A Hope Strategies Primer

Shane J. Lopez

Hope Enhancement: Imagery and Interaction (Berg, 2006)

Part A: Hope Imagery

I’d like you to relax in your chair, recline or lean back if you like, and close your eyes if you want to. First, I ask that you to pay attention to the instructions that follow, as they are important. I invite you to think about a time when you wanted to achieve something important to you…a time when you felt really motivated…a time when you had a plan…multiple plans for getting to your goal. Sometimes people find it helpful to close their eyes in order to see the images more clearly. Have you thought of a time like this? A time when you felt hopeful that you could achieve something important to you…something that motivated you…something that you had strategies to achieve. (Long pause.) You might notice how driven you felt…how empowered…you might remember times when you wanted to give up…but didn’t…you kept going because of your commitment…your desire…instead, you might have worked harder…you may have tried a different strategy for dealing with the hard times…you might have broken your goal down into steps…with each step you achieved making you feel more energized…more empowered…more confident…you may have noticed how you focused on the goal…adjusting the goal based on what was happening…so that you knew that your goal was challenging…difficult…but achievable…knowing that once you achieved your goal…you would feel confident…motivated… proud of yourself…knowing that you have everything that it takes…the motivation…the ability to plan and create strategies…the ability to set challenging goals…and achieve them…everything that it takes to be successful with future goals…much like your goal of being a courageous leader. Take a moment to absorb all of these thoughts and then open your eyes (if eyes are closed). (VERY SLOW AND DELIBERATE.)

Part B: Interactive Dialogue

What situation did you think of?

Why was this goal so important to you?

How did you maintain your motivation when things got difficult?

How did you decide how you were going to go about getting to your goal?

How did achieving this goal make you feel?

How did these experiences help you to prepare for the future?

What did you learn from this experience that will help you on the task?

Part C: Skills Enhancement

I’d like to share with you some things that we have found through extensive research that enhance one’s ability to reach goals. There are three main components necessary to reach your goals. One is your ability to set goals. Here are some strategies for setting goals:

  • First, set goals that will be difficult but achievable. Be sure to set goals that are in line with your expectations, not the expectations of others.
  • Second, be specific about your goals; define them objectively.
  • And third, take time in setting your goals, and allow yourself to adjust your goals once you have experiences to guide you.

The second component is your ability to think of multiple strategies and alternative ways to reach your goals. Here are some ways to improve this skill:

  • First, think about the steps involved in reaching your goal.
  • Second, think about the different strategies that you have for reaching the goal
  • And third, in your mind, rehearse what you will need to do during the pursuit of your goal to be successful in reaching it. Also, anticipate the problems you might have in reaching your goal and the alternatives you can use to overcome the problems.

The third component is the motivation to reach your goals. Here are some ways to increase motivation:

  • First, think about the process of reaching your goal as a journey. Anticipating roadblocks that you might face may be helpful in reminding you that, when you start to feel discouraged, it is a signal that you must increase your motivation and work harder.
  • Second, as you work toward your goal, remind yourself of how far you have come and think positively about your progress on the goal. Think about similar challenging situations where you were able to overcome the situation.
  • And last, using positive self-talk like “I can do it,” “Keep going,” and “I am doing really well” tend to be helpful.

Which of these do you think you are particularly good at?

Which of these do you think you could stand improvement on?

Berg, C. (2006). The effectiveness of a hope intervention for coping with cold pressor pain. Unpublished

dissertation. University of Kansas, Lawrence.

Adopted from: Snyder, C. R., Tran, T., Schroeder, L. L., Pulvers, K. M., Adams, V., & Laub, L.

(2000). Teaching the hope recipe: Setting goals, finding pathways to those goals, and getting motivated. Reaching Today’s Youth, 4(4), 46-50.

Adopted from: Snyder, C. R. (1994b). The psychology of hope: You can get there from here. New

York: Free Press.