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Hope is often borrowed before it becomes our own.

The people, stories, and environments around us shape what we believe is possible.

Intentionally surrounding ourselves with hopeful influences can strengthen resilience and persistence.

What if hope isn’t something we find? What if hope is something we borrow?

We tend to think of hope as an internal resource. Some people have it. Others don’t.

Psychologist C. R. Snyder’s Hope Theory reminds us that hope is more than wishful thinking. It is a combination of agency, the motivation to pursue meaningful goals and pathways, and the ability to find routes around obstacles (Snyder, 2002). While hope ultimately becomes an internal way of thinking, it rarely develops in isolation.

Long before a child believes they can ride a bicycle, someone helps them see that possibility. Before an entrepreneur believes their business will succeed, a mentor or investor first sees potential. Even before a student imagines graduating from college, a teacher quietly stands by, planting the possibility that they belong there.

We like to think that our hope and from it our confidence is a solo act.

Psychology suggests that the development of hope is more like a relay race. Someone carries a belief until they can hand it to us. Hope it turns out, it is remarkably social.

1. We Borrow Hope From People Who Believe in Us

Long before our confidence becomes internalized, it is often reflected back to us through another person.

A teacher who passes a note of encouragement, a parent who pushes another attempt after failure, a mentor who recognizes strengths we........

© Psychology Today