a Comment