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Truthfully, there are few emotions better for your well-being, than hope. Hope is not only a wish for something that may actually happen, but it is also a window of opportunity for dreams. And our dreams are the foundation for our success, fulfillment and, ultimately, our happiness.
Hope is an emotion we begin to experience at a young age and continue to experience throughout our lives; We hope for a bounty of gifts at Christmas, or for acceptance into a particular university, or for a loving family, or a healthy child who grows up to be an independent and fulfilled adult or for a long healthy life of our own. Individually, we also hope for more personally specific things like a particular promotion at work, a winning bid on a great house, or, simply, a mild winter with little snow to shovel. In a nutshell, the ability to have hope keeps our ability to have dreams alive!
Recently, I applied for a month-long writer’s residency program in a beautiful and exotic country, halfway around the world. The opportunity presented itself without restrictions, and, since it is my dream to work solely as a writer, I submitted an application. I am certain that many hundreds, if not thousands, of other aspiring or well-known writers, also submitted applications, yet, I am hopeful that I will be the one who stands out and is selected.
So far, I have not yet received a rejection, so my hope remains high and my dream appears obtainable, which makes me excited. An opportunity like this will pave the way for a career in writing because if I can experience an environment where the day-to-day stresses of life are eliminated, and live (for one month) in a beautiful hotel, in a beautiful place, then I will be free to focus on my craft and produce a truly creative and inspiring piece of work. It is exactly what the program was created for. I AM exactly who this program was created for … I just HOPE that those that are on the selection committee, feel the same way ;-)
Yes, I am sharing with you a very specific and personal example of my dreams but, I am hopeful that it inspires you to remain hopeful, not just about hitting all of the green lights on your way to work, but to continue to follow YOUR passions and YOUR dreams.
When the lottery jackpot reaches a hundred million dollars, or even fifty million dollars, buy a ticket, hope that you win and dream, for a day or two, about what you would do with the money; you might find that you give away more than you thought you would. When a big storm roars in, hope that the power goes out for a few hours so that you can light a candle and read a book or have a personal conversation without the distractions of electronics; you might find that you learn something new about something or someone you love.
And, when an opportunity of a lifetime presents itself, do it and hope that you are successful because, always remember, you can’t have hope if you don’t “buy the ticket”!
DREAM…DREAM…
Kathy Naumann, possessor of NATURALLY curly hair and the understanding that you can’t control everything!
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