What are you hoping for in 2023? Many of us have renewed energy to make positive changes in our personal lives or careers. Many of us want a totally new set of challenges and opportunities. For some, they also hope to not repeat 2022, which may have dismantled much of what they expected would happen. In any case, how much does your hope have to do with a successful 2023? With so much of what’s happening around us completely out of our control, is it reasonable to think that we can actually affect how this new year really goes?
Resolve Will Rise or Fall Based on Your Hope
Before the holidays, we were talking about New Year’s resolutions and building your personal brand of rock-solid resolve. If you’ve missed it, here are a couple of posts to catch you up.
To sum up, these posts identified your resolve as a “custom build,” based on the motivations, inner strengths, and chosen focus of the “Real You.” So with two or three weeks of 2023 already under the bridge, how’s it going? Have you been able to add that new habit yet? Or has consistency eluded you? Are you making progress toward an important goal? Many experts say it takes a solid 40 days to truly integrate new ways of thinking and acting. Hopefully, you are being patient with yourself. As important as it is to understand all you can about building a lasting resolve, be mindful that resolve will ebb and flow. What might be responsible for this rise and fall?
I submit to you that your 2023 resolutions are merely good ideas without this one very important ingredient: Your Hope.
Hope that Helps, Not Hurts
Modern scholars debate whether your hope is a process or an outcome, an emotion or a thinking style. They question whether hope enhances your life experiences by opening up new possibilities. Or does hope detract from it by causing you to overlook relevant information that tethers you to present realities. Many recognize that hope can be false, vain, disappointed, or misplaced. OR, it can be true, profitable, fulfilling, or based.
For the rather pessimistic bunch who likely invented the term “hopium,” hope is viewed as a deterrent from a realistic action plan. For the optimists in the world, hope is the very thing needed to bridge the gap between the present and the bright future they are hopeful for. As usual, hope is another one of those vital elements in our human system that can either be used well or misused. Now, I’m no scholar. But I do recommend referring to a book that first mentions how important hope actually is to your overall success.
“Confident Expectation”
The Bible often defines hope as “your confident expectation.”
And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait? My hope [my confident expectation] is in You..
~ Psalm 39:7
It further elevates your hope as a force so powerful that it cannot only affect future outcomes in your life, but it can also affect your physical health.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
~ Proverbs 13:12
So, confidently expecting good opportunities and outcomes only makes sense, right?! Hope that’s aligned with your inner strengths and rooted in positive beliefs is a major asset. It’s not unrealistic. It’s essential! It sets a standard that helps us reach our goals and avoids aiming for things that fall short of the high marks we’re designed to hit. In fact, without hope firmly placed upon outcomes just beyond our grasp, many of us cannot even function. In these cases, hope is a blip on our radar that we must aim for. Failing to do so results in suffering one bad decision after another. Can you relate to this need for hope?
How High Is Too High?
Our InnerKinetics team has published countless writings regarding the imperative of an intelligently positive emotional mindset. Since mindset can be positive or negative, we must point out that only a positive hope will do. From an inner design point of view, I’d say the state of your hope is the major difference in rock-solid resolve or soul-crushing defeatism. Your mindset (or focus) reflects that upon which you are placing your hopes. So, keep your hopes high!
Realistic versus Unrealistic
As a parenting coach, I’ve lost track of how many parents worry that their child will set unrealistic expectations and then suffer from chronic disappointment. That’s valid and real, but only if you or your child are misunderstanding what is realistic and unrealistic for them. Hope is no cookie-cutter phenomenon. What’s realistic for one of my kids can be completely unrealistic for the other. I’m not talking about learned abilities or refined talents. I’m talking about design-driven inner strengths, core needs and life purpose. Only an understanding of your inner design or InnerKinetics® can help you discern whether your hopes are set too high or not high enough. So, learn all you can about the Real You and then set your expectations sufficiently and confidently high!
“Real You” Hope + Rock-Solid Resolve = 2023 Success.
If you want to make, NOT break 2023 goals, keep your hopes expectant, positive, and realistic from the “Real You’s” point of view.
Our team at InnerKinetics is ready to provide you with personal coaching and a wonderful library of resources. If you’d like some assistance, you can request a consultation. An InnerKinetics consultant will call you to answer questions and schedule your meeting. Schedule an Initial Consultation. If you are more independent and want to cut to the chase, you need not wait for a call back because you can get answers to your questions and schedule your session HERE.
And here are a few other links you might enjoy:
- Pursuing a “Real You” Mindset
- The Power of Hope
- Strategies to Harness Hope When You Feel Overwhelmed and Stressed
Here’s to your success in 2023!
My hope is that this book will lead you, as its content has led many others, to be intelligently emotional. If it helps you to develop the intelligent use of your emotions and a rewarding lifestyle, my labor will not have been in vain. You can access it HERE. If you are subscribed to our weekly updates, our next issue will provide a link to purchase it with a 15% discount and free shipping.
DISCOVER THE TRUTH OF WHO YOU ARE!
Lean into the whole truth. Discover the truth of who YOU are — the “Real You” — and who your children truly are. Discover how to best engage your children in finding the whole truth. INNERKINETICS, Your Blueprint to Excellence and Happiness, is a great resource.