CHAPTER EIGHT
HOPE! CHERISH IT
Hope is wanting something to happen and thinking it is possible. It is a belief that something you want will happen. Champions are hope filled. That’s the fuel that keeps them running. Champions look ahead at what they intend to do. They believe it is possible however huge the task.
I often hear players talk about doing all they can to win, preparing well and “hoping” that victory arrives for their hard work. No champion thinks he is too good even if he is confident about his capacity. He always hopes that his too good capacity and his confidence is enough to take him to championship.
Students study really hard in preparation for their exams; however they hope the questions in the examinations turn out in their favor and they could answer them. Students hope that however difficult the questions examiners will set, they will be able to answer them comfortably to a certain degree.
Hope is what drives champions. Because the champion always thinks of big things, he has to develop the capacity to also get big things. This capacity is his “hope”. He thinks those big things he desires is possible and he pushes himself towards that big desire.
Champions are never encumbered by the extent of challenges that arrives to stop them from achieving his goals. His hope sees before the challenges, sees over the challenges and sees after the challenges. He just keeps going bulldozing every challenge that comes.
Champions are often optimistic. It is their hope that stirs this attribute. This hope pushes them to always speak positively about their expectations and aspirations. Even when everyone thinks, it isn’t possible; they just keep going with the strong belief that the possible is in the so called possible.
Hope stirs faith. We develop confidence about a thing coming through as we expect even when there is no possibility it could happen in reality. Champions are full of faith that the championship laurel is theories even when they have to challenge former champions.
Champion coaches know how to hope. Because hope can be transferred from one person to another. Coaches transfer their hopes to their teams. The players hope what their coaches hope and this empowers them to winning. When the team doesn’t share the same hopes and believes, the team fails.
Big soccer teams such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester united begin their seasons with the hope to win their leagues. Their fans hope they’d win and the philosophy of the team is built around this hope. The teams buy players with the hope that they will add their value to ensuring the hope of the team to win is not dashed. Hope is the essence of any true champion.
The musician writes a song, goes to the studio to record it, and finds a manager who markets the music. What propels him to go this length is the hope that his music will hit the market and the audience would love it and become his fans. He also hopes to make much money from the sale of his song. He sees the future and begins to act towards it.
As a first year student at the university, I found it difficult making good grades. However, I had this habit of going through the result sheet of the graduating students to check for those who came through with at least a second class upper. My hope was that at the end of my five year course, I should also be associated with at least a second-class upper. This hope pushed me to work harder. Soon my grades improved and at the end of my five years, I came through with a second class upper. I became my hopes.
We become our hope. Its best that we build very big hopes and strive to reached them. Our hope should take us to being the best at what we do or are doing. We don’t need to build small hopes because we actually become our hopes.
As a young man trying to cut my teeth in business, I ventured into academics. I started a kindergarten school with the little resources at my disposal with the big hope in mind, to build a ten story structure to house the school. That’s a big hope but because I’m hoping to get there, I constantly look towards that picture. It will become a reality. That’s hope.
Hope talks and walks us to the future we are envisaging. Provided it is hope, it is filled with possibilities. Don’t ever look down at your capacity to get it done when it is hope. Hope just takes you there. It is your vehicle for your future attainment.
It’s amazing what can happen over a thought when one begins to hope on it becoming reality. The moment it becomes hope, you have deliberately spoken it into existence.
Our hopes become the inspiration for which our future attainment arrives. The championship status you hope to have is yours now! You have it. Just hope! Hope is everything!!