Is there a difference between a hope and a wish?

Is there a difference between Hope and Wish? The Webster’s dictionary defines hope as the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. The word wish is defined as to want, desire, long for. In an article written on the website differencebetween.net an example is given in sentence form that states thus: “John wishes he could pass the exam” and “John hopes he passes the exam.” In the first sentence, John has this impossible desire to pass the exam, but he doesn’t think he could. Meaning he’s hopeless so he wishes. On the other hand, the second sentence implies that John thinks it is likely for him to pass the exam, but there are still some chances of failing it so he hopes for his success. In all the turmoil surrounding our society today I found myself struggling between hoping and wishing. 1) What should I hope or wish for exactly? 2) What can I do to help myself not feel such despair? What I learned was that it starts and ends with hope. I finished reading the article from differencebetween.net and it said, “Simply put, “wish” should be used when referring to an impossibility or to a desire with little chances of coming true. “Hope” should be used in a sentence that implies a longing for things or events that are highly probable to happen.” The old pessimist in me would simply wish for the world to heal and for there to be peace on earth but the undying optimist in me doesn’t want to believe that I am referring to an impossibility with little chance of coming true. I want desperately to hope that peace is highly probable to happen. Where do I start? I often find that when I have a question in my heart and I say it out loud that within days an answer comes around. Has that ever happened to you? Deepak Chopra says, “If you live the questions, life will move you into the answers.” I have to hope that in order for him to say that he has experienced the actual power of those words. Today I attended a webinar featuring the author, Shane Lopez, of the new book, Making Hope Happen. In his book he talks at length about how hope is necessary but not sufficient for happiness and that it is a valuable virtue that sustains us. Shane Lopez is a hope researcher. Listening to his presentation I could not help but be mesmerized by his message and research: “The message is clear”, he says. “Hope matters. Hope is a choice. Hope can be learned and spread to others. How well we hope determines how well we live.” I believe this because I see it with my coaching clients. As we work together to achieve their goals I can feel their hope rising and their determination gets stronger. Their energy is contagious. In order to build hope we must first hold hope within us. I can think of no other way to spread the idea of hope than to bring it in to conversation. So, I ask you: 1- How can you hold hope within you? 2- What is one way you can spread hope to others? 3- If you could hope for something, what would it be and why? I invite you to share your hopes with me. If enough people read about your hopes then we have successfully created energy around your hope and I do believe the universe will respond kindly. I also invite you to go to shanelopez.com and take his hope assessment. It will only take 2 minutes, no personal information required, but the results are a fantastic catalyst toward discovering your own level of hope and how to start creating the world energy we need to balance the turmoil. Journey On….. with hope, Lisa. If you would like to learn more about how coaching with Lisa can help you please email to: lisa@journeyoncoaching.com