No, hope is not a strategy. It is so much more.
We have all heard the phrase “hope is not a strategy” or “hope is not a plan” and I completely understand the intent behind it. That planning is more important than unrealistic ideas. That it is better to be prepared than to simply wish for an outcome.
The problem with this way of thinking is our current definition and understanding of hope. Hope is commonly used to mean a wish with a strength that is only as strong as a person’s desire. Hope is often devalued or even dismissed.
A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve an overall aim. It generally involves setting goals and priorities and describes how these things will be achieved. It is a framework for making decisions.
Yet, even the best strategies may not see the light of day without a generous helping of hope. Hope is the feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. It is an expectation with confidence. Hope is more than a wish for things to get better, it is the actual belief, the knowledge that it will no matter how big or small the circumstance.
Hope provides the momentum behind the strategy. It makes us believe in what is possible rather than what is probable. Hope is much like a root of a plant that lies below the surface of the soil providing nutrients to the plant so that it may grow. It is vital to the growth of the plant yet it is unseen. Hope resides in each one of us in this same way. It is at our very core. It keeps us grounded and sustains us.
Hope tells us to believe in something greater than ourselves. Hope tells us that we are possible. That our grandest dreams are possible. That all is not lost. That no matter what, no matter our losses, no matter our suffering, no matter our circumstance, there are better days ahead.
Hope has the ability to pull us through the darkest of nights and the deepest of despair. Hope has the ability to free us from the chains of insecurity and fear because it is based in something so much larger.
Hope is based in love.
So, while hope is most assuredly not a strategy, it is the key ingredient to a successful plan. And, make no mistake, hope is not complacent. Hope is alive. Hope is seeking. And, hope is believing.
