We major in faith. Every church has a statement of faith. You can’t get hired to work at a church without agreeing to one. You could fill stadiums with books on faith. I crammed three years of seminary into five years to study the Christian faith. 

We major in love. We sing about it, talk about it, practice it, fill libraries with books about it, and nearly every movie has it as a theme. Faith and love get a lot of attention.

Few ever talk about hope. There are no classes on it. There are no Statements of Hope. God puts it in the list of the top three human essentials, yet for decades we have left it on the shelf.

God clearly values hope a great deal more than most of us who follow Him. I have eight years of advanced education and have sat through scores of classes and thousands of lectures, and amazingly, the subject of hope never came up. Not once!

While I have come to see hope as the most critical ingredient to success in life, family, and leadership, not one word was said about it. No wonder so many of God’s people are faithful, caring, and yet deeply discouraged.

It is true:

• Hope liberates.
• Hope unleashes compassion.
• Hope encourages people.
• Hope motivates.
• Hope helps people attempt new things.
• Hope motivates people to find new strength.
• Hope propels people forward—even when it seems impossible.

In my next blog, I’m going to write about what hope isn’t.

YOUR HQ BOOSTER

Faith, love, and hope work together to produce a life that is faithful, caring, and encouraged.

The post Faith and Love . . . but Where’s the Hope? appeared first on Hope Quotient.

On one trip, I knew a contested election had sparked riots across Kenya and angry mobs had torched practically everything since our last visit. Hilda greeted me, then said, “You have got to see this.” She dragged me over to the fence.

“Look over there. What do you see?” Everything had been burned and blackened—except the church.

“Do you know what happened?” she said. “When the riots broke out, everybody hid in their houses. But when the mobs started to approach the church, the women of the community ran out of their houses and stood in front of the building. ‘You will not torch this church,’ they insisted. ‘This is where our children get help.’ The mobs walked right by the church, and it was left untouched.”

I was standing in the middle of what looked like a war zone, listening to a lady who has very few resources but who has a huge heart and even greater hope. Her church building still stands today, instead of lying in a smoldering heap like the buildings around it. Why? Because her hope infected her neighborhood. Her unyielding compassion, fueled by hope, deeply encouraged her destitute community and, in turn, emboldened its members to seek ways to spread that compassion.

Adequate resources don’t change the world. People with hearts strengthened by hope change the world!

In my next blog, I’m going to write about the top three human essentials.

YOUR HQ BOOSTER

Compassion—fueled by hope—makes your courageous.

The post Hope Makes You Courageous appeared first on Hope Quotient.

“I just try to get 10 percent improvement,” he said. “When couples get that 10 percent improvement, they get hope. And when someone gets hope, anything is possible.”

It’s an amazing thought. When a struggling individual gets just a 10 percent boost in hope, almost anything becomes possible. I looked back over my life and realized that I’ve seen a 10 percent rise in hope transform horrendous situations into amazingly great ones.

Hope is so potent that you don’t need to get 50 percent more hopeful, or 40 percent, or even 25 percent. Just 10 percent more hope is enough to launch you into a new and better orbit.

That makes hope the highest-octane fuel in the universe.

• When you get 10 percent improvement, you get a higher Hope Quotient. And when your HQ is high, anything’s possible. Hope is the beginning of everything.
• When people become more hopeful about their health, they start on the path to getting in shape.
• When people get hopeful about breaking bad habits, they start winning battles they haven’t won before.
• When people become more hopeful about their kids, they find new energy to invest in those kids.
• When people get hope in their marriages, they start making better decisions.
• When people become more hopeful about their financial future, they begin to develop the patterns that lead to financial freedom.
• When people become more hopeful about their future, hope is the match that lights the fuse that sends them back to school or helps them apply for a new job or helps them grow and develop.
• When people become more hopeful that they could actually connect with God, it fuels the kind of actions that lead them to spiritual vitality and health.

Hope is the most important factor, because when you have hope, anything is possible. I’m convinced that any great thing that ever happens in your life, in your family, in your marriage, in your community, in your country, and in your world happens because someone has achieved a higher hope level.

In my next blog, I’m going to write about the four things that hope does that nothing else can do.

YOUR HQ BOOSTER

Hope is the most important factor, because when you have hope, anything is possible.

