EVER HOPEFUL.

I have been thinking a lot about hope this past week.

I was noticing that in my own life (and expressed by many of my friends and colleagues) that hope has been a bit hard to find recently. What is happening in the world at large has been downright tough, troubling, and exhausting.

But last week something just shifted. Folks are feeling lighter and brighter.

Studies show that if we can access hope (which is a measurable cognitive process), that our brain functions better and that our reactivity to perceived threat can be calmed. Despite observing this, the actual understanding of the neurobiology of cultivating and nourishing hope has some serious gaps. We don't *exactly* know how hope appears to us, grows inside us, and, ultimately, sustains us. We just know that without it, we die.

To be hopeful is to be human and to be human is a daily pull between awe and despair.

That being said, I certainly know hope when I feel it. I can witness hope arise in my clients when they begin moving in the right direction or when that little step towards a bigger goal reaps a reward.

I can actively see hope in them when they finally relax their shoulders, get a little Good Trouble smile on their face, and say "f*ck it, I'm just going to go for it anyway."

The gift of being part of that journey with them through The Wren Way is immeasurable.

So, today, are you feeling more hopeful? And, if not, what gentle step towards a lighter heart could you take today?

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Jennifer Wren, founder of The Wren Way, is a Life and Leadership Coach who helps mid-life women stop feeling stuck and start having fun though the intentional practice of compassion, play, curiosity and aligned action.