A dear friend of mine has had a severe stroke. She is facing the slow journey towards rehabilitation with enormous courage. A few months ago she named me the Captain of her Hope Team, a title I carry with pride and a deep sense of responsibility.
I was therefore very interested to read a paper forwarded to me from a colleague that links hope with a meaningful life. I confess that I found the academic language of the authors, David B. Feldman and C.R. Snyder, hard to follow until I read:
“Having a strong sense of hope, particularly when focused on especially meaningful goals, may lead to a perception that these goals can actually be accomplished and that a meaningful life can actually be constructed. This perception may lend a sense of meaning in one’s present existence inasmuch as one’s current actions further these goal-pursuits.”
I forwarded these 2 sentences to my friend and she took comfort from the fact that there is now research linking hope with life meaning through the achievement of goals.
Remarkably, my friend has remained hopeful of a return to her normal life, and this goal has helped her attack her demanding therapies with determination and positive energy. She is repeatedly told she is an inspiration – and she is! Her current meaning and purpose is to be well again, and she is committed to then using her experience of stroke recovery to benefit others going through a similar journey, and their families. And she recently shared with me that this longer term goal gives her a real sense of life purpose.
How about you?
For people whose sense of life meaning and goals are less clear than my friend’s, one of the services offered by my business, AnD Leadership Consulting, is Vision Coaching. This is a facilitated process that helps clients create a compelling vision for their future then set meaningful goals to make this a reality. I’d be delighted to hear from you if you’d like to know more.
