How To Have Hope

1. Figure out how you want your life to look.

People often struggle to hope for a better tomorrow because they don’t know what it might look like. Before you can have hope it might be necessary to first figure out what type of life you imagine as the most desirable. Take some time to consider your ideal life and what it would include.[1]
Ask yourself: “If I could wake up tomorrow and have any life, what would it be like?” Think about as many details as possible. What would your house look like? What would your friends be like? What kind of activities would you participate in?
You may find it helpful to write out your vision for your life so that you can review it and revisit it from time to time.

2  Compare your ideal vision to your present life circumstances.

After you figure out what kind of life you would like to have in an ideal world, compare that life to your present life circumstances. Doing so can help you to determine what areas of your life are already in line with your vision, or if you are headed in the right direction.
For example, if you envision yourself 40 pounds thinner, consider what you are doing right now to get you to that goal. Are you eating healthy foods? Controlling your portions? Exercising regularly? What do you need to move closer to your vision?
As you reflect on your life, consider your current circumstances. Have any of the aspects of your ideal vision already been manifested in your life?

3 Consider whether you have realistic or unrealistic expectations for your life.

In order to have hope, it is important to make sure that the vision you have for yourself is realistic. If your vision is not realistic, it may cause you to feel hopeless. Consider your vision for your life and try to determine if your vision is realistic. If not, you may need to make some adjustments so that your vision is something that you can achieve.
For example, imagine your vision is to be a millionaire, but you don’t know what type of job you would want to get you there. In this case, you should consider starting with goals that are more relevant to your current life conditions.

4  Set some goals for yourself.

Having goals to work towards is one of the best ways to have hope. After you have developed a vision for your life, take time to set some goals. Write your goals out and work hard to achieve them. To improve your chances of reaching your goals, make sure that the goals you set are SMART goals. This acronym stands for the following features:[2]

Specific—the goal is targeted rather than broad and/or vague
Measurable—the goal can be quantified (measured with numbers)
Action Oriented—the goal is something that you can actively work towards and control
Realistic-the goal is something you can actually achieve with the resources available to you
Time Bound—the goal has a beginning and ending or a deadline that you will hold yourself to