My first Spring seedlings are all tucked up in their little beds in my greenhouse down here in Wānaka, New Zealand. I look in on them each day, and honestly, as I close the door, it feels like saying goodnight to my children when they were little. It always makes me smile.
I’ve been thinking about my response to these seedlings, and I realise it’s pure hope. Once I see their little green heads sprout up above the soil, I have a clear line of hope to their abundant growth and feeding me and my community. I know what should happen, and the hope is locked in.
Much of life feels less certain at the moment and so it’s harder to establish such a clear hopeful vision. Even with my plants, some pesky slugs, newly arrived in the greenhouse this year, have messed with my hopes.
Our ability to hope is being squashed on two sides. On one side we are bombarded by ‘the News’ – AI running amok or taking our jobs, climate change, war, or imminent economic collapse. It’s hard to paint a hopeful future if that’s your main source of information about the future.
On the other side, we are embedded in a culture that values optimising performance, working faster, being more productive, and getting the most out of everything – whether that’s your body, your workforce, your day, or the planet.
To build the kind of hope that pulls you towards a future you really want, you need to change things up. So what can you do?
First, curate a ‘news diet’ that includes the good things happening in the world – we all need reminding that humans are capable of great generosity and creativity.
Next, create some clear space to imagine the future you really do want. That means time away from the pressures and assumptions of daily life. Focusing on what really matters to you and finding out the answers to some pretty big questions.
Asking questions like: What makes my life feel most worthwhile? Where do I feel the greatest sense of belonging and purpose? What kind of world do I want to pass on to our children? What does enough look like for me?
What do you want your future to look like in five years’ time? Allow yourself to imagine it – even for the duration of one walk, or one cup of tea. Just think about this question and notice what floats up.
What action are you prepared to take, now, to work to make that future happen? Remember, small steps are how all change happens.
If that feels too hard, try this first. For a week, notice the unexpected good things, however small, that make your day feel worthwhile or joyful. Then imagine how and where they might have a place in the future you want.
I believe that the antidote to despair may well be making small, good things happen with other people.
My community is a huge part of my hope for the future. As well as connecting with my local community, I follow the work of people making change in their communities around the world.
Right now, I’m grateful to Gavin Fernie-Jones of Re: Action Collective, Morzine, France. Their Citizen Fridays motto, ‘Share, Repair, Get out in the Fresh Air’ is a simple direction that’s inspiring action and lifting hope around the world. And it all starts from small, local actions that build hope.
What’s one thing you can do this week to nurture your hope for the future?
