Dear friends, I have found many recent business conversations have centered around having a positive mindset to overcome obstacles and challenges in the current environment. While the petrochemical and refining sector chugs along, many of our colleagues in the E&P sector are experiencing a dramatic pullback in business.
Even the greatest lives and careers are full of profound losses and heartbreaks. Sometimes life can seem a bit disappointing, or worse, it can be downright hard. It seems pain is inevitable. Although we may say we know good can come out of it (“no pain, no gain” and “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”), what hurts still hurts. Still, most of the folks I run across, even those who objectively have reason to be down a bit, seem to express a good bit of hope. Intuition tells me, all other things being equal, these hopeful people have the best chance to succeed.
Hope is usually defined as “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” For many, hope is synonymous with “want” or “expectation.” It denotes a passive approach to a desired outcome. Understood in this way, hope is a state of mind, a wish or thought born from distress. But merely having a positive mindset isn’t enough to be a real change agent. Certainly, being naive or gullible can be foolish and dangerous. Disappointment and heartache can be the tragic offsprings of unfounded optimism.
Having done some research on hope recently, I believe real hope is better defined as an active process involving the pursuit of goals, a determination of how to reach these goals and the perseverance to see them to fruition. In this light, hope makes us creative; it challenges us to discover strategies for change. Hoping involves taking positive thoughts about the future, putting a lot of resources and hard work behind them, and gauging your progress until it happens.
As humans, we need hope. We can’t live without it. It is the lifeblood of our very survival, the only thing that pulls us away from the pain and hurt of life.
Hope requires some belief one is not trapped and there is a way out of a bad situation. It requires a way to hold onto positive thoughts and feelings while processing something negative. Although not required, hope often involves an aspect of spirituality. Biblical hope is unique; it’s a confident trust in God and what He is doing in the world and in our lives. With God, believers are assured they will not be trapped. The active part of biblical hope still requires one to walk in that confident trust.
Using discoveries from the largest study of hopeful people ever conducted, world-renowned expert on the psychology of hope and Senior Scientist at Gallop Shane J. Lopez, Ph.D., postulates hope is not just an emotion but an essential life tool. Hope is also a leading indicator of success in relationships, academics, careers and businesses. People who have a higher level of hope have healthier habits, including sleeping more and eating more healthy foods. They have fewer colds and less hypertension. Students who are more hopeful have higher grades.
I think you all know, dear readers, either intuitively or experientially, when people have a boss who makes them feel hopeful about the future, they are more engaged at work.
When frustration and pain are left unchecked by hope, people can spiral downward. It can be a dangerous vortex pulling one down into depression and despair. We at BIC Alliance believe we are called to lift one another up with a message of hope. As part of this mission, BIC Media Solutions will release its “Rock Bottom and Back” book and DVD this summer, featuring 12 interesting stories of individuals who harnessed hope to reverse their own spirals.
I truly hope your life will be made better by the information you pick up in this issue of BIC. In this issue, we have interviews with TPC Group CEO Ed Dineen, AFPM President Chet Thompson, Methanex Geismar Plant Manager Glynn Fontenot, HydroChem Vice President of Technology and Automation Frank Moll, and Mirage Managing Director Richard Silk.
We also have features on a variety of topics important to your business, including specialty craft engagement, getting VPP certified, contracting trends for success, new opportunities in energy challenges, meeting staffing demands for maintenance and turnarounds, and more.
Here is my message to you: Don’t just wish. Get active and hope. Hope matters. Hope is a choice. Hope can be learned. Hope is contagious.
