Hope is a feeling that we have all experienced in some moment of our lives, and especially arises in the most difficult and complicated moments, giving us the chance to see a ray of light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes it seems a bit of a romantic concept, however, it has a scientific backing for its impact on our health and well-being.

When talking about hope it usually arises when we have reason to believe that something good can happen independent of the present situation.  The belief that anything is possible if we work to achieve it. Hope is a powerful engine that helps us to overcome the obstacles that arise on the way to our purpose.

At times we may think that it is similar to faith, because we hear phrases like: "faith moves mountains".  It is important to add that without action there is no reaction because it is not possible to leave everything to hope.  There is much work to do to be better every day, to become the best version of ourselves, to be of service to others and to contribute to a better society.

Scientists have researched hope and its role in our lives. One of the leading psychologists in this field is Charles R. Snyder, who developed the "theory of hope”.  Two forces: the force of will and the force of action.  The force of will makes us desire something intensely and have the determination to achieve it, believe in oneself and be motivated to succeed. And the force of action is about how to reach goals: how to plan the path, overcome obstacles, have a contingency plan.

Hope, according to Snyder's theory, is the interaction between the will and the action. The more we believe in our ability to influence the future and effectively plan to achieve our goals, the greater our hope.

Research has also shown that hope has some mental and emotional health benefits, such as: reducing stress, depression, and anxiety; and increasing resilience. All in all, it translates into a better quality of life.

Additionally, hope has been linked to greater success in various fields, such as education, work and sports. Hopeful people tend to try harder, set more challenging goals and persist in their pursuit of their goals.

It has also been shown that hope can be nurtured and strengthened. Some strategies to foster hope include:

 1.  Set realistic and achievable goals.

 2.  Believe in your abilities.

 3.  Develop objectives to achieve your goals.

 4.  Have emotional and social support.

 5.  Be resilient to adversity.

Hope is not simply a feeling, it is a psychological process that fosters resilience, well-being, and the ability to overcome challenges.  Scientific studies support the idea that cultivating hope in our lives can have positive effects on our mental and physical health.  Hope is not only a comfort in difficult times, but a powerful tool to face the future with optimism.

 And when we see such difficult situations around us, like wars, pandemics, death and losses, we tend to cling to hope even more so it doesn't hurt, the impotence that we feel when we recognize that there are things that we want to change, and we cannot. We don’t want people to suffer, there to be so much intolerance and loss of respect for the lives of our fellow human beings.

However, despite everything, we do not lose hope for a better tomorrow, a world at peace, with respect for the other, where we listen more to what we feel and are more empathetic to the situation of others, where we let us free ourselves from selfishness and become better people.

And there's our challenge.  Three years ago, I didn't feel that what I was doing in my work would impact another as positively as what I do today thanks to this community, where I found that we all can and do leave beautiful footprints on the people we touch every day, and help build a better society, where happiness is not just a word, but a lifestyle, a path to follow, a path of hope.

And today I invite you to think about what each of us can contribute to constructing a better world.  What do you want tomorrow’s world to be? And what beautiful traces do you want to leave on your way through this world?

 As the Colombian phrase "hope is the last thing lost" says so well, we are ending 2023 and we receiving a New Year to write new stories.  I invite us to write stories full of love, kindness, humanity and hope.

 Welcome to 2024.