The Wishful Weekly Update
"Because 'change' is not a destination, just as 'hope' is not a strategy.”
I loved this quote.
Until I discovered it was from former New York City Mayor, politician and “lawyer” Rudy Giuliani (suspended from YouTube this week for the second time).
Then I found that he was not the first to say it (shocker). Before him, it was said by business authors like Rick Page and Ted Gee, as well as Director James Cameron and even iconic football coach Vince Lombardi.
Vince can be credited with just about every motivational t-shirt created in the 1960’s.
"If you aren't fired up with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm."
"The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary."
"The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall."
“Where did I put my f*#$ing hat. I can’t win without it.”
As we gradually approach spring with stops and starts, hope is emerging after the long pandemic winter. A study by Destination Analysis just last week found that nearly 2/3 of Americans feel at least somewhat confident they can travel safely right now, and travel guilt fell to 40%. A pandemic-high 64% are in a travel-readiness state of mind. And more than 84% of American have made tentative trip plans for the remainder of 2021, particularly between June and October.
These findings are echoed in other research:
“After being virtually homebound for the last year, the vaccine rollout is providing consumers with an increased sense of safety, meaning they are ready to get back on the road and in the air. Travel intentions across all categories have increased, which should be welcome news for restaurants, hoteliers, airlines and a host of other consumer and hospitality-focused businesses.”
- Ramya Murali, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP
Hope in the travel industry is blooming. And hope that we will start to build the next normal is blooming for us too.
Hope–best defined as a desire with great expectations but little certainty–matters.
Famous hopes:
That our children will forgive us for the mistakes we’ve made in raising them.
That I’ll get a good night’s sleep
That the work I am doing today actually makes a difference in the world. (Or, at least, doesn’t make things worse.)
That the dessert in the fridge isn’t covered with something green and furry because I want a sweet snack right now.
The city 2 hours east of Vancouver where the first Rambo was filmed.
Destiny Hope Cyrus (aka Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana))
But there is a dark side to hope. It can set us up for disappointment and defeat; and it can hamper us from adequately preparing for negative outcomes. In the context of the pandemic, this is particularly important.
The relatively new area of study called Positive Organizational Behaviour has explored the significance of hope in the workplace, building from research in positive psychology. Supported by resilience and optimism, hope is tightly connected to organizational commitment, work happiness, job satisfaction and even performance.
Sustaining hope over the past year has felt at times like a Sisyphean* endeavour. If freedom is accorded to the vaccinated before the unvaccinated, then hope will be very difficult to sustain for many people as they see others returning to some semblance of normal–at home and in the workplace.
Many of our friends, family members and colleagues may feel frustration and despair as the world moves on without them. We can be a tremendous source of inspiration and support if we can help sustain hope and channel it into a positive force. Here are three proven tips:
Don’t accept things as they are – seek out to make positive changes wherever possible.
Approach everything with a sense of curiosity in an effort to make things better.
Make the most of every situation.
This might sound like it belongs on a Vince Lombardi t-shirt (with a hat, of course), but it’s simple and it works. After all, Vince was pretty much the most successful coach in NFL history.
Keep your hopes high.
* Sisyphean is our WOWU (Word Of The Weekly Update). Looking back, we always seem to have at least one word that is designed to impress but really could be simplified**. We got into an intense discussion about the right way to pronounce it. There are a few options:
si-sə-ˈfē-ən
si-ˈsi-fē-ən
sis-uh-fee-uhn
Be careful about trying to enunciate the differences. It could mess up your speech for twenty minutes.
** Bob takes umbrage with this statement.