It was such a treat last week to watch Shawshank Redemption on free-to-air TV.

I have watched this movie a number of times, and my enjoyment never wanes.

The driving message of the movie offered a different meaning for me, being a Melburnian in lockdown for 208 days now.

“Fear will imprison you. Hope will set you free.”

A powerful concept.

The people of Australia have been bombarded with daily messages of fear from our politicians and mainstream media for months and months. The fear is ever-present and compounded with no end date and no idea of what our lives will look like long-term.

It actually reminds me of what happens in our minds when we are moving through any of life’s challenges, such as:

•  Starting a business that you fear will fail.
• Hard financial times that you fear will overcome you.
• Being at a point that you are unhappy with in your life and fear ‘this is it’.

Our minds are terrific at creating and feeding the fears we have of a pessimistic outcome.

How do we get through it?

The same way we get through anything in life. With hope.

Hope looks beyond the current difficulties and seeks the optimistic outcome. It forces our perspective beyond the tough times of today to the better times there could be in the future.

“Nothing is permanent in this wicked world – not even our troubles.”

Charlie Chaplin

The abandonment of hope leads to despair and desperation.

The reclamation of hope is what allows us to know there will be an end to tough times. That they don’t last forever. It is hope that delivers the vision and faith of a brighter future.

Reclaim your hope. Feed it with optimism daily. This is where your bright and happy future lies.