Who is responsible for HOPE?
“Hope without action is like a Ferrari in your garage with an empty gas tank.
It’s nice to look at, but it won’t get you anywhere.”
Don E. Smith
I listen to a lot of recorded books. At the end of each book an announcer says, “We hope you’ve enjoyed this book”. That makes me wonder, “If I have just completed listening to the recording of a book you sold me, what are you hoping for?”
Are you hoping I will buy another one?
Are you hoping I will refer you to a friend?
Are you hoping the narration wasn’t too bad?
Are you hoping I am not lying on the ground bleeding to death because my experience was so bad I slashed my wrists?
What outcome can one expect when someone expresses hope for them? Not much!
So, I’m asking you, “Who takes responsibility for HOPE, the Hoper or the Hopee?”
Why there is so much Hope and so little Progress
Let’s face it, Hope is an orphan. It is born out of the union between desperation and idealism. No one cares for Hope, feeds it or shelters it. It is just recklessly offered to us as a solution and end game. We are asked to believe that, just by its mere existence, Hope is the best solution, ready for deployment with all our desired outcomes intact.
But once Hope is offered, who takes responsibility for it? Who fosters its growth? Who helps it reach its promise? No one.
Hope is an action-less being, requiring only desperate dreaming without any real strategy or commitment. And that is why Hope is an orphan.
When you say to someone, “I hope to see you again,” it is unlikely it will happen unless one or both of you take action to make it happen.
There is no potential in Hope, only desperation. Hope is the first sign of surrender indicating that you have run out of desire and are willing to let someone else do it for you. That’s why I see Hope not as a solution, but as a convenient way of distancing yourself from the outcome.
Most people Hope for a better world but do little to move us in that direction. That’s why there is so much Hope and so little Progress. Hardly anyone takes any action.
Hope is a frivolous expectation devoid of action. Hope without action is delusional dreaming. It is vapor-ware of the heart, a well-intended promise that is empty of potential and realization.
If you want to take responsibility for what you hope for in life, I urge you to take a “leap of Faith”, earn your Trust and stop being a “hope-aholic”.
Hope versus Faith versus Trust
When you begin a journey towards a goal, you are energized by a great expectation and fueled by a dream of achievement. As you move towards your destination, one action is followed by another. The more intention you apply to your actions the greater the opportunity to reach your goal. You examine, test, alter, react, and act again upon your goal all the while building layer upon layer of confidence with each cycle. As you progress, you begin to feel a sense of competence that begins to slowly replace Hope with Trust.
Do you recall the struggles you had as a child hoping you would master the simple task of buttoning a shirt? Now, you no longer “hope” you will do it, you “trust” you will. You have so much “faith” in yourself, that you do it absent mindedly, unconsciously competent in the process.
Hope is for people who bet on life without the ability to control the odds. If that suits you, buy a lottery ticket and “hope” you will win.
But Faith, while a belief in the unknown, has deep roots strong enough to overcome most odds.
The Flip of Faith
We see “miraculous” victories all the time in the sports world. They happen because teams and their individual members devote themselves to a singular goal. They practice, examine, test, alter, react, and act again against every conceivable variation that could occur until they lessen the “odds” against them for reaching their goal.
In 2001, Derek Jeter made one of the most amazing plays in sports history, “The Flip”. This play was successful not because he was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. He made the play because he knew his best chance to influence the outcome of the play in his team’s favor was to put himself in position to impact the play as it unfolded. Mr. Jeter did not stand around gawking at the play hoping someone else on his team would take action. He saw the opportunity, had faith in his instinct and trusted if the moment came he would take the right action. The play not only saved the game it won the playoff round.
Putting Faith & Trust into Practice: The Hope-Less Speaker
If you are a speaker, here are a few things you can do to eliminate Hope from your skillset:
Prepare as well in advance of your speaking opportunity as possible
Practice your content and delivery methodically – record it, analyze it, alter it, make it the best it can be.
Run a checklist of everything you will need – don’t wait to be surprised by unexpected elements.
Know your audience – who they are, what they want, and what they expect from you
Put equal or more effort into the preparation of your speech than you do into delivering it.
The only time Hope is an appropriate response, is after … you have done everything you can - to create as much Trust as you can - that is based on the Faith of the actions you have taken.
You can’t operate in good Faith without Trust. If you do, all you have to go on is Hope. So, when all the “t’s” are crossed and the “i’s” are dotted, when there is nothing left that you can do to influence the outcome in your favor, you may consider Hope as a response.
But, remember when you do, Hope is an orphan and if you embrace it you are now responsible for it.
I trust you found this post to be of use to you and that you will continue to put your faith in this blog. As always, comments and suggestions are delightfully welcome in the comments section below.
Bringing Positivity to Everything,
The Brain Tamer
