REMEMBERING HOPE

As I enter a new year, I wanted to write about hope.

People often reach a point where they stop hoping when their disappointments pile up, when they feel their efforts are in vain. Especially when the feeling of loneliness or being stuck in an unexplainable void arises, the sense of hopelessness can deepen. When a person loses belief in themselves, loses motivation for life, or loses their dreams for the future, they may stop hoping.

Hopelessness causes a person to retreat into a dark corner of their inner world. Questions like "What am I doing?" may make a person look inward, but often this questioning becomes far from healthy self-reflection, turning into a state that fuels feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

Everyone faces ups and downs, mistakes, and pauses in life. Turning the question "What am I doing?" into "What can I learn from what I've experienced?" can open a way out.

Because being relentlessly hard on ourselves is not criticism, but a damaging attitude. When we approach our mistakes with understanding, we find the courage to learn from them and try again. It is important to approach ourselves with compassion, keeping in mind that everyone struggles with different challenges under different circumstances. The phase of trying to understand ourselves should replace self-judgment.

Even though sometimes we may feel we’ve reached the end of the road, this might actually be a new beginning—it's just a matter of being patient and not giving up on walking the path. It is important to remember that hope is like a small spark deep inside us, even in the darkest moments.

Instead of falling into despair, seeing our mistakes and shortcomings in our journey of self-discovery is actually a step towards awareness. Being fair to ourselves means accepting both our strengths and weaknesses. Rather than constantly punishing ourselves for our mistakes and wrong decisions, we should continue on our path, learning from them.

Let us not forget that every struggle makes us stronger and more resilient. Maybe not immediately, but one day when we look back, the value and result of today’s efforts will be much clearer. We must be patient and look toward the future, because the most beautiful days have yet to come.

Despite everything, I will not stop hoping.

So, “What are you doing?”

With love.