Nourish your own hope for a happier life and hope for others for a better world.

Hello Friends,

This past week, people of Jewish faith around the world celebrate Hanukkah- the holiday of dedication and of light. Hanukkah also honors the story of the Macabees, who reclaimed their temple, but only had one day of sacred oil. It would take 8 days to make more oil, but they had hope and faith, so they lit the lamps to rededicate the temple anyway and through a miracle, the oil lasted for 8 days.

As the days get shorter, the nights longer, the temperatures lower, and the trees and gardens bleaker, many faiths and religions celebrate hope and light. As Anne Lamott says, hope begins in the dark. And, with hope, anything is possible. Some believe that everything we have accomplished as human beings started with hope- the belief that things could be better and we could make them so.

Hope, or optimism, is a key characteristic of happy people . People who believe there is a solution, a silver lining, or a recipe for lemonade will usually find what they are looking for. Without hope, people often give up before the solution is found. Hopeful, optimistic people solve problems faster and more creatively. They are more likely to solve difficult problems than people without hope.

Science tells us that the essence of optimism is that we attribute permanent reasons to our successes and temporary reasons to our failures. For example, when we get the job offer it is because we have great skills and communicate well. When we do not get the job offer it is because that job was just a bad fit for our skills. We have hope because we have confidence that we are fundamentally sound and the world is fundamentally good- even if there are disappointments and setbacks along the way.

Science also tells us that hope and optimism are skills we can get better at by practicing optimistic thinking patterns and challenging pessimistic thoughts. When we practice optimism ourselves we make our own lives happier and we increase our probability of success. When we help others practice optimism, or provide help that raises hope, we are helping to make the world a better place as well as a brighter one. This Hanukkah, help spread the miracle of light and hope.

Nourish your own hope for a happier life and hope for others for a better world.

Affirmation
I practice optimistic thinking. I look for the opportunity in every setback and acknowledge my own skills and talents. I help others see the opportunities in their setbacks and help them see their own skills and talents.

Journal or Meditation Question
When or where have I suffered because I gave up too easily? Where could I find opportunity in situations that I currently think of as dark or discouraging? How can I help bring hope to others today?

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