Something to Hope For

"The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." - Allan Chalmers

that is a quote found on a letter from Tom, today. The given name Allan may actually be Alan, I haven't found the source.

When I took a human actualization course called Lifespring in 1986, one of the slogans was "There is no hope". Hope just won't cut it. You've got to DO, not hope. And I wish I could still remember everything that was said about that slogan. But I'm sure it had a lot to do with being in the now, and doing what you can do at this moment rather than waiting for what you hope for in the future.

But sometimes you have to have hope, because things aren't going right at the moment, and there's always a possibility some kind of opportunity for action will open up at any time. And you have to have some kind of dream for the direction you want to go.

The interesting thing was that after I saw that I went to my My Yahoo! page and found this horoscope for me:

April 12, 2009

Capricorn (12/22-1/19)

So how do you keep hope alive? Just keep going. If you think you're losing your grip on something you want, stop thinking! It's time to be irrational. Go ahead! Just ignore reality. Things won't seem possible, but they will be if you persevere. Forget about what other people are saying and close your ears to the discouraging comments people are making. They are coming from a place of jealousy and petty thinking. You can rise above it if you just look forward and move on.

Never mind the part about jealousy. That's just a distraction. Stop thinking! That's being in the moment. If there is something you can do right, now, do it. It doesn't matter if it's going to work out anymore, because if you feel there's no hope, the results are insignificant. So why care?

Just be present with things. Observe, take action, and stop thinking.