Finding the HOPE to Let Go

Sometimes the only place for finding the hope you need to keep going is to let go of the things weighing you down.

The world’s demands pile up on your heart. Adding to that pile are the expectations you put on yourself. It gets even heavier when the cost of education, requirements from others and for others, and the need to make a lasting mark are included.

It’s no wonder that life often feels like we are walking through cold molasses – working hard and not getting anywhere. The exhaustion sucks away the hope from our hearts.

The only way to find the hope you need to keep going often starts by letting go of all those things you’ve piled over your heartseed.

#QuoteoftheDay

It’s time to let it go.

Releasing the Past

We spent three years fighting for our past.

After the tornado destroyed the house and the insurance company refused to cover the full policy limits to help with the recovery, we fought.

We fought for what we thought we needed to be doing.

We fought for what we thought others needed to be doing.

We fought for the expectations we had from the truth we held in writing.

We fought and fought until our energy was depleted and our resources were drained.

When we lost the fight for the past, we had to find hope for tomorrow. We spent the next year fighting to regain hope.

What Lost Hope Looks Like

We all deal with hopelessness in unique ways because we are all unique.

My husband got upset about something. In his frustration and hopelessness, he started cleaning the kitchen. When I came in, he was using a toothpick to clean out the grout.

It was a few years later when I recognized the connection (and trust me, it was hard not to pick a fight with him when the kitchen sink piled up with dishes).

When hopelessness hits, my husband cleans the kitchen. If I could get that need to shift to the rest of the house, it would be golden.

For me, hopelessness shows up through my need to disconnect. I don’t want to think because it’s not making any difference anyway. Why bother doing anything since nothing is moving me forward? I quit.

At least now I know. When you learn to recognize how hopelessness looks (in you and in others), then you can take steps to fight hopelessness.

Getting Beyond Hopelessness

What happened wasn’t our fault. We didn’t request the tornado. We didn’t break the policy agreement.

The more we focused on the problems, the heavier hopelessness grew. Our kitchen was the cleanest in the kitchen. I had gone from disconnecting to putting my office in a walk-in closet. We were hurt. We were betrayed. We were ignored.

We had to let go of all of that.

Holding on to the past will block your ability to get beyond the hopelessness. Until you break the block, you will struggle to find the hope you need to live your abundant life.

Start with the physical clutter.

We are letting go of the stuff. After having to let go of the stuff of my parents and the stuff of my husband’s parents, we don’t want that fate to befall our sons. Plus, since we have no idea where we are going or how we are going to get there, the lighter the load the easier the travel.

Release the need for THEY.

We depended on others doing what they had committed to do. People will always let us down (and we are all people). We had to shift our focus from what THEY should do to a focus on our intentional actions.

Flip the script.

If you always do what you have always done then you shouldn’t be surprised when you get what you’ve always gotten. Years ago, there was a Seinfeld episode where George decided to do the opposite of what he would normally do or say. We are in a similar situation. What we thought, what we were told, and even what we trained for hasn’t worked. So we are doing the opposite. It doesn’t make sense when you look at the way the world looks at it. It’s the opposite of the way they demand. But when you dare to let go of the limitations, the impossible becomes possible.

Hopelessness will lock you in the dark and dread. It will allow others to SHOULD all over you. And until you begin to break free and see the light, you will be blocked from finding the hope you need.

The Need for Hope

We all need hope. Hope lights the path, lightens the load, and delights the spirit. When you have hope, you wield the power of possibility.

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What are you letting block your hope?

Share some thoughts on what you have done to break your hopelessness.

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