Everyone is waiting on something. A vacation, a new job, a spouse, a baby, a relationship to mend. We are all, in a sense, in a waiting room—life’s waiting room. We are in one room—one place—waiting on the next thing in hopeful anticipation.

There is an old proverb that says “People die for lack of vision.” This essentially translates into “people struggle when there is no hope.” If you are not hopeful in life’s grand waiting room you will struggle more than necessary. You will have problems mentally, emotionally, spiritually and even physically. If you can harness hope and hold onto it, you may still struggle, but ultimately you will prevail. (In fact, you will even prevail if what you are waiting for does not come to fruition. More on this in the personal blog on this topic.)

When I consider hope, I think of two kinds. Hope in self and hope for the future. Hope in self means that you believe that you will make it through whatever life throws at you. You are able to identify and utilize your strengths (and support system) to weather the storms of life. Hope for the future simply means that you believe for good to find its way to you, in one sense or another. It does not mean you are a “Pollyanna.” Hope for the future does mean you believe you will either a) experience goodness, or b) extract goodness from the future even if it does not unfold exactly as you wanted. 

If you struggle to find hope or have lost hope altogether a licensed mental health counselor can help you. She can help you identify and implement positive coping skills, including personal strengths. And a trained psychotherapist can provide the supportive environment necessary to work through past hurts and identify a plan for healing. Please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services in Metrowest Orlando at 407-443-8862 to schedule an appointment.