What are hope and optimism?

Hope is about leaving room for something good to happen. Optimism is about having hope, trusting that things will work out. Hope and optimism are linked to your belief that things will turn out okay when change happens in your life. We know that people can learn to be more optimistic and hopeful, and that engaging in these positive behaviors can improve one’s health.

How do aspirations fit in?

One way to think about hope and optimism is to look at the Aspiration Model from the Institute for Alternative Futures, shown below. Aspirations are what you want from your life, the beliefs and goals that are most important to you and guide what you do. The model shows different ways we can handle change when working towards our aspirations. The left half of the model shows a path to hope and optimism, and the right half shows a path away from them, to being burnt-out and hopeless.