Hello Reader,
Have you noticed how easy it is to fall into cynicism these days?
There’s plenty to be cynical about! You open your news feed, scroll through social media, or have a conversation at work, and there it is – that creeping sense that everything's broken beyond repair.
Søren Kierkegaard understood something profound when he wrote, "Hope is passion for what is possible." But today, I've been thinking about the flip side: Cynicism is obsession with what's broken and wrong. And there’s plenty that is broken now!
You see, cynicism isn't just negative thinking – it's a fixation, an addiction to finding fault. It's the lens that filters out possibility and leaves only problems in focus.
While hope energizes, cynicism depletes.
While hope creates, cynicism criticizes.
Look around. Our world desperately needs hope right now. Not blind optimism that ignores real problems, but the kind of hope that acknowledges challenges and still says, "There's a way forward."
When you're obsessed with what's broken, you lose the creative energy needed to fix it. Think about it – has cynicism ever built anything?
Has it ever healed relationships, solved climate change, or created justice? No – these things happen when people become passionate about what's possible.
Today, I challenge you to shift your focus. What if, instead of being obsessed with what's broken, you became passionate about what's possible? What if you traded your cynicism for hope?
Three ways to start:
- Pause and notice where cynicism has crept into your thinking
- Express gratitude for what's working – even small things
- Take one action, however small, toward a possibility you believe in
Hope isn't naive – it's necessary. It's the gateway to the future we want to create together.
As musician Nick Cave powerfully reminds us, "Hopefulness is not a neutral position. It is adversarial. It is the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism." Hope isn't passive wishful thinking – it's an active force that requires courage and commitment. It's the warrior stance that allows us to face what's broken and still move forward with creative determination.
What possibility will you become passionate about today? And what bold, hopeful action will you take to bring it closer to reality?
With gratitude…and hope,
Kevin
P.S. Do you lead a team? We’re looking for 5 leaders (and their) teams to complete The Hope Compass. Interested? Click here. We‘re gifting it to the first five to respond (who qualify).