Inspired by: "The Hunger Games"

"The only thing greater than fear is hope." Yes, a cheesy line from The Hunger Games, but it is more than that. It is truly a great piece of wisdom. Not the kind of wisdom found in a fortune cookie, but rather the kind of wisdom that your grandmother passes down to you. It's a solid piece of advice.

I am a scared person. Let's be honest, I am usually a baby. Especially when it comes to the unknown. To overcome this flaw, one coping mechanism that I have learned is to be hopeful. I'm not talking, "I think I am going to win the lottery" hopeful, but "I will come out of this situation a better/stronger person" hopeful. Because when it comes down to it, you are defined by the way that you come out of any given situation.

So, how do I find hope when it seems like all is lost and will never get better? Well, I have developed a few techniques thanks to some awesome people that I have in my life. Here they are listed below:

1. Stop and look at the small things. Notice that a new flower is coming up out of the soil. Notice the mom's love for her child as she hushes the baby and walks out of the meeting. Notice the curiosity of a child as they ask you the 50th question in a row. Stop, look, and appreciate.
 

2. Write it all out. Yep, you've heard me say this before. But it really helps me so that means that it must help everyone, right? (note my sarcasm) But it may help you, you never know. Write a letter to someone you know. Write a letter to yourself to either keep or destroy. Write a thank you note to someone who is supporting you in your tough times. Just write.
 

3. Do something for someone else. Plain and simple. Maybe you can't do much... but I am sure that you can do something. So do it, be selfless and do something. Chances are you will love it.
 

4. Seek God and the little nuggets of wisdom that He has already given to us. Some verses that I like are: Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 34:4; Psalm 28:7. Maybe you have your own, maybe you want to check out mine. Either way, it is one of the strongest sources of hope.
 

Do you have another way that you combat fear and gain hope? Go ahead and write it down in the comments section so that we can all learn how to not be trapped by fear... together!