So many times in life when we hear the word “hope” — how it is said, how it is used — it leads you to believe that you are to trust when there is nothing to trust. My good friend Jonathan writes about personal security and your life today. He tells so much on his blog of how to protect yourself in a world where there are predators all over. So today, let’s talk about those people who try to lead with a blind hope.
Imagine, if you will, a person selling you on the fact that if you attend their function, church, school, class, event, you will automatically succeed. So many are now under the influence of those who teach such things. Just last week I was sitting with another coach who told me the stories of other coaching programs. This coach was sold an expensive program that had virtually no results. The clients followed with hope that a better tomorrow was coming. So many industries out there have their own set of scam artists. We must never follow on a blind faith that everyone who gives us a sales speech is selling us a complete success.
Many years ago the news was full of television evangelists who were scamming people for money and spending it on fancy cars and homes. They were selling the people who watched their shows hope in a system they had created, and were using the name of God to sell it. Today many people do not attend a church; they immediately cry “phony” to anyone who uses the word “God.”
So what do we do to help us have a true hope again? How do we keep hope alive without throwing a blind eye to those who are out to scam us? I have three things I think you should keep in mind.
First let us get a definition of the word “hope.” I looked it up several places and the best I came up with was: a feeling of optimism or a desire that something will happen.
Yes, we want to have something better happen, but to blindly head in that direction without knowledge that there is any truth behind what is being told is foolish. We need to do a little research before we start to put our hope and faith behind something that is not going to happen.
Next, you want to be well-informed. To do this we need to research those things and make a calculated plan to get the outcome we are searching for. When you set a goal to get healthy you do not sit on your couch and eat unhealthy food and hope a miracle will happen. No, if you have hope that you can be healthy, you get up and take an action to make it happen. If you hope to have a nice home and a nice car, well put the faith into action and find the work to get you there. For years I had hope in a successful business but it was not until I put my faith into action to make that happen that it stated to look that way.
Just yesterday I was talking with my daughter, Jess, about a Bible study she was doing. She said she didn’t like the way that this national Bible expert had written the study sometimes. I know the author and teacher she spoke about, and told Jess that a good Bible teacher advises you to research the Bible for yourself to make sure they are teaching right.
Third we need to be the kind of leaders that we want to follow. Many people have hope in the leaders in their lives, from their business lives, to their church, to their community, to politicians. Too many people in our world have a blind faith and a blind hope in what the leader is saying. Well, stop following anyone who is always selling hope without telling you that you have responsibilities. You should listen to those who speak of hope and then you should have the hope in your own actions; stop waiting for others to provide for you.
When you start to be the person you want your leaders to be then, and only then, will you have something in your own life to hope for. If you have watched others in your industry scam people, don’t get out of the industry and call it a scam; instead pull yourself up, make yourself the honest one in the industry and prove to the world they can have hope in you.
Last when you get to the point of people having hope in you, then it is time to sell them on the idea of having hope in themselves. Tell them exactly what I’m telling you now: “It’s up to you.” Many of you have a hope in what I’m telling you. Well I’m telling you don’t have the hope in me; have the hope and faith in yourself.
It’s up to you to have faith and hope in your own life. It’s time for more people to stand up in faith taking the tools that are here and building a life for themselves. Hope is alive; plant it inside of you.
I’m Tim Gillette, the Rocker Life Coach. It’s time to live your dream, to love what you do, and those you share life with. Build a hope in yourself and become a RockStar in your world.
