I don’t know about you, but lately I have found myself often asking the following questions:

• What is happening in our world?
• Why can’t people just get along?
• Why do people have to make one person “wrong” to make themselves “right”?
• Why aren’t we listening to understand?
• Where is the love fest?
• Why is it so hard to feel like we belong?

Please understand, I am probably one of the most positive individuals you will ever meet. Yes, I do meditation, prayer and self-care daily and I’m also holding that we are living in a complex, polarized time. Now, more than ever, there is a sense of being stuck, feeling lost, a lack of clarity and an almost apathetic energy. 

I believe that people are hungry for hope. 

At some core, fundamental level, we want to know that it can and will get better. We want to see possibilities. We want to trust in a Higher Power. One of the definitions I found on hope is to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment. This led me to getting curious about what fulfillment looks like to each one of us. What is it that we could fulfill in each of our own lives that would help fill the hunger void. And what is this bigger “hope” piece about, really? If we worked on our own fulfillment as individuals, we would then bring it to the world, and this is where I believe we could see the transformation. How do we get started? 

Here are three keys to activating hope:

1. Take time each day to reconnect with your values, purpose and how you show up in the world. If you aren’t clear about who you are and how you are showing up, your own fulfillment is diminished. Fulfilled people inspire others to do the same.

2. Find something you believe in and are passionate about and support it. This could be with your time, energy or finances. Getting involved in something you care about sparks positive movement. It also focuses your attention. Instead of thinking of all the things you should or could do, take action and do it.

3. Encourage hope in others. When you see someone making a positive impact, name it. When you see someone struggling to see their own brilliance, highlight something beautiful and brilliant you see in them. Offer kind words generously. Listen. Show compassion. Give grace. Notice your own energy shifting the more you do this.

Friends, we must also BELIEVE. When we believe that something is possible, we move towards it and embrace it. Is it possible to feed people with hope? I vote with all the confidence I can muster, YES! I also know that it will take each one of us doing our part. The language we use, the way we show up, the actions we take—it all matters.

Are you hungry for hope? Are you ready to start feeding others with hope? Is it possible to have both at the same time? I believe it is and as we continue feeding others, we are ultimately feeding ourselves.