This article discusses the role of hope in goal achievement. It suggests that hope is a motivating force towards goal initiation and  achievement. It also provides some ideas for increasing your own level of hope in relation to achieving your goals.  

The role of hope in goal achievement

Hope is seen by some as something that gets you through a tough time which is imposed on you by outside circumstances where there is little you can do. There is some truth to this, but equally hope is something that motivates and can counterbalance fear of failure to minimise procrastinating in embarking on activities. Psychologically, hope is also very similar to general self-efficacy. Both of these are focused on our beliefs about our own ability to achieve things. Hope is  similar to optimism, but optimism allows for the positive outcomes to be due to the efforts of others, whilst hope is focused on the individual’s efforts.

The key elements of hope is a belief in positive outcomes in the future, and more specifically our ability to make these happen. Technically there are two elements to hope. 1 – Hope agency which is a general belief that we are capable of achieving things. 2 – Hope pathway which is a belief  that we are capable of finding ways to achieve these things.  A lot of research points to hope being linked to subjective well being and achievement of goals. It is also considered to be protective of  mental health conditions such as depression. Hope is an element in the behaviour change process which I call the “will I’. Do  I believe  it is possible that I can  undertake the required behaviour change.

Goal selection is outside of the scope of this article, but once a goal is selected how can we increase our belief and hence motivation to start.

Some strategies for increasing hope

Visualise the specific goal achievement process

Imagine yourself putting together a plan for achieving the specific goal you wish to focus on and then completing the required action. Be as detailed as you can in this visualisation. This is a proven method for increasing your sense of hope in relation to a specific goal.

Develop a resume of goal achievement

I suggest putting together a list of goals you have set and achieved in your life. Doing this will crease a sense of you being able to achieve things.This track record will increase your sense of being able to achieve any future goals.

Develop and / or recognise your goal  planning process.

Develop a  process for putting together a realistic goal planning process. Once you have this, recognise that this is available and you can use this in achieving any goal. Realistic goal planning increases your chance of success. It also increases your sense of mastery in planning.

Understanding other internal impacts

Understand the impact of your self-story, self-schemas and biases that attempt to define the future based on the past. If your story is one of achieving, and you have a self-schema which includes achievement orientated qualities, then it is likely your cognitive  biases will be supportive of further success. If any of these elements  point to failure then you will most likely have a lower sense of hope. For example, if you define yourself as a starter and not a finisher, then you might notice some reluctance to even develop goals.  Therefore, you make need to spend more time on the previous three strategies as a way of offsetting this. Just being aware of these factors can also  decrease any negative impact.

Conclusion

The role of hope in goal achievement is significant. Hope is a belief that goals can be achieved and further that we have the means and a plan for their achievement. Increased hope is associated with greater subjective well-being, reduced mental health symptoms and greater goal achievement. The four strategies described in this article may help to  increase your level of hope.

Enjoy and please send me an e-mail or a comment on whether your found these strategies useful.