The post The 10 Percent Solution appeared first on Hope Quotient.

Over the course of my four-hour interview, it seemed that Louie’s life story could be described with three words: it gets worse.

Louie ran in the 1936 Olympic Games, but his hopes for future Olympic glory were derailed by World War II. Louie joined the Army Air Corps, but in May 1943, his bomber crashed into the Pacific.

Louie survived. Then things got worse.

For more than a month, with no food or water, Louie and the two other survivors drifted on a pair of canvas rafts before hitting land. They were near death when they were captured.

That’s where the real nightmare began.

Torture, hours of beatings, raging thirst, emaciation, maggots, mosquitoes, rats, humiliation, loneliness, interrogations, experimentations—a total loss of dignity.

And then it got worse—just when it looked like it was getting better.

Louie’s prison camp was liberated. He came home to the embrace of his family and a hero’s welcome. Louie was a celebrity, but inside he was a mess. Haunted by nightmares, he turned to alcohol for relief. As Louie told me, “Nobody back then had ever heard of post-traumatic stress disorder.”

For the first five years of his post-POW life, homicidal hatred toward his captors consumed him. Nothing in him could prevent his free fall into despair.

Yet Louis Zamperini didn’t slide into the abyss. What stopped him? His answer, in a word was, hope. Louie’s wife, in a last-ditch effort to save their marriage, dragged him to a Billy Graham crusade.

Over the course of two nights, Louie encountered Jesus and everything changed. After the second night, Louie told me he went home and walked over to the liquor cabinet and threw all the bottles into the trash. He hasn’t had a drink of alcohol ever since. That night, for the first time since his liberation, the nightmares didn’t come, replaced instead by peace that passes understanding.

Infused with a new energy—he founded a boys’ camp, embarked on a worldwide speaking tour, carried the Olympic torch at five different Games, regularly ran a six-minute mile in his sixties, began skateboarding in his seventies, and in his nineties was still climbing trees that needed pruning.

I walked out of Louie’s house with a profound appreciation for the power of hope. It was hope that liberated Louie from discouragement, despair, and potential suicide. It was hope that kept him alive in a concentration camp. It was hope that replaced hatred with forgiveness. It was hope that, during the worst circumstances imaginable, allowed him to remain “unbroken.” And it is that kind of fresh hope that continues to make Louis Zamperini one of the most delightful, fun, joyful, and resilient people on the planet.

In my next blog, I’m going to write about a remarkable conversation I had with a psychologist on the transforming power of hope.

YOUR HQ BOOSTER

Even in the worst circumstances, hope gives you power not only to survive—but to thrive.

The post The Greatest Single Human Being I Have Ever Met appeared first on Hope Quotient.

• You’re more successful
• You feel more satisfied
• You’re less affected by stress
• You have more satisfying relationships
• You’re physically healthier
• You’re more productive
• You’re more compassionate
• You’re more willing to help people in need
• You hold yourself to higher standards
• You’re more likely to assume leadership
• You’re more likely to see God as loving, caring and forgiving!

That’s a pretty impressive list! I hope you believe that rising hope can change everything for you too. Regardless of your background, regardless of your job, regardless of your personal makeup or life history, the priority of staying encouraged by learning how to increase your Hope Quotient can change everything.

But let me give one caution here. Hope is so much more than pious platitudes and anemic answers. Hope can seem like cotton candy, which tastes good at first, but there’s nothing to it. Real hope is a deep and powerful force when it is anchored in the seven factors that sustain hope. We’ll be exploring these in this blog in the coming months.

The last thing anybody needs is a shot of hope, a temporary high followed by a crash. On January 1, people get a temporary shot of hope and set New Year’s resolutions, and by January 6 they’re done with it. People get a temporary shot of hope, decide they’re going to lose weight, and three pounds later, they give up. Countless people have said, “This is the year I’m going to read the Bible,” and then make it all the way to Genesis 6. The common denominator in these situations is a temporary, emotional, shallow burst of hope not anchored in the seven factors that support, sustain, and strengthen hope.

My book, and the online test you can take with it, will help you build the seven factors of your life that will help you not just get encouraged but stay encouraged. This is the battle you want to win and the one battle you cannot afford to lose.

