Episode 75 - Four Ways to Build Hope

<h2 data-pm-slice="0 0 []"><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p class="">“Hope” can sound just like wishful thinking. But at the heart of true hope is driven initiative. This week we explore four research-backed ways to build hope.</p> <p class="" data-rte-preserve-empty="true"> </p> <h2><strong>Transcript</strong></h2> <p class="">Hello and welcome to episode 75 of the Leadership Today podcast where each week we tackle one of today’s biggest leadership challenges. This week we explore four research-backed ways to build hope. “Hope” can sound just like wishful thinking. But at the heart of true hope is driven initiative. </p> <p class="">The concept of hope captures the human imagination. We see it reflected in popular quotes.</p> <p class="">Martin Luther said “Everything that is done in this world is done by hope”. His namesake, Martin Luther King Jnr said “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope”.</p> <p class="">We’re encouraged to live a life focused on hope not fear. As Nelson Mandela said “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears”. </p> <p class="">But it’s easy to see hope as just wishful thinking. We might even accuse people of having false hope - of being unrealistic in their optimism.</p> <p class="">The reality in life is that we are constantly barraged by opportunities and threats. Our brain is wired for survival and will always tend towards the threats. That’s why we are so amazed by stories like that of Nelson Mandela - someone whose life circumstance while in prison suggested there should be no hope, and yet he held onto a sense of hope and purpose even through tough circumstances. Indeed, this hope drove and strengthened him.</p> <p class="">From a psychological perspective, those who research hope focus on two components:</p> <ul data-rte-list="default"> <li> <p class="">The first component is Pathways - one element of hope is thinking about routes to achieve desired goals. Those with hope dream a dream, but a practical dream. For those with hope there’s a belie