Action cures hopelessness – advice from Dean Koontz’ beautiful character, Odd Thomas. Not sure if Odd actually spoke the words or if the words were spoken by another character to Odd. However, they appeared in my life at a time when I did not know how to move forward, and they lifted me up.

Hopelessness is a form of stagnation, and you have to get out of the mire. Every good teacher tells you to take one step at a time in learning and in undertaking a project. However, sometimes life and its details become overwhelming. Then, if you add a tendency toward perfection plus a bit of insecurity, you get really stuck.

TV shows and movies show people struggling through dilemmas and crises. We see them work hard for long hours and many days – all within a 15-minute segment. However, being present and persisting in those long hours and days is another experience. And we should ask if this is the ticket to a truly successful journey.

Personally, I love working hard, but am getting sick and tired of spending hours on tech and social media in order to do the work I love. It is clear to me that there are too many external “experts” and “shoulds” about how to work and live. We are in a great big loop of repetition and are probably holding on to incorrect perceptions of right action.

Many of us seek to take “right” action aligned with a high ideal toward which we strive. I believe this is true of most humans in the core of their being. This makes each small step and the long hours of hard work worthwhile and acceptable to our heart and spirit. We cannot fool ourselves – not in the long run. There has to be deep meaning to what we are doing that drives us forward.

After his release from a German concentration camp, Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning, found that immersion in professional activity helped him to restore meaning to his life. Frankl saw how those who best survived in the camps were those who had a strong sense of purpose.

If you feel hopeless, then you have lost hope in something that mattered to you. What do you feel you have lost? The specific thing/person/job/life style/circle/belief may be gone at the moment, but Life always brings new opportunities to us, if we remain open.

As you take action anchored in the vision you see in your mind’s eye, you discover new things that reward you and give you joy. Choose to move forward with your heart centered in what has meaning for you and your intention to add to the good for yourself and others. Stop looking back and trying to recreate what is past.

You are a different person today – and your experiences make you stronger. Use this strength to build and attract better circumstances and more power to be of service. I am reminded of two quotes:

“It is not enough to be busy. The question is: What are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau

“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being excited about what could go right.” – Tony Robbins

Think about what has meaning and the actions you can take to bring yourself into joy. Start your day in meaningful, thought-provoking conversation with peers and seek to listen with respect and allow others to speak from their hearts so each can understand more.

As always, thanks for participating in the conversation and please comment below to share your thoughts on meaning, action and hopelessness.