In my next blog, I’m going to talk about my time with the greatest single human being I have ever met.

YOUR HQ BOOSTER

Real hope is a deep and powerful force when it is anchored in the seven factors that sustain hope.

The post The Eleven Major Differences That Hope and Confidence Create appeared first on Hope Quotient.

Howard Hendricks gave a gripping definition of discouragement: “Discouragement is the anesthetic the devil uses on a person just before he reaches in and carves out his heart.” He’s right. When people lose hope, they lose their ability to dream for the future. Despair replaces joy. Fear replaces faith. Anxiety replaces prayer. Insecurity replaces confidence. Tomorrow’s dreams are replaced by nightmares. It’s a lousy way to live.

Think hope doesn’t make a difference? Let’s get real for a second. Two people are walking in your direction. One of them is the most encouraging person you know. The other is the most discouraging person you know. Which one do you want to spend time with? That is true in every setting.

In fact, picture what happens when a person of genuine hope comes into your life. All it takes is one. In a flash, the whole atmosphere changes. The impossible actually starts to look possible (think Steve Jobs). Defeat starts to look like it could be turned to victory (think Peyton Manning). Difficult things begin to look like they might actually be possible (think Nelson Mandela). Courage replaces fear, and strength chases away powerlessness.

Yes, hope is that important!

In my next blog, I’m going to talk about the eleven major differences the presence of hope and confidence creates.

YOUR HQ BOOSTER

It’s only possible to be spiritually, psychologically, emotionally, or relationally healthy when we live with a high level of hope.

The post What Happens When People Lose Hope? appeared first on Hope Quotient.

• the greatest gift leaders can give their people—hope.
• the greatest gift parents can give their children—hope.
• the greatest gift teachers can give their students—hope.
• the greatest gift coaches can give their athletes—hope.

It’s also why . . .

• the greatest gift you can give your family—hope.
• the greatest gift you can give your friends—hope.
• the greatest gift you can give your neighbors—hope.
• the greatest gift you can give your coworkers—hope.

Let me tell you about a recent day. I met for an hour and half with some great people, leaders of a local chain of restaurants. They brought me in to train their executives and employees. What was their number one need? Fresh vision for the future. Where does that come from? Hope.

That was followed by a telephone conversation with an attorney friend from Southern California. He’s a sharp guy and a strong Christian, but his heart is breaking because his son has turned away from his family’s faith and values and is taking some destructive paths. What was that dad’s number one need? He needs the kind of inner strength that only comes to people who have hope.

I then did a Livestream video seminar with leaders from all over the country on how to turn a church from stagnant and declining to thriving. What was the number one need of the leaders of these churches? The kind of creativity and determination that only comes to people who have hope.

I stopped at a gas station and talked with a twenty-four-year-old college dropout who just came back to our area. As we put gas in our cars (a very expensive proposition), he told me he was out of work. What was his number one need? The kind of focus and resolve that only comes to people who have hope.

I wrapped up my day and was driving out of our church parking lot when I saw a poised, professional woman who looked lost. She said she was searching for one of the conference rooms. I asked her which meeting she was attending. She hesitated, embarrassed, then said the DivorceCare seminar. My heart immediately went out to her. I got out of my car and walked her to her class. She turned to me before she walked through the door, and I saw tears streaming down her face. She said, “It’s just really hard.” What is her number one need? Hope. I touched her shoulder and said, “God has better days ahead.”

In my next blog, I’m going to talk about what happens when people lose hope.

YOUR HQ BOOSTER

The greatest gift you or I can give anyone is hope.

The post The Greatest Gift You Can Ever Give appeared first on Hope Quotient.

Several years ago, my daughter, Leslie, came home from school and said, “Dad, I have to write a paper on a leader.”

“Yeah?” I said.

“I picked you, and the teacher said it was okay,” she said.

“Yeah . . .” I said, growing wary.

Without hesitating, she laid it out before me. “I have twenty questions. This is going to be at least a two-hour interview, and you have to answer them all honestly.”

At that, we grabbed our swimsuits and hopped into the hot tub. I thought, Since I’m going to end up in hot water anyway, I might as well start there!

