Life Lessons from Dad: Hope

I have been doing some thinking about what it means to be a father and part of that responsibility is to offer guidance. So, I thought it would be a great idea to start right now. You won't understand these lessons anytime soon, but someday when you are older you will and I'll be able to share what I have learned throughout my life and pass that down to you.  I'm not an expert and I've made a ton of mistakes but, I hope that maybe you'll take something away from what I have learned so that you won't have to make the same mistakes.  And if by chance you do make them, I'm here to tell you that it's ok and maybe this advice will help you sort through those mistakes someday.

I thought I would kick off these little lessons with Hope.  Hope has been at the forefront of my mind lately and is really helping me get through a very difficult situation and I think it's a good place to start.

Lesson 1: Hope

No matter what happens in life, no matter how hopeless a situation may be, whatever you do, don't lose Hope.  Hope is one of the most powerful emotions that you can have and it's one that only you can take away from yourself.  Situations in life will arise that will try to take it from you, but only you can make the conscious decision to hand it over.  So don't hand it over.  Keep it with you always and hold onto it tightly.  Without Hope your thoughts can lead to doubt and a belief that a situation or goal is impossible to overcome or achieve.  I want to tell you that nothing in this world is impossible to overcome and nothing in this world is hopeless as long as you truly believe it and hold onto Hope.  Hope is so powerful that as long as you hold onto it, you will be driven to achieve a positive outcome no matter how difficult a situation may be.  Hope will help remove the fear of the unknown and allows you to feel more positive about a situation.  As long as you have Hope you'll be able to see and think more clearly, which will help promote creativity within you, which in turn can help you accomplish and overcome the most difficult situations and tasks.  Having Hope will help you live a more positive and fulfilling life.  There have been many difficult times that I have faced and many times where I have given my Hope away and that only led to heartache and pain.  As much as I want to protect you from heartache and pain, I can't.  You'll go though your own difficult situations and make your own mistakes in life.  When those moments arrive, the only thing that I can do is offer my love and support and encourage you to never lose Hope.  Nothing is impossible and nothing is hopeless. Hold tightly onto Hope and never let it go. I love you little one.

Love,
Daddy
XOXOXO