‘Leaders are dealers in hope’

Napoleon Bonaparte

How to find hope in the everyday

I have been walking the streets over the last few weekends door knocking and distributing campaign literature in anticipation of the local government elections this week. I’ve been struck by how many people have lost trust in government, be it local or national, or perhaps more significantly, seem to have lost hope that things will ever get any better.

As education leaders, with the lives of children and young people in our hands, we are more than ever before, required to deal in hope.

Michael Fullan reminds us of this when he says ‘above all else, effective change leaders ‘demonstrate palpable energy, enthusiasm, and hope.’

In his more recent work he introduces us to the notion of spirit work, which he says is brought to life when humans are at their evolutionary best. Moreover it is a pre-requisite of hope being ‘a force field that creates the light for the path ahead and gives hope to students and teachers.’.

Let’s look at how we might lean into hope in these complex and uncertain times.

How Mindfulness can help

When things feel hopeless, when each day can feel like a mountain to climb, mindfulness can give us the tools to stay ‘tuned in’ to whatever is going on, even though we would probably much rather ‘tune out’.

It took me a long time to realise that we don’t cultivate hope by wishing for things to be better, or by talking about a more optimistic future. Instead I’ve learned that finding hope, even in the midst of difficulty or despair, doesn’t come from without, it primarily comes from within.

La Sarmiento a mindfulness teacher in Baltimore says that it’s a natural human tendency to search outwardly for hope and to want things to be different. But unless we focus inwardly and find ways to be with what we’re experiencing, we will be less able to engage outwardly in active change for the better.

As he says 'hope is not a destination but rather an awakening to what’s possible right inside you.'

This means getting in touch with and trusting in our inner resources. It means knowing that whatever we are facing, what we are called to do is to show up us our best selves, modelling our values and core principles with an inner steadfastness and resolve.

It takes patience, and courage.

How might we practise ‘dealing in hope’?

Here are some of the practices I have leaned into when things have been tough and hope in short supply. They may be helpful to you right now, or you might return to them when you need them most.

Accept and learn
A phrase I learned many years ago that I turn to regularly when I start to ‘fight reality’ is ‘right now it’s like this’. I ask myself ‘what is my mind knowing?’, and ‘what’s my body telling me?’, and ‘what emotion am I feeling right now?’.
It helps me to accept what’s going on, and through this practice of inner curiosity helps me to understand it more deeply. I’m then more likely to bring greater wisdom to helping the next moment to be a little better than the one that went before it.

Tune into beginner mind
When times are hard we crave certainty that the future will be better. We feel safer when we know what we ought to do to create that future. However, certainty can limit our ability to open up to a broader perspective of infinite possibility.
Staying with ‘not knowing’ for longer than might be comfortable gives us the chance to ask questions such as ‘what else might be possible here’, and invite others into wondering about all the potential responses to that question.

Lean into hopeful moments
The brain has a strong negativity bias and can go into overdrive when despair creeps in. Why not end the day by sitting comfortably and bringing to mind the moments in the day that give you hope? Hopeful moments are where we see glimpses of a better future in the present. Why not choose to be particularly attentive to these moments on a given day and share them with others?
Here’s a lovely guided practice on finding ‘hopeful moments’.

We can only lead positive change outwardly when we are grounded and secure inwardly. These practices allow our deepest wisdom, rooted in our core values to arise. We then do what leaders do at times when hope seems in short supply. We go out to be with our teams, our children and their families modelling this inner strength and greater wisdom.