I suck at hiding my feelings.

I always have. This has resulted in me becoming more transparent to overcome the anxiety of wearing my emotions on my sleeve. 

The truth is: I'm not transparent because I'm benevolent, but because I'm desperate to survive.

And I also find strength in learning about the struggles of others. It helps me feel less alone in my struggles.

That's why I wanted to share with you how I've felt hopeless lately.

I can't nail when it "started," but lately, I'm defaulting to negativity over positivity. As a result, I struggle to see the good and face a near-constant battle of stressors (someone say anxiety?).

What is hope, and what's the science behind it? So, rather than bore you with my hours of research, let me give you three things (in order) you can do (have) to become more hopeful:

1. Goals/Vision of a better future – the belief that my future will be better than my past and present.

2. Agency – the belief that I can close the gap between my current reality and my more promising future.

3. Pathways – I have multiple avenues I plan to take to achieve that brighter future.

Why those three? Because if you remove one of them, you will struggle to find sustaining hope. With all three in place, hope comes naturally, like the air you breathe.

If you have found yourself like me–hopeless–it's important to diagnose where the connection has failed. Which of the three am I not fully executing on?

Do I have a clear and definitive vision of a better future?

Do I have limiting beliefs that hinder me from gaining agency?

Do I continue to try and ideate new pathways that will lead me to a better future?

While these three things aren't rocket science, it's funny how I can easily stray from the basics.

Instead, the lesson is about recognizing when you've strayed (became hopeless) and figuring out which of the three you need to focus on.

How do you stay hopeful when all externalities point to being hopeless?

JO // ❣️ + 🧠