IN THIS MODULE

You can learn that hope is not just wishful thinking or optimism, but an active, goal-oriented way of thinking. Meaningful goals form the foundation of hope by giving direction and focus to your actions. Also, hope is also linked to better physical health, psychological wellbeing, and stronger relationships.

What does “hope” mean to you?

When you think of hope, what comes to mind?

Perhaps you think of hope as a wishful thought that’s outside of your control: “I hope that the weather is nice tomorrow”, or “I hope I win the Lotto next week”. Or maybe hope feels vaguely similar to optimism — simply a “positive expectation of the future”, a feeling that things might get better (Botor, 2019). You hear this in statements like, “Hopefully things improve”, or “I hope I’m feeling well enough to attend that event”.

Within psychology, hope is much more than wishful thinking or a sense of optimism. Rather, hope is a dynamic, goal-oriented way of thinking that powerfully shapes the way we act (Snyder, 2002). This means that hope can be actively cultivated rather than passively felt.

Goals: hope’s foundation

At Mastering Mountains, we’ve found that meaningful goals can be powerful motivators for action and change. There’s a reason we encourage people to select a goal that excites them. Whether your goal is to take a slow walk with a friend in your favourite greenspace or climb a mountain with your partner, meaningful goals inspire action and set you up for hope.

In fact, goals form the foundation of hope. Meaningful goals give direction to our behaviour and help us focus our efforts (Snyder, 2002).

Effective goals often have three characteristics (Snyder, 2002):

  1. Goals must be specific rather than vague. We recommend people make their goals SMART.

  2. Goals must hold sufficient value to the individual to sustain motivation. While functional goals (for example, being able to shop at the supermarket by yourself) are really important, we’ve found that meaningful goals (for example, being able to participate in your favourite sport with your child or friend group) hold significantly more motivating power.

  3. Goals can range from short-term objectives to long-term aspirations, with high-hope people typically maintaining a healthy balance of both.

“Hope is not optimism, which expects things to turn out well, but something rooted in the conviction that there is good worth working for.”
— Seamus Heaney

Hope is Active: hope vs. optimism

Drawing on the power of meaningful goals, hope is never passive: hope is always active.

It is helpful to distinguish hope from optimism. Optimism generally refers to a broad expectation that good things will happen in the future (Colla et al., 2022). In contrast, hope involves a more active process. Hope doesn’t just believe that outcomes will be positive; hope identifies concrete pathways to achieve those outcomes and sustains effort to pursue them.

For people managing neurological disorders or a chronic illness, achieving an outdoor adventure requires much more than a positive outlook. Success requires a meaningful and specific goal, the ability to identify how you’ll get there, and the strength to take action and sustain your effort.

This might feel overwhelming, or make you feel like you’re a long way from achieving an outdoor adventure. But don’t worry, all of these things can be learned, and we exist to support your learning process.

Why is Hope Important?

Hope holds many profound benefits. Broadly, research (Long et al., 2020) shows that higher levels of hope are associated with:

  • Better physical health outcomes, including a reduced risk of chronic conditions;

  • Greater engagement in health-promoting behaviours such as regular physical activity and improved sleep.

Beyond physical health, hope plays a vital role in psychological wellbeing. High hope is strongly linked to greater life satisfaction, purpose, and positive emotions, while serving as a protective buffer against depression, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness (Snyder, 2002; Long et al., 2020). Hope also strengthens social functioning and connection. Individuals with higher hope tend to have stronger support networks, more secure relationships, and a greater capacity for empathy (Snyder, 2002).

For those living with neurological disorders or similarly unpredictable chronic health conditions, a sense of hope is all the more important, as a resource for finding meaning and maintaining a sense of direction. Hope is also recognised as a central mechanism in effective rehabilitation and therapy. Regardless of the specific approach, successful interventions often involve helping individuals develop clearer pathways to their goals and strengthening their ability to pursue them (Snyder, 2002). By intentionally weaving hope into the fabric of rehabilitation, individuals with neurological disorders not only cope, but thrive.

SMART goals

SMART goals are a structured way of setting goals so they’re clear, realistic, and actionable. The acronym stands for:

  • Specific – clearly define what you want to achieve. (E.g. I want to walk every day.)

  • Measurable – include a way to track progress. (E.g. I will start by walking 15 minutes per day, and increase by 2 minutes every week.)

  • Achievable – ensure it’s realistic given your resources and constraints. (E.g. I will walk for 15 minutes, five days a week, increasing my time by 2 minutes each week.)

  • Relevant – align it with your broader priorities or values. (E.g. I will do this so that I can complete my favourite walking trail.)

  • Time-bound – set a clear deadline or timeframe. (E.g. I will walk for 15 minutes, five days a week, for the next eight weeks, increasing my time by 2 minutes each week, so that I can complete my favourite 30-minute hike.)

To set a SMART goal, start with a general intention (e.g., “get fitter”), then refine it through each lens. This turns a vague idea into a concrete plan with direction, accountability, and a built-in way to evaluate progress.

References

Botor, N. J. (2019). Hope predicts happiness with life, personal well-being, and resilience among selected school-going Filipino adolescents. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), 47(2), 125–141.

Colla, R., Williams, P., Oades, L. G., & Camacho-Morles, J. (2022). “A New Hope” for Positive Psychology: A dynamic systems reconceptualization of hope theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 809053. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.809053

Heaney, Seamus (1991). The Cure at Troy: A Version of Sophocles’ Philoctetes. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Long, K. N., Kim, E. S., Chen, Y., Wilson, M. F., Worthington, E. L., Jr., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2020). The role of hope in subsequent health and well-being for older adults: An outcome-wide longitudinal approach. Global Epidemiology, 2, 100018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloepi.2020.100018

Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope Theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249–275. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1304_01