Prior to that and since then, some rendition of this phrase has been coined by consultants. Believing it to be smart and witty, I’ve even said it myself. The point of the phrase is to suggest that you can’t wish things away or wish them into being. You cannot throw a penny into the well, cross your fingers, blow out a candle, and dream away a challenge, problem, or current reality. It takes more than that to create change.
Yet, here is the thing - “hope” is not the same thing as “wish”. If we look at the Indo-European root of the word and its Hebrew and Greek equivalents, we get a different perspective. The root of hope is the same root for “curve”, meaning to bend. Hope suggests a change in direction or going a different way. It’s a strong word that goes beyond wishful thinking; the act of hope is about taking action to create a new reality. It’s a generative word and it moves beyond probability, which is a form of positivity, and points to a direction of possibility. When we truly hope for something we can make change.
Unfortunately, fear and anxiety eat hope like a snack. They are the very opposite and are often the culprits behind poor health, strained relationships and lack of success. So perhaps the sales and business experts have it mostly right. Hope is not a strategy when you are racked with fear and anxiety.
What is eating your hope? What if you allowed hope to thrive instead of letting fear and anxiety take over?
sources:
http://www.townsendletter.com/Jan_2003/psychoneuro0103.htm
http://hope-international.blogspot.com/2011/04/meaning-of-hope.html