Hope versus happiness

I have been thinking about whether hope and happiness are the same, or similar and what is the function of hope in regard to happiness. Does hope lead to happiness? I will explore that in today’s blog.

But first I want to stop and welcome all new followers. Thank you for signing up. I want to shout out to new countries who have been reading my posts: Jamaica, Finland, Nigeria and Canada. It gives me hope when I see places I may never visit and imagine connecting with them. And India, which is my second biggest readership and very dear to my heart. And to my faithful and growing group of followers I really am grateful, because without you all no words would be read. We are on our way to the next milestone statistically which I will celebrate when it happens.

In answer to the first question, I do not think hope and happiness equate. In fact I think they are markedly different. And here is why? Please feel free to disagree with me, this is just my personal view. Having studied hope for six months of the year, I believe Hope is an antidote to unhappiness and keeps propelling us forward, giving us promises of a better, brighter tomorrow, wiping our tears, putting an arm around us. Hope is that lifting of the spirits when things have been horrific.

Happiness on the other hand is fleeting. I have experienced a lot of unhappiness and personal suffering and in some ways happiness is alien to me. Maybe had I known more happiness, then I would be writing a blog on that, like the wonderful Gretchen Rubin. Happiness is in my view an emotion, whereas I feel Hope is a choice and for me has become a friend. I experience a hopeful perspective and that helps me persevere in the midst of my battles with life. I find the pursuit of happiness does not really work for me, whereas the pursuit of hope does. Happiness may be getting 50 followers ( which has happened yeeha), but that feeling does not last, because now I am looking towards the next goal. Happiness for me is elusive.

I wonder how you experience hope? Please share. Do the hope recipes make a difference? Do you have any hope recipes to share with us?

Today I want to celebrate the work of Gretchen Rubin who writes about happiness. I am hoping to learn from her and I enjoyed this podcast which I am posting.

Today’s recipe of hope is to think about happiness and hope. If you are unhappy, are you hopeful that this might change? If you have lost hope then please consider taking a step towards restoring this; call a friend, talk to your GP, be very kind to yourself. And let us continue to reach out our hands of hope towards each other, especially to men. I say this because I am aware of four men who have tragically ended their lives this year. If you are a man who is really struggling please ask for help. Your life matters more than you know.

May we all know hope that helps us walk on through the storms and the winds of life X

https://gretchenrubin.com/podcast-episode/little-happier-casual-comment-new-path

Acknowledgements

Thank you to Gretchen Rubin for her free podcast.