Hope is a great word. It’s a powerful word that inspires millions of people in many different languages. Hope has moved people out of untenable situations into better lives, and has helped humans stay alive long enough to figure out how to thrive.
Hope is huge. It’s necessary. It’s motivating and in some cases life-saving.
What Is The Meaning of Hope?
My favorite definition of hope is: to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment (Merriam-Webster, definition #2).
To many, having hope means that they have absolute faith that everything will work out. These people are using hope to it’s fullest.
To others, the word hope is attached to a deep desire they aren’t at all sure will manifest; it’s a wanting something to happen or be true which implies a deeper understanding that the object of their desire isn’t yet true.
When the Emotion of Hope Works Against You.
What I came to notice about my own use of the word hope was this: when I’ve used this word, it’s usually been in connection with a desire (often a powerful one), in a time when my essential subconscious premise was that I didn’t believe the thing I wanted was possible.
One reason to hope for something is that that something presently appears to be out of reach and we are seeking a miracle because we believe the thing we desire is bigger than other things we may want.
For many, our essential belief is that bigger things are harder to manifest. But for omnipresent creative life power, all of creation is working with energy that already exists all around us. Manifesting a million dollars, that dream house you envision, or the circumstances that lead up to you finding the love of your life is no more difficult for the Universe than spreading a rainbow across the sky, making a flower grow, or generating your heart beat over a lifetime.
For myself, I realized that when using the word “hope” in relation to something I really, really wanted, my body would move into an emotional state of desire so strong I could almost taste it—coupled with an emotion that I can only describe as aching. The essence I was creating in my body, my mind and especially in my heart was the feeling of lack. My desire was great, but so too was my acknowledgment of not yet having the thing I desired.
This state of strong desire accompanied by desperate hope sets up resistance that doesn’t allow the desire to manifest. It’s like handing the cashier money for an item I know without a doubt I’m taking home, and then gripping the money so tightly that the cashier can’t help me pay for my item and walk away with it.
Moving From Hope Into Expectation.
Let’s picture a different scenario.
When I put in an Amazon order, the first thing I do is decide on what it is that I want. I put my desired object in my cart, go through checkout, and pay for the item. Once I submit my order I don’t keep checking every 5 minutes until it arrives, to see if it’s actually coming. I don’t press my hands together in front of my heart, squeeze my eyes closed and breathlessly whisper, “I hope, I hope it really comes!”
Nope. Once my order is placed, I relax and go about my day, confident in the knowledge that what I’ve decided upon will be delivered directly to me. In a sense, I’m a changed person. I am now the person who is the proud owner of a six-pack of colorful stacking mixing bowls. I am that lucky!
When I’ve had that kind of confidence that the opportunities I’ve requested, income I’ve requested—or even things I’ve “had a feeling” were going to happen—would be delivered, they come without issue and surprisingly quickly.
Deciding you want something, then moving into a relaxed state of confident, expectant allowing is key to receiving your heart’s desire.
For me, this is a much different place on the emotional set point scale (see Abraham Hicks emotional guidance scale) than hope. Nearing the top, where our highest emotional expressions reside, hope is #6 and positive expectation/belief is #4. So if you’re feeling hope, you’re well on your way to the empowered experience of joyfully co-creating that expectant allowing illustrates.
If you can move into confident expectation, hope will just be a powerful vehicle you once used to get you there.
How are you using hope?