HOPE VERSUS GOALS: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020

 HOPE VERSUS GOALS:  WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020

So, I’ve written about hopes for the last two days.

I view four options for positive thinking:  hope, dreams, wishes, and goals.

WISHES AND DREAMS

Let’s look at wishes first.

To me, wishes are pretty low-level hopes (or dreams).  I wish that the Vikings would win the SuperBowl.  I wish that I would win the lottery (that is a tough wish as I have never bought a lottery ticket).  

Wishes are something we can’t work on (or not normally).  I suppose we could give the Vikings $100 billion dollars to hire the top quarterback and players.  I suppose I could buy a million lottery tickets and that would give me a much better chance of winning the lottery.  But, in reality, there is little we can do about these things.

Dreams are like wishes (thinking more day-dreams than dreams during our sleep).  “Wouldn’t it be nice if people got along”? 

From My Fair Lady - Wouldn’t it be loverly - Eliza Doolittle 

All I want is a room somewhere

Far away from the cold night air

With one enormous chair

Oh, wouldn't it be loverly?

Lots of chocolate for me to eat

Lots of coal makin' lots of heat

Warm face, warm hands, warm feet

Oh, wouldn't it be loverly?

Eliza, as she sings this, is a flower girl - and it would be loverly to have a room, with chocolate and heat!!!  But, at this stage, it is a dream, a wish, and maybe enough of being a hope (so that “fate” (GOD?) moves Professor Henry Higgins to take her in.

HOPES:

To me, hope is something more than a wish or a dream.  I can hope for world peace.  I can hope for abundant rainfall and a great growing season for crops.  Hopes can be something we pray for.  We hope that Aunt Selma can be healed of cancer; we hope that Becky and I can be reconciled.  But, I am PRAYING for these things.  I can’t make it rain.  I can’t make a great growing season.  I can’t make Becky make up with me.  But, I can (and do) pray for them.

GOALS:

To me, Goals are things I CAN DO.

I can control my goals.  Maybe I have a personal goal of losing weight.  I can control that.  I can eat good food.  I can exercise.  I can watch my food portions.  I can fast (if I deem that as good for my weight control).

I cannot control your weight.  I cannot control your activities.  I can pray for you, but I can’t really force you to do anything.  (Caveat - I can force you to do things!!  In the past, that was called slavery.  I can beat you until you WANT to be my will.  But, it is through my coercion that you change.  (So, that really isn’t YOUR goal).

I like the concept of SMART goals:  

-. Specific
-. Measurable

-. Attainable

-. Relevant

-. Timely

*****

But, back to the theme for today.  Hope is something I can ‘somewhat’ work towards.  I can pray, meditate, talk about hopeful things - but frequently they are beyond me.  “I hope my children grow up to be good citizens”; “I hope that Rob recovers from COVID”, “I hope the economy picks up”; “I hope a vaccine that is safe and effective for COVID comes on the market soon”.

Goals are things I can do - for myself.  “I CAN lose weight”; “I can learn Spanish”; “I can make a luscious dinner”; “I can clean my apartment”.  

*****

Back to the week’s theme - what do YOU hope for?  What are you praying about?

Do you really (really) expect it?  Are you passionate about it? 

And there abide these three - Faith, Hope, and LOVE, but the greatest of these is LOVE!!

LOVE WINS

HUGS!!

Karen