Why Is Hope Such A Big Deal?

A Vulnerable Confession From Me

Before I officially kick off THE HOPE PROJECT next week, I wanted to offer a pretty vulnerable confession of why hope is so important to me and our society. THE HOPE PROJECT is going to be six weeks of (non-spiritual) focused discussion, journaling, and meditations on hope—even with a theme song! I firmly believe being people of hope can literally revolutionize our lives and our society. Big dreams? Perhaps. But I want to keep working the rest of my life to make these dreams of a more hope-filled culture come true.

Everything surrounding THE HOPE PROJECT will be found here in these newsletters and content right here on Substack (maybe you’d want to bookmark that page!), combined with frequent posts on my social media channels. It’s going to be unlike (and definitely more ambitious) than anything I’ve ever done before! I don’t often say this, but your participation is very important—you might even find it worthwhile to bring along a friend or two for the ride! I believe these weeks could be seriously life-altering.

We’ll be using Substack for chats & discussion throughout, so please check out the site & download the free app—and join us!

So, for you who may have given up hope, for you who are struggling to hang onto a thread of hope, and for you who have no clue where to place your hope…

I GOT YOU.

Here’s my truth.

I can be a horribly sad person. No joke.

Not many people know this about me, except for my closest peeps. I’m grateful I can mask it well. I’m also thankful that its grip doesn’t define me.

But it’s definitely the thorn in my side. Something that’s always there, just under the surface. The limp that causes me to wrestle with God.

This is why I have so desperately needed to find a hope that was more than just fingers-crossed, wishing for things to be better. It had to be real. Tangible. Foolproof.

I’m so glad I found it. And I can’t wait to share it with you.

Maybe you don’t live with this particular thorn, but I bet you have one, too. Something that threatens to pull you down and out, sometimes simply when the wind blows a different direction.

Or maybe you’re choosing to live aware and informed of the precarious details of politics and our divisive culture. And you can’t help but feel pulled down under the weight of the seeming hopelessness of it all.

I GOT YOU.

I’m going to help you find a way of living that lifts you, carries you, guides you.

And then help you remember it.

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Take this simple quiz and see how you stack up in the hope department!

The Hope Test

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If you think this sounds eerily similar to religion, don’t worry. I’m not starting a cult. And I have no intention of getting you to change your beliefs. Truthfully, I desire to honor your current spiritual practice (if you have one).

Let’s just look at this as the whipped cream and cherry on top. Mmm, dessert. Maybe we could have hot fudge sundae hope meetups!

I have been a professional religious person for a long, long time. And it has suffocated me.

This meant that most of my income has come from my performance in spiritual settings. And I was successful. But all the while, I kept wondering why my religion wasn’t giving me any kind of real, tangible hope. The hope I had learned was all about the prize you get when you die, as well as believing that, somehow, we can magically alter life’s events by joining our thoughts together. And then sitting back and watching that magic fail time after time.

I still have my own personal faith, it’s a huge part of who I am. But I’m also holding more questions and mystery than I ever have. Letting go of certainty has allowed me to more fully experience what it means to actually have faith. I’m leaning into the mystery armed with hope for the good that surrounds us now, and is yet to come.

What is Your Chosen Perspective?

Some people say that the world we live in is created inside our minds. I don’t necessary believe that. But I am convinced that the perspective we have about the world is definitely something that’s established in our minds. That chosen perspective determines so much about how we feel about ourselves, our circumstances, other people, and the world we live in.

But that perspective can be swayed and influenced by the voices we choose to listen to.

I want to listen to the good voices. The ones that remind me of the beauty and awesomeness of the world and every single part of it. I want to look at my own life and say, “Wow, look what you’ve done and who you’ve become. I can’t wait to see what’s ahead!” I want to look at others and say the same.

For me, healthy mental health is so much about reminding myself of the things I want to believe about myself and the world around me.

With THE HOPE PROJECT you’re going to develop a hope-based framework for how to see yourself, other people, and the world around you in new, super practical, yet seemingly magical ways.

You’ll say, why did it take me so long and how can I help other people, too.

I can’t wait to see what happens.

THE HOPE PROJECT: Theme Song

I HAD to have a song to go along with this incredible project. It’s a song appropriately called “Time For Hope.” It’s big, bold, anthemic, and inspirational. It will be released to all the music services, including YouTube, Friday June 20th. I hope you love it.

Here’s a little preview!