What does hope mean as a core value?
Hope as a core value means believing that a better outcome is possible and worth working for, even when you can see clearly how hard the situation is.
Hope, for you, sits right alongside a clear view of how hard things are. A worrying diagnosis, a failing team, a friend in trouble: you see them plainly and still find something worth working towards. That belief is what keeps you turning up. Despair feels like giving away something you’d rather keep. You tend to be the one who asks what could change, even when the answer is something small.
What does hope look like in practice?
- You keep applying, pitching or trying after the third no.
- You ask “what would need to happen for this to work?” when others have written something off.
- You stay in touch with the friend who is going through a long, bad stretch.
- You point out the small signs of progress a struggling team has missed.
- You invest time in people others have given up on.
When is hope overplayed?
Hope can keep you in something long after the evidence says leave: the business that isn’t going to turn, the relationship that isn’t changing, the hire who won’t grow into the role. It can also make you impatient with people who need to grieve before they look forward. Healthy hope is honest about the odds and still chooses to act. One thing you could try is to set a date and a sign: by when, and on what evidence, you’d let this one go.
Often confused with
Hope vs Optimism
Optimism expects good outcomes as a default. Hope can sit alongside realistic worry: it believes better is possible and worth working for, even when the odds aren’t good.
Hope vs Faith
Faith is trust in something greater or unseen, often part of a belief system. Hope is about the future, and it doesn’t need a wider framework to hold it up.
Hope vs Resilience
Resilience is the ability to recover after a setback. Hope is often what gives you a reason to try recovering in the first place.
Questions to sit with
- What are you still hoping will change, and what evidence would tell you it’s time to stop?
- Where has your hope helped someone else keep going, and what did it cost you?
- What do you do on the days when you can’t find any?
More values in Joy
Delight, lightness and enthusiasm for life.
About the author
Matt Rutherford is a Career and Leadership Coach. The Values Finder is the same exercise he uses with his coaching clients. He also writes Stuff that MattRs, a weekly newsletter with practical ideas to help you think clearer and work better.
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