Is it Hope That Keeps You Holding On?

Picture this, it is a beautiful warm sunny day and you are walking hand-in-hand with the one you love along one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

As you look up at the crisp blue sky, you feel a warm, gentle breeze blowing through your hair. And the only sound you hear is the waves gently splashing against the shore. At this moment, your state of mind is in total peace. "Life is good" Everything is going well, and you have no worries.

Bam! Snap out of it...

As reality sets in, you realize, the sun hasn't shined in almost two months, you can't remember the last time you held hands with the one you love, that gentle breeze is more like a cold winter wind. And you're state of mind, is at anything but, total peace.

You might be worrying about a loved one, who is sick, or maybe the bills are piling up and you don't see a raise happening any time soon. Or maybe credit card debt is starting to overwhelm you. The kids need a new pair of shoes, the car needs a new set of brakes, or maybe you are alone and are desperately looking to find that someone special to share life with. After all, you are not getting any younger. Where did the last 10, 20, 30 years go?

Just how many wrong turns, did you take going down life's path? Will things get better? Are you living your dream? If you are in the 90% group, you are most likely dealing with the everyday rat race. Such as deadlines, phone calls, getting to work on time, or getting the kids to school. Or maybe the relationship with your spouse is on the rocks.

If you are human, you most likely have been faced with some of these issues. And the one thing that keeps us holding on is hope!

Hope is a powerful commodity to have. It can get us through the day and get us through the week and for the hard-core strugglers it can get us through the year!

But what keeps hope alive? Well, according to the research on human behavior, it mostly falls on the pursuit of happiness and wanting to live life to the fullest.

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is one of the most famous phrases in the United States Declaration of Independence.

Happiness is a state of mind. Some of us would be content living in a tent, whereas others would still be miserable living in the finest mansion imaginable. Throughout time, philosophers have pondered the meaning of happiness. Some believe it is the balance between need and satisfaction. A harmony if you will, between that which we desire, and that which we receive.

A good relationship, a brand-new car, or maybe a vacation home up in the mountains. However we define happiness, one thing is for sure; we definitely know it when we don't have it.

It has been said, in order to be happy, you need to discover the things in your life that are blocking you from being happy. Because all those wonderful and tangible things that you think will make you happy, is kind of like putting a Band-Aid on a broken heart. It's just a temporary fix.

In a perfect world, you would have everything you want, and everything you need. But is that true happiness? For instance, if you were the sole winner of a one hundred million dollar lottery, you could pretty much have whatever you want, and whatever you need.

But what if you didn't have someone to share it with? Or you were not in good health? Could you really be happy? This brings us back to hope. I'm hoping that I'm going to find someone soon, or I think over time, my health may get better, etc. Someday my ship will come in. And another 10, 20 years go by, but there's still no site of that ship. And it's a hope that keeps us holding on. Without hope, most of us would give up. But you never know what the future may bring, therefore hope remains alive.

There are so many people out there who say, before I die, I want to make a positive difference in somebody's life. And it would be great if you can accomplish just that. But if nothing else, why not try to make a difference in your own life?
You will always have hope, but it takes more than that to die happy. Everyone has a destiny and will make choices throughout their life to determine what that destiny will be.

Don't let life itself. Get in the way of your happiness. Enjoy the journey! Try to live every day like it was your last. So many people get so caught up in the rush of their busy lives chasing their dreams and working on their future, they never really stop to actually live life.

Enjoy the precious moments in life instead of just taking them for granted. Such as, sitting in a little café and having lunch with your best friend listening to a favorite song of the jukebox just reminiscing about old times. Or watching that precious little dog of yours run around and play in the first snow of the season, catching snowballs with his mouth wagging his tail all along. Or maybe, order some Chinese food, and have a quiet candlelit dinner with your loved one. Or maybe it might be, taking dad down to the local pool hall, ordering some wings and a pitcher of beer and just being thankful that he's still alive for you to enjoy.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away," and precious moments are endless but so often taken for granted. Spend time with your loved ones. Take a drive out in the country with the windows down and let the warm air blow on your face. Call an old friend and let them know you are thinking of them. Take your mom out for a day of pampering just to see that warm smile on her face and to hear her giggle. Or make yourself a refreshing sandwich and a nice cup of tea, bring it out to the patio put your feet up and enjoy. Play Silly games with your children, be their superhero.

These are the little things in life that really can make someone happy, if they take the time to actually sit back and look at them in a different perspective. And most of the time, the finest things in life don't cost you a dime.

The next time you are in the kitchen preparing a meal and you have a dog, drop a little piece of food on the floor and pretend that it was an accident and just watch it make his day as he snatches it up wagging his tail in total disbelief that he was so lucky. It's the simple little pleasures that make life so wonderful. Show up at your loved ones place of work at lunchtime with a surprise picnic lunch, drive to the nearest park and sit under a tree and enjoy the moment together.

To sum it all up, keep the hope and live life to its fullest, take time to stop and smell the roses and enjoy all life's little precious moments. When you're 90 years old, sitting out on the porch in you're rocking chair, these are the things you think back to and reminisce about all those wonderful little moments that you shared with the ones you loved. And you can leave this world with no regrets.