Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Without Hope, We Have Nothing

While researching this post, I encountered so many excellent, usable quotes that I had to stop for a second and further ponder why I desired to write a post about a topic that has already been written about extensively. I mean, the current president of these United States of America, Barrack Obama, practically based his entire candidacy on hope, or better put: on the premise, and promise, of believing in and rediscovering a lost hope. He even penned a best-selling book called “The Audacity of Hope.” One of his heroes, Martin Luther King, Jr., constantly orated about hope:

“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.”

Men and women throughout history talk of hope, the opposite of despair, which is also a highly quoted subject matter. Hope and despair are forever linked; you can’t think about one without thinking about the other. The great writer, George Bernard Shaw, may have put it best:

“He who has never hoped can never despair.”

And for those who like their hope quotes a bit darker, there’s always that cheery, optimistic philosopher Freidrich Nietzsche:

“Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man.”

Although I prefer a softer, kinder hope, as I mentioned earlier, “Ya can’t talk hope without talking about the bad stuff too.” (One of my quotes. Don’t think it will be enshrined into the quote hall of fame anytime soon). To hear me talk more about hope, and why I feel this is a worthwhile topic, I produced this video:

WITHOUT HOPE, WE HAVE NOTHING



One of the things that continually amazes me is the hope I witness in others who have no business believing in anything, much less hope. It makes little difference what specific hardship or malady, act of violence or bad luck I am referring to, only that these brave, resilient souls somehow find it within themselves to persevere, to go on and rise above whatever tragedy that has befallen them and do something with their lives. Which, as always, brings me to what I’m all about—what livelife365.com is all about: living life every day in every way and not letting anyone or anything stand in your way.

Which also brings me to this amazing email I received from a loyal follower of livelife365. His name is Pierre and he is a lot like you, me, and millions of other people in this world. He is a human being and he’s made mistakes, embraced vices like smoking (cigarettes and marijuana), overeating, and practicing bad nutritional habits, which means he is not perfect, just like you and me. But like those aforementioned folks who refuse to give up even while facing great odds, Pierre wanted to change his life for the better. He began by researching green tea, because he had heard that drinking green tea was a good way to lose weight. He found my green tea video on YouTube, and then, like many others, stumbled upon my site, and began watching my videos on weight loss, diet and nutrition, and motivation. And, according the Pierre, livelife365 helped him lose 18 pounds in three months and changed his life. I was so thrilled by Pierre’s story that I produced a video about it:

FEEDBACK: LIVELIFE365 IS WORKING!



Like I said on the above video, and as I say countless times, there are hundreds of thousands of Pierre’s out there that need to change their lives for the better. All they need is a push in the right direction and some common sense advice on how to do it. I strongly feel livelife365, both this blog and my video site, can offer that push and advice.

At the end of my video about hope, I play a short version of my theme song, called “livelife365.”

Gee, Mike, how did you come up with that name?

Ahem, no one likes a wise guy…

Anyway, that song, along with letters like Pierre’s, epitomizes what livelife365 is all about. The lyrics say it all.

Visit the Feedback section of livelife365.com to read Pierre's complete letter.

And click the below widget to listen to the complete version of the song, “livelife365.”



















In closing, I leave you with a quote from one of the most quoted political figures of the last century, Winston Churchill:

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Until next time…

peace (and hope),

Mike

26 comments:

Bagman and Butler said...

I enjoyed listening to your Live Life 365 very much. Reminded me how long it has been since I whistled. I think I'll give it a shot, starting probably in the car on the way to work where no one will hear the initial non-note whishes. Yes, hope requires bad stuff to push off against. Without bad stuff, hope is rather irrelevant. Not to worry - always enough bad stuff to go around.

Anonymous said...

Way to go, Pierre.............:)

For the most part, I feel very optimist, and the dream is alive and well.

Thanks, Mike.

Dori said...

Great post Mike!!! :-) What an uplifting message and bravo to Pierre! Mike you do such great work here and you always inspire me to live a much healthier lifestyle. Keep up the great work :-)

Susan Blake said...

Wow - I love the post, the message, the Pierre story, your song, and most of all YOU! How inspiring. One thing you said about hope really struck a chord -"we create hope". Yes, we are so capable of creating it! And with it, many things are created.

Like you, I have seen such joy and hope in the faces of the most unlikely people and places on this planet of ours. Sometimes it is ALL these people have and yet their hope outshines so many of us.

Thank you - again - for being you.
suZen

Anonymous said...

“Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man.”


Hahhaahahhahaa!

Anonymous said...

LOVE the Churchill quote; I totally agree with that.

"Without hope, I have nothing" is something a friend once said to me. This just brought back a bunch of memories of that... I think I'm going to give that friend a call.

Catatonic Kid said...

