We are all traveling on the same train of humanity and are very familiar with pain. However, it may be our dream to someday be free of a particular challenge. “Someday I’ll be free of this thing,” we may say. Yes, we can all hope this will be the case. However, when we begin to hyper-focus on getting rid of something that afflicts us and that we can’t control, have you noticed what happens?

What does it feel like when you’ve done everything you possible can do and yet, the pain persists? It is frustrating and suffering is magnified because we may be insistent that this challenge has to go so we can move on with our lives.

The solution? Do not give up and lose hope. It has been said that when hardships come our way, grit, purpose in life, curiosity, and gratitude can help us during those difficult times. These attributes can indeed strengthen us when we are confronting adversity. However, research has found that the most important skill to building resilience is hope.

Researchers in 2017 found that having hope is more than maintaining a positive attitude about the future. They reported that individuals who have hope, have goals and pursue them energetically and with flexibility. They find different ways to get effective results.

Thus, when we experience challenges and have hope as defined by these researchers, we can notice that there are options, and that we can take a different path if needed. We won’t see failure as personal or fatal. We can recognize that there is “no end of the road” to the situation we are facing. We can keep going with optimism and flexibility as we put our best effort in responding to life’s difficulties.

Here is an acronym to help you maintain hope and keep going when stumbling blocks get in your way of living a rich and meaningful life!

Hold onto your internal events (e.g., thoughts, feelings, sensations, and urges) lightly. They usually come and go like the weather. Can you allow those internal events to be there as they are in the moment, even though it is hard?

Open up to the possibilities even when failure and other unpleasant events are present. What can you learn from these experiences?

Pivot from the direction you are going as needed, and make flexibility your friend. Are you willing to adjust and keep going?

Engage in what matters most in your life despite feeling uncertain, fearful, or anxious. As you keep your hope, what do you want your life to stand for?

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.” –Dale Carnegie

That is you! Keeping going; you can do this!

References

“AZ Quotes,” accessed September 17, 3031, https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topics/there-is-hope.html.

Melanie Greenberg, “The One Resilience Skill You Need to Overcome Life Stress.” Psychology Today, May 14, 2018, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201805/the-one-resilience-skill-you-need-overcome-life-stress.