By Xenia S. Estrella
There is, obviously, a big difference between a family who mourns and then gets torn by the death of a loved one, and a family who mourns and then gets even closer as they experience the pain of losing somebody they love, together.
Love… it is a commitment, regardless of the depth of relationship anyone is in. This commitment, though, is unfortunately prone to reach an impending end, if people in a relationship constantly wallow in sadness and grief, and somehow keep on seeing everything that’s wrong in any situation. If hope (which is basically, keeping the optimism that each tomorrow will bring triumph) is far from anybody’s thoughts, then love that binds could get broken. People who lose confidence in the future lose a part of themselves that can fight to live — and be happy, today.
Nobody intentionally wants to sulk and fail. Naturally. This is why everyone should be eager about taking steps to live a life full of hope. Hope allows for patience, understanding and acceptance to flow.
I would like to share some activities that you might want to practice, to develop hope from within.
- Take note of all the good in every situation you find yourself in — whether good, bad, boring or exciting. You can write these down in your journals. As you see the positives, you’ll start to see more positive possibilities.
“If you are positive, you’ll see opportunities, instead of obstacles”. – Confucius
2. Learn to accept situations that you inevitably find yourself in. By accepting, you learn to relax, even when things are not going your way. When you’re relaxed, there is a bigger chance of telling yourself, “everything’s gonna be ok”. Believe me. ‘Everything’s gonna be ok’, is a whole sentence to mean, hope.
“Keep your face to the SUNSHINE and you cannot see a shadow.” – Helen Keller
3. Spend at least a minute in front of the mirror everyday, telling yourself to, Hold On. Pain Ends. Believe it when you speak those words.
“Just for the record, darling, not all positive change feels positive in the beginning”.
– S.C. Lourie
4. Be kind to people. Then, you can see that good possibilities can still be out there for you, too.
“Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward; safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you”. – Princess Diana
5. Surround yourself with positivity. Spend quality time with family, good friends, inspiring and motivational articles, books, podcasts and videos. There will never be a dearth in those. As you keep with the positive environment, you won’t be able to help but imbibe the positivity vibe and share it even more with the world.
“People inspire you, or they drain you — pick them wisely”. – Hans F. Hansen
It is amazing how many people can miss out on their best possible life, just because they’re making the mistake of looking in the wrong direction, that’s opposite from faith and optimism. Hope can only come when positivity is present; and, positivity can only come when we accept and move on from past hurts and live in the present as we work hard for a better future.