Hopeful Futures Toolkit

Is the pressure to always stay positive leaving you feeling more drained than uplifted? Discover a powerful alternative in our latest episode where we unpack the concept of putting hope into your future instead of forcing positivity in the now. We explore how to create your own light at the end of the tunnel by envisioning a brighter tomorrow, even when today feels overwhelming. With practical tips on how to dream up a new life from scratch and identify tangible pieces of happiness, you'll find actionable steps to move forward constructively.

Learn why hope, standing for "hold on, pain ends," can be a more attainable path to rejuvenation and purpose. We discuss how external perspectives can help you overcome perceived roadblocks, and the importance of committing to your goals. By focusing on future possibilities, you'll discover how to transform your dreams into reality without the exhaustion that comes from trying to maintain a relentlessly positive mindset. Tune in for an inspiring discussion designed to help you build a hopeful and fulfilling future, and find out how to make life easier on yourself during tough times.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Does trying to have a positive mindset leave you just beating yourself up even more because you're trying to be positive and then you're like, oh, why can't you just think positively? And it's this downward spiral that actually becomes a negative exercise and it just doesn't work for you. If that's the case, then what has I found has worked really really well is focus on putting more hope into your future instead of beating yourself up about not being able to be positive about the now. The thing about affirmations and positive mindset and a lot of those other things that are really great things and can work really really well. The problem with them when you're in a place where you're not able to get yourself to be positive about your current circumstances probably for good reason is they just take effort and energy you already don't have and they don't help contribute to you feeling better about the now and they don't actually uplift you. And when we focus on putting hope into our future, it seems more attainable because it's giving us a little bit of time to get there instead of I should receive it here and now. The thing about hope that I love and actually have this tattooed on my arm is it stands to me, it stands for hold on pain, ends, h-o-p-e. And we've all, I'm sure, been in times in life where we're just holding on, waiting for the light at the end of the channel and we just feel like we're going crazy and it's like when am I ever just going to be past this? When am I ever going to just feel better? When am I ever just going to be able to just breathe and be at peace and be happy and find myself again and hope? Putting hope in your future is creating that light at the end of the tunnel. It's not waiting for life to just show up and give you finally the break that you need. It's about actually creating it for yourself.

Speaker 1: 2:36

And there's a lot of different ways that you can put hope into your future. And the way that I like to start with me is I try to think about what could make me happy down the road If I had a totally different life, if I could just make it all from scratch, make up who I am from scratch, what would that feel like and what would that look like. And starting to grasp onto tangible pieces of your dreaming is such a great constructive way to actually start to make it so, because if you can dream it and you can think it. You hear it all the time. You can make it happen and certain things in your life maybe can't change and certain things in your life maybe will have to somehow fit as a piece of the puzzle into what a great future for you would look like. But it's all workable and it's all doable and the power of having a different perspective come in and help you during that dreaming process. Help point out maybe lies or things you think are roadblocks that really aren't and help you work through them.

Speaker 1: 3:59

Help set action towards a hopeful future for you is so crucial and that's why it's like you buy workbooks online, you listen to audiobooks and you do all these things, but you're not getting to where you need to be because you've got to actually believe it for yourself and then you've got to start taking action and keeping promises that you make to yourself towards that action for your future, to build that inner strength and muscle that wow, this is actually could be my reality and not just a far-fetched dream. It actually doesn't exhaust me to think about it or exhaust me to put action towards it. It actually rejuvenates me. It actually makes me feel refreshed because it's just a little glimpse of hope and a break from my current reality.

Speaker 1: 5:06

I would encourage you to do. I know it can sound like a lot and when you're really in the thick of it it's hard to even have the headspace to go there. Right, but if you would like some support, if you would like to talk, or I could give you a little resource or something to help get you started, don't let the exhaustion and the weight of what you're going through keep you from the amazing future that you can have your best memories and self being ahead of you. It's doable and you can get there, and the easier you can make life on yourself, the less you feel like you have to power through and be strong at this time, the better. So reach out. I'd be happy to help.