Let's Thrive! - Day 8- "Thrive on Hope"

     A friend of mine recently told me about a concept called "Drops of Awesome".  In her blog, Kathryn Thompson brilliantly illustrated the powerful process of celebrating the moments in our day when we are "awesome".  Too often when we do something right, we belittle ourselves or call ourselves hypocrites for the other moments when we weren't quite so awesome instead of simply recognizing the good choice for what it was.  I loved the examples she gave of the powerful process of recognizing our own self-talk and  becoming aware of our own thoughts in order to learn to celebrate the small victories for what they are- victories.  As I read her article, I was filled with hope.  I was uplifted knowing I could rejoice in what I was doing well and work on those things I still needed to improve without discouragement or despair like the sentiments conveyed in this sign I found in a store while traveling through Wyoming last month. It read, "Due to the current workload, the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off."  How grateful I am that the Light at the end of the tunnel is never extinguished.  He is always there and is encouraging me to have hope each and every day.
     Vaughn E. Worthen, in an article called "The Healing Balm of Hope" shared a variety of strategies for cultivating hope in our lives.  One of them he said, was "Rejoice in life’s small victories. Hope emerges and is sustained when we regularly discover reasons for it. Capitalize on the small victories that unfold daily, such as completing assignments, submitting job applications, reading your scriptures, or exercising for a few minutes each day." He challenges us to "Try to notice and celebrate at least two of these victories each day."  In the past I've been working on writing in my family members' gratitude journals to celebrate their victories and positive acts.  Why not write in my own journal about two of such victories per day?  I don't think it will breed egoism or false pride.  On the contrary, I think I will begin to see where that hope lies and in Whom.  Recognizing one's victories in the day will also bring gratitude for the tender mercies experienced.  Today I am grateful I had a productive day at work finishing a particular project that I've been working on for weeks, and I am grateful that I planned a meal for today and actually cooked it!  Both were drops of awesome in my bucket and helped me thrive with hope!

Recently while traveling in Wyoming, I saw this sign in a store. Fortunately, we still have hope and still have the Light at the end of our tunnels.