The Hope QuotientSample

More than sixty years ago, a small town in Maine disappeared under the waves when a utility company built a dam. Three years earlier, a utility representative went to each resident to say the dam was going up and water would fill the whole area. “We’ll buy your property,” the utility said, “and you can live here free until you have to move.”

A year after the notices went out, a writer revisited what had been his hometown. It was now a hamlet with an expiration date. Many of the residents hadn’t yet moved away, but he saw a remarkable change. 

What was once a small, tidy town was now dilapidated and dirty. Who would repair a fence that was going to be demolished? Who would try to get along with neighbors that you’re never going to see again? 

Then he penned this incredible summary: “Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.”

One of the greatest stories of high hopes is David and Goliath. A young shepherd defeated a giant warrior using only a sling and some small stones. 

The people expected nothing but defeat. David expected nothing but victory. 

The people thought Goliath was too big to beat. David thought he was too big to miss.

David is an example of how men and women with high hopes uniformly believe that better days lie ahead. They expect positive things to happen and work to make those things happen. They expect to see good things ahead instead of fearing imminent disaster. 

No one washes a rental car or rearranges hotel room furniture before they check out. No one invests more money or works out harder when they expect everything to go south. 

Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.

Think Up:

Is there something you’re expecting in your future?

How can you expect more in your future than you have in your present? (Read on).