Your Daily Dose of Hope

Today I want to do something a bit different. Each day I want to share something that will help you find hope or remain hopeful or possible share hope with someone else. It’s a renewable resource after all and we know it grows the more we share it with others. Today I want to suggest creating your personal hope list. Use your phone or something easy – don’t make this a big project. It’s best if you go with what comes to you right away. Who and what in your life keeps you hopeful or gives you hope? Put it on the list. Be generous, no one else will see this – this is just for you.   I’m going to share 3 things from my list, just for inspiration to help you get started.

I recently read a book about a midwife from the 18th century who kept a journal and the entries were often 2 or 3 sentences at the end of each day it a shorthand summary style. Example: Cold today. Checked that Dolly’s fever is gone. I was home. And that made me think of modern day bullet journaling. I’ve tried it but it didn’t work for me but now I have a new idea and it could be a great recording of hope. We know it’s a renewable resource – so what if writing once sentence at the end of each day make it easier to be filled with hope? Daily Gratitude’s Growth Moments - Track instances where you stepped outside your comfort zone or overcame a challenge. Future Dreams – Dreaming on a daily basis is a great way to keep looking at what’s possible a key element of hope. Acts of Kindness – You could log those you do for others – imagine what a world it would be if we were all making sure we did one act of kindness every day so our journal wouldn’t be empty. Small Victories – A game-changer if you have to acknowledge one thing each day that you did well. Something Beautiful – just thinking about doing this made me smile. Will I have multiple entries about my cats or the hummingbirds – probably! Summoning Courage – this one I want to think about because my first instinct was to say – I can be courageous everyday – can I? Can you? A Hopeful Moment – this is what these recordings do for me right now – it makes me think about hope, and why and how it keeps showing up. What if you did the same? Even a few minutes each day spent reflecting on the positive can significantly shift your perspective over time. I hope you’ll pick one and start – maybe challenge yourself to try this for 10 days and then see how you feel? Hope, kindness, gratitude, courage – all renewable and never-ending resources for us to use.

Some days we just need a quick way to quite the chatter in our heads, or at least change the subject. Today I’m sharing four mantras that can offer gentle hope during difficult times - feel free to use these or create your own. Having some go-to thoughts that support you will always be better than the endless loop we often get stuck listening to. My own mental chatter isn’t usually too terrible, but it’s often boring things like “I need to make a list of ….. or what ever task that I’ve been avoiding. Swapping out those thoughts for one of these always helps me go from distraction and procrastination to focus and action, even if it’s taking a break to clear my head and get some fresh air. A shift of perspective always does me good and I hope it helps you too.

There’s a kind of freedom in saying those four words out loud: This might not work. Honest plans begin with honest uncertainty – Seth Godin Admitting that something might not work isn’t pessimism, it’s planning and preparing for multiple possible outcomes. How many things in life would you have accomplished if you only tried what you knew for certain would work out? How many things ended up differently, but ultimately for the best? We can’t always know where we’ll end up, but isn’t it worth the trip?

Hey friend, it’s time for your Daily Dose of Hope. And this one’s for the part of you that feels like you’re somehow falling behind. You’re not. You’re right on time. I know it’s easy to look around and feel like everyone else has it figured out. You scroll, and you see someone launching something new, someone getting promoted, someone crossing the finish line you didn’t even know you were racing toward. And that quiet voice in your head says, “Why not me?” “When will it be my turn?” Here’s the truth —you’re not late. You’re building something that takes time. Some seasons are about sprinting. Others are about planting. You might be in your planting season right now — and that’s okay. Roots have to grow before anything blooms. The world moves fast, but your soul doesn’t. Your pace is not a problem; it’s your power. Every pause, every delay, every detour —it’s shaping you in ways the fast lane never could. So instead of asking “Why am I not there yet?” try asking, “What am I learning right now that I couldn’t have learned any other way?” Because one day soon, you’ll look back and realize — you weren’t behind. You were being prepared. You were becoming the person who could handle what’s next. You’re not late to your life. You’re right on time. And hope —hope is always waiting exactly where you are.