Two hours later, she asked me her last question. It caught me by surprise. Her last question was her best question. And her last question was one of the most profound questions that human beings can ever ask themselves.

“What’s the single most important thing you do as a leader?”

I looked at her and said, “That’s easy. The single most important thing I do is make sure I stay encouraged.”

She looked at me with this blank stare—kind of like, what? Just as you may be looking at this book right now. I explained it to her.

“If I’m not encouraged, eventually nothing else matters.

“If I’m not encouraged, I’ll never be the communicator people who listen to me need me to be.

“If I’m not encouraged, I’ll never be the person I believe God wants me to be.”

I got a little choked up, looked at Leslie, and said, “If I’m not encouraged, I will never be the dad you need me to be.

“If I’m not encouraged, I’ll never be the husband Mom dreams I might be someday.” (Married guys know exactly what I’m talking about.)

Why is this a big deal? Because getting and staying encouraged is everyone’s number one need—whether they know it or not.

In my next blog, I’ll talk about the greatest gift you can ever give.

YOUR HQ BOOSTER

Getting and staying encouraged is everyone’s number one need.

The post The Most Important Question appeared first on Hope Quotient.

1. Recharge your batteries. Nobody does well running on empty.
2. Raise your expectations. Life really can be far greater than anything you’ve known.
3. Refocus on the future. Don’t look back; concentrate on what you can become.
4. Play to your strengths. Be yourself; everyone else is taken.
5. Refuse to go it alone. Even the Lone Ranger had Tonto.
6. Replace burnout with balance. Variety refreshes, restores, and reenergizes.
7. Play great defense. Learn to respond to bad news in great ways.

Building The Seven into your life will increase your hope level dramatically. And when that happens, anything is possible.

Recently, I spoke about The Seven at a weeklong conference. When the chart lit up the screen, I could hear people all over in the crowd say, “Got it!” I told them, as I’m telling you now, “I’m not talking so much about hope but about seven critical factors that, when they are rising in your life, will give you genuine hope.”

Let me tell you how important this is to me. Every year, I set goals. Sometimes they go well; sometimes they don’t. Five years ago, I had one goal for the whole year. I was going to work for 365 days to do one thing—raise my hope level. My goal was to be more hope-filled at the end of the year than I was at the start of the year.

By that time, I had learned that hope would improve my relationships, my marriage, and my impact, and I would be a whole lot more fun to be around. Not too long into that year, though, I realized I couldn’t raise my hope level by wishing to be more hopeful.

You raise your hope level by investing in The Seven. Why is raising your Hope Quotient job one? Simple—the ripple effect. Raising these seven leads to hope, which leads to fresh vision, which leads to great new things in your life, health, finances, and future. In short, raising your HQ changes everything, because you will finally be living with a solid, secure, emotionally healthy, and spiritually solid foundation.

In my next blog, I’ll talk about the most important question I was ever asked—and what the answer means to you.

YOUR HQ BOOSTER

Becoming a person with hope is always a result of raising the seven hope factors

The post How Do You Become a Person of Hope? appeared first on Hope Quotient.

• Lock him in a prison cell, beat him, and shipwreck him, and you have the apostle Paul.
• Deafen him, and you have a Ludwig van Beethoven.
• Cripple him, and you have a brilliant novelist and poet—Sir Walter Scott.
• Raise him in abject poverty, and you have an Abraham Lincoln.
• Burn him so severely that doctors say he’ll never walk again, and you have a Glenn Cunningham—the man who set the world’s one-mile record in 1934.
• Strike him down with polio, and he becomes a Franklin D. Roosevelt.
• Call him a slow learner, label him “retarded,” and write him off as uneducable, and you have an Albert Einstein.
• Have her born black in a society filled with racial discrimination, and you have a Rosa Parks.
• Subject him to torture in a Japanese prison camp for over three years, and you have a Louis Zamperini.

Hope is more than just an emotion you feel; it’s a state of being you create, and hope can be learned. Hope is the byproduct of seven key factors that combine in a powerful way to make hope grow and thrive.

What are the seven factors that create hope? We’ll be exploring that in the next blog.

YOUR HQ BOOSTER

Tough circumstances are no match for the kind of inner strength fueled by hope.

The post Do Circumstances Break You—Or Make You? appeared first on Hope Quotient.