It's amazing we can do that, hey... inspire each other so completely through such simple acts. Simple but not easy, I suppose. Always the way :)

Unknown said...

butler and bagman: agreed, there is no need for good if there is no evil to play off it...thanks for the nice comments..

lisa: yes, pierre's story is very uplifting!

dori: i write these posts to reaffirm my need to keep on keepin on...every day every way

suzen: thanks for the kind words...and i am continually amazed and awed by the brave actions of others in horrible situations...

doc nicole: that Nietzsche was some funny guy, huh?

sagan: there are few things i enjoy more than an unexpected call from an old friend...

catatonic kid: often the simpler the act the better the result...


peace,

mike

Anonymous said...

Fabulous! How did you get to be so talented? Have a nice weekend!

HalfCrazy said...

Haven't bought Audacity Of Hope but I'm seriously considering that. Those quotes are awesome, I'm gonna go with Martin Luther King's quote than Mr. Nietzsche. :P

18 pounds in three weeks? That is a massive success! I hope Pierre will stop the vices and start to eat well.

Faisal Admar said...

mike, do you know that Dan in my recent post is actually me?

i like this quote:

“If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream.”

i hope i can get over my love life problem asap. or else... :(

The Fitness Diva said...

It's always great when what you do helps and inspires someone to achieve a goal, or just feel better about themself.

Kudos to you and Pierre, both!

By the way, I live on hope. Yep!
Hope and undying optimism are what keep me alive! :)

Unknown said...

mark: thanks for dropping by...

halfcrazy: pierre is an inspiration...

faisal: i guessed it was...my thoughts are with you and your troubles...

fitness diva: hope is a special quality that we all can use more of...


peace,

mike

Gopal G said...

Wow, what a lovely post indeed. Hope is univeral in human breast, but as you rightly said, a push in the right direction and some easy common sense to do it will work wonders to change despair into hope. Of course effective motivation like you have done now is indispensible. A good number of beneficiaries are sure to come up through your motivatin. Great social service. Why not try something for addicts to change them too. Email gopalganapathy1944@gmail.com

Andrea said...

I was quite moved by this post and not because I related so well to your publishing woes (I recently had my first agent rejection, not to mention other story rejections in the past) but because I often have to struggle to find that glimmer of hope. But you hit it on the head: if those people who have it so much harder that they have every reason to give up...if they can hang in there and keep it moving, I have no reason whatsoever to whine or complain, especially since my life, relatively speaking, is pretty good. Thanks for the reminder, Mike.

kRiZcPEc said...

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
I'd been hearing this quote a lot on TV commercials lately, now I know where it came from. thanks for sharing

Martin In Bulgaria said...

Love this post Mike, so many moaners out there you are a breath of fresh air mate!

God Bless

I've left Entrecard, but you are on my blogroll now!

Barry said...

Sometimes life throws you curves, as it has done to me recently.

I think I'll make this my theme song too. Thanks Mike! Great (and timely) post.

Maude Lynn said...

Don't you know Nietzsche was a real drag to hang out with?

Great post!

Play Games Win Prizes said...

It's my first time here, but your blog is amazing! You surely do know how to live the best of your life!

-Mike

DebbieDana said...

Very inspiring post! In this hard times of our lives, its comforting to know that there are blogs like yours that has posts that are worth reading for...

Let's all be full of hope in everything!

Unknown said...

gopal: i have several videos that may help with addictions at livelife365.com

andrea: we writers have got to stick together...and don't worry about rejections, they are a form of feedback that can help...

kriz: and the tv commercial watcher sees...?

martin: i will add you to my blogroll...and let's forget the moaners and embrace the doers...

barry: sorry about your situation, barry, but you are an inspiration...and glad you enjoyed my song--spread the good word!

mama zen: yup, good old Nietzsche, always the joker...

playgames: livin life...365

debbiedana: very kind, thanks for the visit and...


peace,

mike

Paul Eilers said...

Not only is hope essential, but also, what we have hope in is critical as well.

As for me, my hope is in the Gospel, not government programs, political figures or even the ability of men and women. All other solutions are fruitless, as we have seen.

At the same time, I'm glad you have had a positive effect on people like Pierre. Our life here on earth is but a vapor. Why not invest that time for the good of others, like you are doing?

Paul

Eat Well. Live Well.
PurpleGreenPops.com

Diane said...

Without hope, life is not worth living. To be without hope is to die before we stop breathing. Thank your inspirational blog posts. I love your blog. You have a great sense of humor. Thank you!

Unknown said...

paul: so ture, no matter what awaits us after our time on earth, we should still stive to do the best we can...helping others, like pierre, helps me...

diane: thanks for dropping by...


peace,

mike

Julie said...

Excellent post...discovered via the vegan chili link on youtube. Thanks for everything you're doing. (And stay strong, Pierre!)
Much Love, Blessings, and Mellow Peacefulness,
Julie