Over the years of business, ministry, and life in general, I have learned something. That hope is one of the greatest things we can offer. HOPE!
The minute we can offer hope the world changes for the recipients.
One of the major reasons for my starting Positive News For You was to give people an alternative to the negativity, the fear-mongering, and the overarching sense of hopelessness. Those things would “never” get better. (Admittedly, there was the occasional caveat of “unless…” which would bring about further anxiety for many of their readers, because “unless” rarely occurred. People lost hope.)
I determined a long time ago that it took as much energy to be positive as it did to be negative. To be able to hold out hope to others. (One of the hashtags I use is #hopedealer.) Isn’t it time we all became “hope dealers”? Is it not time to encourage others to embrace the “what if it does” versus the “what if it does not”?
“You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.” ― John Lennon
I am a dreamer too. I am firmly convinced that we “can do this.” Last year, I made the decision to give away our advertising to anyone who asked. I authored an article entitled, Will You Be There? The willingness to do whatever it takes to help others.
People need hope.
A friend recently shared this story about what was known as the Hope Experiment.
The “HOPE” Experiment:
During a brutal study at Harvard in the 1950s, Dr. Curt Richter placed rats in a pool of water to test how long they could tread water.
On average they would give up and sink after 15 minutes.
But right before they gave up due to exhaustion, the researchers would pluck them out, dry them off, let them rest for a few minutes – and put them back in for a second round.
In this second try – how long do you think they lasted?
Remember – they had just swum until failure only a few short minutes ago…
How long do you think?
Another 15 minutes?
10 minutes?
5 minutes?
No!
60 hours!
That is not an error.
That is right! 60 hours (about 2 and a half days) of swimming.
The conclusion drawn was that since the rats BELIEVED that they would eventually be rescued, they could push their bodies way past what they previously thought impossible.
I will leave you with this thought:
If hope can cause exhausted rats to swim for that long, what could a belief in yourself and your abilities, do for you?
Remember what you are capable of. Remember why you are here.
Keep swimming.
Will we keep swimming?
“Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.”
― Emily Dickinson
Last year, I drafted an article, I Could Do That! Let’s Hear You Stand Up And Shout, to encourage folks to jump on the bandwagon of the great things that were happening. To be part of the acts of kindness, to pay it forward when we could. To bring hope into our communities.
When I wrote WIN-WIN-WIN When The River Rises, All The Boats Float, it was to encourage everyone to help those about them, so that everyone would win.
Maybe we can establish a new thought today, that each one of us can be a hope dealer. In 2018, I wrote this…
When I was a child, I knew about disasters and wars. As do our children today. But, how do we gently convey the difficult news and offer a realm of positivity? I am not totally sure about the conveyance of hard news and I think it is a learning experience for parents and grandparents. But I do know how to see the positive in the midst of negativity and become a light in the darkness. (Yes, I am a Hope Dealer.)
My heart with this news site is to promote goodness, instill hope and change the world.
Hope will change the world and each of us will have the opportunity to bring hope in the coming days. My hope is that you will.
