Self-Motivation - Haiti Observer Blog

Hope is a concept with many meanings.

In psychology, researchers define hope as an emotion that arises when expectations are not being met, or seem like they will never be met. But if one can find reason to hope, or a new way to fulfill those expectations, then hope is renewed. As psychiatrist Alfred Adler once stated, "We cannot think, feel, will, or act without . . . a goal."

Goals are object-oriented, whether material (a new car), or abstract (becoming an astronaut). To achieve a goal, we need willpower. We will goals through mental energy (imagining the process and desired end), sustaining the intent to achieve the goal.

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Desperation is a condition that occurs when hope dies.

When a great need has gone unmet, catastrophe looms, or destruction appears inevitable, then desperation arises.

Desperation may force us to use whatever sound or unsound options are available to end the pain of despair. If options prove ineffective, desperation becomes prolonged and thinking contracted. The feeling that no real solution exists makes one hope in vain, a forlorn hope.

Desperation causes unrealistic thinking and a move away from, rather than towards hope. Without consideration of realistic options because they involve risk, discomfort, or fear of the unknown, one lives in a more or less perpetual state of hopelessness.

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Hope and optimism are two sides of the same coin. Hope fuels optimism, but the reverse is not always true.

Hope arises when one sees a way out of a perceived hopeless circumstance. It allows one to escape the feelings of powerlessness and the sense of being trapped. But before hope can happen, one must accept the situation.

To resist the fact of one's current predicament only reinforces the sense of hopelessness and despair. But acceptance can also be an obstacle to hope, if in accepting the hopeless situation, one gives into despair and thoughts of suicide.

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If you have no idea what to do in a given situation, that's the time you may want to rely on your gut feeling.

See, gut feelings are intuition pointing you to the best action to take. But how does gut feeling works and how does your gut choose a decision for you?

First of all, the term gut feeling was derived from the fact that your stomach area and brain are closely connected. You would be surprised to find out the ability of your gut to communicate with the brain. Also, the gut is where people feel the impact of their strong emotions, thoughts and reactions. Thus the term gut feeling.

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