Breathe
By Arlen Solodkin
There is a metaphor that perfectly illustrates what hope is. Imagine a scene in which there is a totally dark room and a person enters with a lit candle. The light of that candle is very subtle but within that great darkness, it manages to completely change the perspective because it illuminates the whole room, even if it is only one candle.
Hope works both to build our longings and to get us through times of great difficulty or darkness. Think for example of the invention of the airplane and who first came up with the idea of being able to fly. That would be a longing, to feel what it is like to move through the air like a bird and it provokes a feeling of hope, that I can be more and I can change the conditions I currently have. That vision has even gotten us to the moon!
On the other hand, when there are difficulties, hope is what keeps us going and allows us to move forward. If you want to succeed in life, grounded hope is the key. This concept refers to the ability to have an optimistic vision of life, to think about the different ways to make that vision a reality, and to recognize that we have the capacity to create what we long for.
When you learn to have hope, you realize that you have the power to shape your own future. You understand that no matter what may happen in the world around you, you have the ability to make things happen for yourself.
Historically, psychology had addressed the concept of "learned hopelessness," which was coined by researchers Martin Seligman and Steve Maier. According to psychologists, a person facing problems behaves passively because he or she has learned that there is nothing he or she can do to change the adverse situation in which he or she finds himself or herself.
However, the same researchers unveiled new findings that reverse this theory. Thanks to advances in science, the two scientists were able to observe that when the brain is in a state of rest, the areas that show activity are those that anticipate the future. This means that the human being makes constant predictions of what may happen and generates alternatives of the various routes of action. The brain looks ahead to regain control.
This means that our ability to detect and hope that the future is under control will get us out of a rough patch. Focusing on what can be done in the present and the future rather than on what happened in the past generates hope.
And most important of all, as humans, we can learn to cultivate hope and it can also be taught. Whether we see the glass as half full or half empty is up to each of us.
The question is, how can I have that positive and hopeful outlook on my life, my community and my environment?
According to Maier and Seligman, three steps are necessary: awareness, i.e., when something negative happens to us, we must pause and not get carried away by emotions, avoid letting circumstances dictate our responses so that they are reflexive and not reactive. In addition, an assessment of the situation should be made to determine what you think you can do according to your resources, capacity and motivation. Finally, take action. In doing so, you test your belief that you are in control and can contribute to the situation.
Hope as we define it in positive psychology is an "active" hope and has two key components. On the one hand, the power of willpower and on the other, the power to imagine various ways of how to build a new reality. The way to build more hope is for each of us to imagine what that desired reality would be for us and our community, then to visualize all the paths or ways to achieve that reality and thirdly, what is the capacity that each of us has to carry that out.
In this way, before any goal we set ourselves, for example, if you wanted to have a partner, imagine what would be the places where you could find someone similar to your tastes and hobbies and act accordingly.
"Never stop dreaming." This was one of the great quotes left to us by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres, and it is very much related to optimism and hope. We must always keep a childlike mentality, where your dreams are what motivate you, because the moment you stop dreaming, you stop living.
"We are not pushed by the past, but pulled by the future". This is one of the great teachings of Martin Seligman, father of positive psychology and main exponent of the Hope Circuit meeting that will take place in Mexico City on November 23 and 24, where the main leaders and most brilliant minds in the fields of human progress, positive psychology and happiness will lay the foundations to achieve the goal set by Martin Seligman, father of positive psychology, to achieve that by 2051, at least 51% of the world population is flourishing.
Seligman's phrase teaches us that this vision of the future is what motivates us. But the future does not have to be something that is thirty years away, it can be in the short term or even leave a legacy in the world.
*ArlenSolodkin is founder and director of the Integrative Wellness Institute and the Hope Circuit meeting.
**ABOUT HOPE CIRCUIT
Hope Circuit is the international meeting that brings together the most recognized leaders in the fields of integral wellness, happiness and human progress; which will take place on November 23rd and 24th at the Westin Hotel in Santa Fe, as the first of other actions that seek to create a more positive future for Mexico. In the next publications we will share practical tools and the findings of world leaders who will be at Hope Circuit, such as Dr. Martin Seligman, considered one of the most influential psychologists of our times; Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar, professor of the most popular course at Harvard University or Andrew Schwartz, director of the World Wellbeing Project, in order to challenge the status quo and enrich our community so that together we can find solutions that will help us build a future of greater optimism, empathy and hope.
www.hopecircuit.com LinkedIn: @institutodebienestarintegral Facebook: https: //www.facebook.com/institutodebienestarintegral YouTube: @institutodebienestarintegral Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/institutodebienestarintegral_
The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.
Comments ()