Hope!

What is Hope?

Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of perseverance — i.e., believing that a positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary. (www.wikipedia.org).

Daily, I must use my observations, experience, and reason to find Hope in the long term goals that I have established for myself.

To me, Hope is a gamble.

I am trusting my limited reason to navigate known and unknown obstacles in my life to reach a certain point. For example, I have hope that my life will be fulfilling and rewarding with my wife. I have hope that I will be a positive example for my stepchildren to draw upon. I have hope that my current San Diego Comic Con plans will be prosperous.

My gambling is rooted in observation. My wife has qualities that I admire and enjoy. She is intelligent, thoughtful, playful, sensitive, beautiful.....and screams like a monkey when tickled. My stepchildren are intelligent and well behaved. They make great grades. Occasionally I hear my sense of humor traverse from their mouths. "I am one mean, sarcastic MotherF*." Finally, my 14+ years as a toy manufacturer and VP of miscellaneous has given insight into the path I should follow for next year.

My Hope is my creation. It is my treasure. It is rooted in my value structure. As flawed, limited, and imperfect my reason is, it defines my path for the future. I am starving for my future. I can't wait....although I must. In the meantime, I will prepare for my vision of this future with a vengeance. I will keep constant look out to ensure that my vision is true and my thoughts are objective.

There are no guarantees that I will succeed. The only guarantee that I have is the one I give my self. I guarantee to use my mind, and energy to work as hard as can to turn my hope into reality.

The first question is "do you have Hope?" Or do you just allow reality to roll into your life. Are you reactive versus proactive? Are you one of the overweight, walmart shopping spectators at Nascar, or are you in a drivers seat running laps at 200+ mph, hoping to win the race?

The second question is, "How do you create your hope?" Is it created by your mind or is it created by others? Is your hope rooted in reality or fantasy? Is it based on the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness as defined by you? Or is your hope based on the pursuit of death, slavery, and misery as defined by others?

Is your hope rooted in the obtainable and comprehensible? Or unobtainable and incomprehensible?

Is your hope rooted in the wish of avoiding death by avoiding life or embracing death by embracing life?

Tyler Durden / Fight Club - If there is a God, chances are he doesn't like you. In fact, in all probability, he hates you.

Jesus Christ / Luke 17:33 - "Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.