Written by Jude Bijou and Narrated by Marie T. Russell.

My training taught me that it's necessary to give up all hope so you can accept reality. This means give up all hope that your partner will ever change, or come back, or see you like they once did.

Then once you truly give up hope, from a state of acceptance -- "People and things are the way are, not the way I think they should be" -- then you are in a position to figure out what you need to do in order to experience more joy, love and peace. That means, based on this new reality, what action(s) do I know I need to take? Clearly, this giving up hope extends well beyond our personal relationships.

A Different Take on Hope

Jane Goodall, a heroine of mine and author of the 2021 book, The Book of HOPE, A Survival Guide for Trying Times, has a slightly different take on the word hope. She gets hope from seeing the courage, bravery, and forward thinking that people experience in dire circumstances and situations. She writes:

"...each time I become depressed [about all of the atrocities and conflicts currently and in the past], I think of all the amazing stories of the courage, steadfastness, and determination of those who are fighting the "forces of evil." For, yes, I do believe there is evil amongst us. But how much more powerful and inspirational are the voices of those who stand up against it. And even when they lose their lives, their voices still resonate long after they are gone, giving us inspiration and hope--hope in the ultimate goodness of this strange, conflicted..." 


Continue Reading this article at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article)

Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay

©2021 by Jude Bijou, M.A., M.F.T.
All Rights Reserved.

Book by this Author

Attitude Reconstruction

Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life
by Jude Bijou, M.A., M.F.T.

book cover: Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life by Jude Bijou, M.A., M.F.T.With practical tools and real-life examples, this book can help you stop settling for sadness, anger, and fear, and infuse your life with joy, love, and peace. Jude Bijou's comprehensive blueprint will teach you to: ? cope with family members' unsolicited advice, cure indecision with your intuition, deal with fear by expressing it physically, create closeness by truly talking and listening, improve your social life, increase staff morale in just five minutes a day, handle sarcasm by visualizing it flying by, carve out more time for yourself by clarifying your priorities, ask for a raise and get it, stop fighting via two easy steps, cure kids' tantrums constructively. You can integrate Attitude Reconstruction into your daily routine, regardless of your spiritual path, cultural background, age, or education.

For more info and/or to order this book, click here. Also available as a Kindle edition.

About the Author

photo of: Jude Bijou is a licensed marriage and family therapist (MFT)

Jude Bijou is a licensed marriage and family therapist (MFT), an educator in Santa Barbara, California and the author of Attitude Reconstruction: A Blueprint for Building a Better Life.

In 1982, Jude launched a private psychotherapy practice and started working with individuals, couples, and groups. She also began teaching communication courses through Santa Barbara City College Adult Education.

Visit her website at AttitudeReconstruction.com/