Weekly: The idea within
Whenever I'm feeling a bit hopeless, I pull out a note that I wrote to myself several years ago. I want to share it with you today in hopes that it might help you.
Some people will look at a situation and feel hopeless, but others will look at it and feel hopeful. The situation is the same; it's the perspective that is different.
What differentiates these two people is not their negativity or positivity—that's a myth that needed to be retired a long time ago.
What differentiates these two people is this: one sees a problem that they believe cannot be solved, and so they despair; the other sees a problem that they believe can be solved, and so they hope. Hopelessness comes from believing we can't solve our problems.
I know you're feeling hopeless right now. I want to remind you that this means that you need to find a way to make this problem feel solvable. There are a lot of ways to do that. You might just need to rest or eat something or take a good walk. You might need to talk to a friend. You might need to get creative and brainstorm some wacky ideas. You might need to break the problem into smaller pieces and tackle them one at a time.
Remember that you have never encountered a problem you couldn't solve before. You're here, right? That means you have always found a way, even when it felt impossible at first. So I know that you can do it. And now I want you to go take one step towards it, because that's going to help you to start feeling a bit more hopeful again.
I know, in these times, it can seem like there's a lot to feel hopeless about. But no matter what, there's always hope—we just have to learn to look at the situation in the right way.
With love,
Stephanie Harrison, founder of The New Happy
This Week
Look around: everything you see was once just an idea that someone envisioned and turned into a reality.
You have your own ideas and they're within you for a reason: they want you to make them a reality. In order to do that, you have to overcome the greatest barrier there is: your own fear.
Everything you see was created by someone who struggled with this. They weren't endowed with some sort of super-special armor that prevented them from feeling afraid. They felt it, but they found a way to work with and to overcome their fear, to quiet the voice in the head that said "You'll fail," or "This is a bad idea," or "You will never figure this out." That means that you can learn how to do this, too.
Here's a reframe that will help, courtesy of the philosopher Bertrand Russell. He wrote: “One of the painful things about our time is that those who feel certainty are stupid, and those with any imagination and understanding are filled with doubt and indecision.”
The next time that you are feeling doubt about your own ideas, remind yourself: that only means that you are filled with imagination and understanding.
What Russell is really saying, in my opinion, is that the two go together. You can't have wonderful ideas without the worrying thoughts, because both come from your spectacular imagination. When you choose to quiet your worries and bring your ideas to the world, you are choosing to let your imagination lead the way. That is how great ideas become real.
More Tips and Tools
1. You're so much more — This week's animation.
2. Just one thing — Don’t change your life.
3. You didn’t waste your day — You lived it.
4. Your courage — You’re about to feel so much better.
5. What you’re searching for — Slow down.
Or listen to the podcast episodes (Apple, Spotify) from this week!
Community
What is an idea or dream you want to make a reality?
"Hosting and facilitating retreats at my dad’s rural property."
“Becoming a full-time artist.”
“Recording an album.”
“Writing a children’s book.”
“Walking the Camino pilgrimage with my siblings.”
Inspiration
1. Support Maui as it recovers from devastating wildfires —Here is a list of people in Lahaina who have been directly affected and their GoFundMe pages. They also share their stories; I cried reading this spreadsheet. Please consider scrolling through and finding someone you can help.
2. Obituary for a quiet life (The Bitter Southerner) — A grandson reflects on his grandfather’s quiet life in a remarkably beautiful essay: “The quiet lives, though, pass on soundlessly in the background. And yet those are the lives in our skin, guiding us from breakfast to bed. They’re the lives that have made us, that keep the world turning.”
3. Ailing and baby hummingbirds nursed to health at woman’s apartment-turned-clinic in Mexico City (AP) — This week's New Happy Hero is Cattia Latouf, who says that caring for the hummingbirds brought her back to life.
Before You Go
No spam, just joy.
