A Thing A Day: 168 I’ve posted in past Things about optimism (#112-116), so today I want to focus on hope. For starters, what exactly is it? Merriam-Webster offers several definitions for hope that I find useful: to desire with expectation of obtainment to expect with confidence to cherish a desire with anticipation Since I’m interested in the *feeling* aspects of hope, I favor those definitions above. They include feelings of desire, expectation and cherishing within the context of anticipation, confidence, and expectation of obtainment. All of these feeling-laden scenarios are positive. They all would tend to motivate a person forward, toward some goal. They imply to me a kind of vibrancy on a spectrum from mild to eager. I feel positive (and eager) when I desire something that I’m confident of obtaining. It seems that hope, when it exists in a real and realistic measure, can bring a smile to the face. One theoretical orientation regarding hope that I’ve appreciated reading comes from the book “Heart and Soul of Change: What Works in Therapy” by Hubble, Duncan, and Miller (2005). More on that tomorrow.
Posted on: Wed, 09 Oct 2013 17:40:52 +0000
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