How to plan Hope and make it a practice
Dear Good Ancestor,
Thank you for all the beautiful, Hope-filled birthday messages I received last week in response to my Letter From Layla last week.
I wanted to share a few of the messages that I received that really stuck with me, and reminded me that we are all, in our own ways, trying to practice hope in a world filled with so much chaos.
““Thank you for your words on hope. I have the same struggles wrestling with hope but too believe it’s a spiritual practice. And when I get defeated seeing a lack of progress in so much and so many, a dent barely made here or there, I remind myself that change has happened in me and the least I can do is at least create the world I want to see in my life and those I impact. It’s not enough, it never will be but on some level that is worth it and have you to thank for that.””
““Thank you for your words on hope. I have the same struggles wrestling with hope but too believe it’s a spiritual practice. And when I get defeated seeing a lack of progress in so much and so many, a dent barely made here or there, I remind myself that change has happened in me and the least I can do is at least create the world I want to see in my life and those I impact. It’s not enough, it never will be but on some level that is worth it and have you to thank for that.””
““Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:23-25”
One of my favourite quotes on Hope is this one by Desmond Tutu:
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
In the face of all the darkness and pain that people have caused over hundreds of years through systems of oppression like white supremacy, there have also, always been people who showed up to shine the light of Hope.
People who have resisted, protested, fought, written, taught, spoken truth to power, devoted their lives to the fight for human dignity, and challenged the status quo internally and externally. Good ancestors who showed up for the work, because their consciousnesses would no longer allow them to participate in oppression.
These good ancestors give me Hope.
The ones who have passed. The ones who are coming. The ones who are here now. Some of whom I get to interview on the Good Ancestor Podcast. And many more of whom, in their everyday lives, are consistently striving to practice anti-racism, anti-oppression, healing and liberation.
The ones like you.
I believe that Hope isn’t something that we wait for. It’s something that we can choose in our minds, and then create through our actions. And after my summer of Hope-less-ness this year, I’ve realised it’s something that we actually have to plan.
On Instagram this week, I shared a little about my 'Hope Planning Practice'.
I wanted to share more with you today about how I personally go about planning for Hope, and making it a practice that I live and not just an ideal that I wish for.
STEP 1: PREPARATION
I prepare myself and my resources.
I block out the last weekend of each month for a solo planning weekend (I do this at the beginning of the month so that I don’t make other plans for that weekend).
I gather my calendars, planners, pens and markers, and any resources I want to work with. My kids are usually at my parents’ house at the weekend, so the house is quiet. And I let my husband know that this will be a working weekend for me, so we keep our weekly date to dinner, instead of a whole day out together.
STEP 2: REVIEWING
I review the month that has been.
As an author, speaker, and podcast host, my calendar is usually quite busy with events and interviews. This is even more so during times when I am promoting a new book or project. This November was particularly busy as we published the Me and White Supremacy Guided Journal.
However, this planning weekend isn’t just about putting event dates on the calendar (although this is a big part of it too!). It’s about looking at my life holistically, and reviewing where I am this month in my level of Hope by the way that I feel inside myself.
I reflect on the events and interviews that I spoke at that month and ask myself:
How much Hope did I bring with me to this event or that interview?
How much Hope did I feel after I was done?
I reflect on the Good Ancestor Podcast interviews I recorded that month and ask myself:
How much Hope did that conversation spark for me?
How much Hope do I think it will give our listeners?
I reflect on my personal life - time spent with family, with myself, and the state of my health and well-being - and I ask myself:
How Hope-full do I feel in these areas of my life?
What gave me the most Hope in these areas of my life this month?
STEP 3: PLANNING
I plan for the month that is coming.
I ask myself:
“How can I bring more Hope to my work life and my personal life this month?”
I ask myself what I need to shift, change, get rid of, or add more of.
What support do I need?
What healing do I need?
What Hope-full practices and habits do I want to work on building this month?
What Hope-less practices and habits do I want to eliminate this month?
And lastly, what 3 goals - in my work life and personal life - will make me feel like I am tangibly building Hope?
For me, practicing Hope is about two main things:
1. Ensuring that the flow or rhythm of my months and days work for me and not against me, so that I feel that I am thriving, instead of just surviving.
The more that I feel I am thriving (Ease-Grace-Flow-Glow), the more Hope I am able to access and create - inside myself first, and then in the world. It’s hard to consistently create and live in a space of Hope when we are constantly feeling drained.
One practical Hope-full change that I have made over the last two months is increasing the amount of sleep I get each night.
Back in September, I was getting about 6 hours of sleep per night. At the end of the month I realised this wasn’t enough because I constantly felt physically exhausted, and emotionally low. In October I increased this to 7 hours, but this still didn't feel like enough. So in November I increased it again to 8 hours. I feel much more rested now, and as a result I’ve seen a significant increase in my feeling of Hope-fullness. I have more to give because my cup is fuller.
2. Actively looking for ways to add more Hope to the world by my actions and the things that I create.
There is great power and impact in knowing that we can create Hope.
This newsletter is a way that I add Hope to the world. Good Ancestor Podcast is about bringing Hope-filled conversations to people. The Me and White Supremacy Young Readers’ Edition I am writing is another vessel of Hope. Weekly dates with my husband and children are very important ways of sharing Hope.
I plan for these during my monthly weekend planning sessions. There are dates and times for them in my calendar: writing my book, writing this newsletter, researching my podcast guests, family dates, etc.
And each month I ask - What’s another thing that I can add? What’s one more Hope-filled creation that I can share with others, that also makes me feel Hope-full?
A real-life example of something that I am working on this month to bring more Hope to others in 2021 is brainstorming and planning more rewards that I can share with my patrons on the Good Ancestor Podcast Patreon account. Things like monthly calls and bonus live events with podcast guests, where as a community, we can share and spread more Hope.
This is something that I can do. And if I plan for it, and take the necessary action steps, it’s something that can add a little bit more Hope into the world - one person at a time.
The world is filled with a lot of darkness. But there is also a lot of light.
We are that light.
And when we know we are the light, and we intentionally choose to shine it by practicing Hope, we are doing what those good ancestors who came before us did.
Creating a legacy of healing and liberation.
As we come towards the end of this year, I encourage you to think about what a Hope Planning practice could look for you, and how you can intentionally live and create Hope, instead of waiting for it to show up.
I invite you to look at the state of the world, and to ask yourself what your role is in changing it for the better. What Hope-full internal and external work you can plan for, commit to, and carry out as a good ancestor in this lifetime.
Let's make Hope a practice.