DISCOURAGEMENT SUCKS
Discouragement thrives off of the idea that the future is doomed to look like the undesirable past. Hope thrives off of the idea that as long as it’s called today there are unlimited possibilities of greatness. Hope sees a desirable future, a path that is worth taking, effort that is worth expending, for a goal that is worth achieving.
Discouragement comes when we lose sight of the goal, forget where we are going, forget why we are persevering, forget that there is something desirable ahead of us. Discouragement promotes throwing in the towel, abandoning everything you have worked for and committed to. Discouragement has the allure that giving up will hold something better. There is nothing good that comes from quitting on your commitments. Nothing.
Hope believes that victory, function, peace and joy are possible. Hope believes in possibilities. Hope can dream, imagine and picture solutions. Discouragement forgets how to believe in the possibilities.
HOPE AND DISCOURAGEMENT BOTH NEED FUEL TO EXIST
They both thrive off of an idea. The more you think about what you “can’t do” or haven’t done, and are too scared to do the more you feed discouragement. And let me tell you discouragement is hungry, it will eat up as much as you feed it. Hope feeds off of the idea that we are not bound by yesterday. It doesn’t remember failure, because it believes in the possibilities and potential of right now. Hope feeds off thoughts of I can, I will, I’m going to win, you can’t stop this, I’m resilient, I’m brave, I’m courageous, I freaking dominate! Come on somebody!
The thoughts you are continually thinking about are either fueling hope or discouragement. If you are consulting the undesirable past when you think of the future, you are feeding discouragement. If you are picturing the possibilities of new and wonderful outcomes, you are feeding hope. If you are feeding hope you are starving discouragement. If you are feeding discouragement you are starving hope.
Discouragement requires the belief that you can’t, while hope requires the belief that you can. And just in case you are confused, you can! Sprinkle that over your morning coffee.