Knock knock.
Who’s there?
You.
You who?
You: The one they all doubted. The one still standing. The one reading this because something inside refuses to quit.
Let me ask you a question.
You decided to do something big. All the people around got divided into half. 50% say that you can make it. The other 50% say you will never make it.
Despite getting 50% positive comments, like every time, your brain and heart start to tremble over the negative ones.
But tell me…
How do you feel when you know that there is a 50% chance of success?
Somewhere, in some corner of your body, you feel a bit positive.
You convince yourself that good things are coming.
But let me tweak the scenario.
You want to do something big.
But this time, 100% of the people around you hint at failure.
How does it feel now?
Does it feel like a mental toll? Absolutely.
When you see a huge wave cruising toward your dreams and ambitions that you’ve planned for years, here is how it feels.
Suddenly, the brain seems like it has turned off.
You sense your heartbeat getting louder.
Your voice starts to feel heavy.
Two minutes down the lane, you slowly start to shiver. All the negative thoughts just splash in your head.
You freeze.
Life feels like it’s falling apart. You see your dreams, your ambitions getting crushed and…
You start to overthink.
Well, it’s common.
I’ve been through it.
We all have.
It’s the way our body responds when something unthinkable happens.
When the situations are stacked against you.
When the world says don’t try.
When it all feels pointless.
When silence screams louder than chaos.
When even breathing feels like a task.
And yet, somewhere in that darkness, someone decides not to give up.
They give it their all, not because they’ve convinced themselves to win, but because they have nothing else left,
Except…
Here comes our beautiful word HOPE.
When the sky is pitch dark, but that one stubborn star is still trying to shine, that’s called hope.
“To live without hope is to cease to live.”
– Fyodor Dostoevsky
Being hopeful doesn’t mean you have control over what’s coming. It means you have control over your thoughts.
And sometimes, this thought, that maybe it’ll work out,
is enough to take you from nothing to everything.
The thought that it will work out gives you the power,
the energy, and the will to push from 99 to 100.
Let me give you the example of Elon Musk.
A tech guy with no knowledge of rocket science.
He dreamt of building reusable rockets that could go to Mars and land back on Earth.
People laughed.
They said he’s a fool with no background in aerospace.
His first three launches failed, exactly like the critics predicted.
Every single rupee of his personal wealth had gone into those launches.
At that moment, Elon could’ve stopped. He could’ve taken the safe route.
He could’ve proved the world right.
But he didn’t.
He still had hope.
Just a strong feeling: things might work out the next time.
He used all his remaining savings for the fourth launch.
If it failed, he would’ve been on the streets.
One last chance.
That fourth launch was successful.
And today, NASA uses his rockets for critical missions.
All of this… happened with just the hope of one man.
It made the impossible, possible.
That’s the power of hope. It’s a very strong emotion.
Sometimes, one person’s hope is enough to change conventions that were set for decades.
Today, the reason you and I believe that life on Mars is possible,
is because someone stayed hopeful and persistent about a dream that the world mocked.
Now the question is
How can you find hope?
You can feel hope when you truly care about what’s at stake, and you believe even more in what lies ahead.
Let me explain.
With little to no money in your wallet, you decide to quit your peaceful, happy, and comfortable job,
To start a business, to pursue a master’s degree or to walk an unconventional path.
It’s risky.
But is it worth it in your mind? Absolutely.
Why?
Because hope only grows in the soil that we value the most.
Let’s say I give you a puzzle that’s already 80% complete. I ask you to finish the rest.
You try.
But it feels boring. Confusing. Meaningless. So the moment you hit a roadblock, you say, “Ugh, I can’t do this.”
Now let’s say I hand you the same puzzle, but blank. You start from scratch. Piece by piece, struggle by struggle, you reach 80% on your own.
Now you’re stuck. But this time, you don’t give up.
Why?
Because now, the pain feels worth it. You’ve invested your time.
Your energy.
Your sweat.
You care about the outcome. The puzzle holds meaning.
That’s how hope works.
We don’t fight for what’s handed to us.
We fight for what we’ve earned.
For what we’ve built.
For what we’ve bled into.
Pain gives value.
Value gives hope.
And hope keeps us going.
Now look at the bigger picture.
We live in a world that has 71% water and 29% land.
More than half the land is inhospitable, filled with deserts, snow glaciers, rocky mountains.
The remaining land is home to 8.1 billion people.
The percentage of one person living and dreaming in this world comes down to 0.000001235%.
And you?
You are that 0.000001235%.
The one who dares to dream.
The one who has the courage to fight.
The one who has a reason to hope.
We’re just like ants trying to be our best.
So when someone from that tiny percentage dares to dream and has the courage to fight, It’s only natural that the universe will try to suppress them. Push them down.
But remember, you can be tiny, but your one hope can change the way people live. It’s contagious.
To make a mark, you need to show how badly you want it to happen.
I won’t say good things won’t happen.
Neither will I say it will.
Because hope is a double-edged sword.
The more you value it, the more it can hurt.
At the same time,
The more you value it, the bigger you can get.
It all depends on what you’re valuing.
I know the journey gets tough with every step you take.
But if it’s something that you truly believe in, if it’s something you really value,
Then have some hope.
Because who knows?
Things might just work out.
Thanks for reading this blog till here, much appreciated. We would love to see you comment below, your opinions will push us to deliver more.
thehustleweek.com is here to remind you every week that you’re not alone on this journey. Don’t waste another year stuck in imagination; start taking action today. Each week, theHustleWeek aims to unlock your potential by providing valuable insights that inspire and empower you to think differently.
Also when you find time, do check out our self help blog “Overcoming self doubt“, It’s one of those pieces that people keep coming back to.
