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Hopeful Optimism
A Commentary by Victor Perton
Today, my friend Katheryn Sandford wrote, “Hopeful optimism is my superpower.” What a beautiful truth. In those five words, she captured a powerful mindset that blends belief in a better future with the energy to shape it.
Hopeful optimism is a fusion of two powerful forces—hope and optimism. Hope is the belief that a better future is possible, often anchored in someone or something greater than ourselves, and the trust that we are not alone in moving toward it. Optimism is the belief that good things will happen and that things will work out in the end. It acknowledges challenges, confronts reality, and still chooses to believe that solutions are within reach.
As Dr Kristen Lee wrote in The Difference Between Hopeful Optimism and Toxic Positivity, “Hopeful optimism involves a process of anticipating positive circumstances and improved outcomes. Science shows that imagining the future in such ways can help promote human flourishing, sustaining us through challenges and the opportunities to tackle our mountain of rotten lemons.”
“Hopeful optimism” is not a term in common use, but many respected thinkers, such as Angela Duckworth, Martin Seligman, and Shane Lopez, frequently speak of hope and optimism together. The two are often treated as synonyms. Hopeful optimism bridges both, combining belief with action, vision with purpose, and possibility with perseverance.
In the past, I have argued against those who poo-poo optimism in favour of hope. Some strands of religion dismiss optimism, maintaining that faith and hope are more important. There are those who reject optimism as naive or insufficient, preferring hope as the more grounded virtue. I do not believe you have to make that choice; the spiritual life and faith enhance optimism. They feed it. They deepen it. They make it more courageous and more durable.
I also like the expression: “Inhale hope. Exhale optimism”, sound advice from Carole King. Hope fills us with purpose. Optimism gives us the courage to act. Together, they form the rhythm of forward movement—a breath-by-breath commitment to believing in better and building it.
🌱 Can you recall a moment in your life when hopeful optimism helped you or someone around you turn a difficult situation into a meaningful breakthrough? What strengths were at play and how might they inspire your next step forward?
Self-Improvement • Mental Health • 40 episodes
That Optimism Man Victor Perton
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