🌄 HOPE
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” – Desmond Tutu
Hope is the glimmer just ahead—the feeling that something better could exist, even when everything around you says otherwise. For people with ADHD, who often carry the weight of misunderstood struggles, missed milestones, and internalised doubt, hope is not naïve. It’s revolutionary.
Hope is what gets you up after another failed plan. It’s what lets you try again after forgetting, after freezing, after falling apart. It’s not pretending everything is fine—it’s believing that something meaningful is still possible, even now.
This value isn’t abstract. It’s active. It lives in your voice when you say, “This time I’ll do it differently.” It lives in the structure you build to support your healing, in the questions you ask about what might work better next time. It lives in the choice to not give up on yourself—even when the world misunderstands your pace, your path, your pain.
Hope helps ADHDers claim a future that isn’t dictated by the past. It lets you move beyond labels and toward life. And when you walk in hope, you make space for others to do the same.
🧭 The HOPE Trail Map
- Helps or Harms: Am I feeding the flame—or standing in my own shadow?
- Own My Values: I want to be someone who nurtures hope, especially when things feel stuck.
- People and Pursuits: Who holds hope for me when I forget it? What dreams or ideas light a small fire in me, even now?
- Enact and Evaluate: Today, I’ll take one action that says: “I believe in something better.”
⚠️ Trail Challenges
- Repeated setbacks may erode self-trust and future vision.
- Depression, anxiety, and RSD can drown out hope’s voice.
- External messages of “not enough” can dim inner belief.
🪧 Trail Markers: Small Steps Toward Hope
- Name one thing that has changed for the better—however slowly.
- Imagine a version of yourself one year from now—what has shifted?
- Say aloud: “This isn't the end of the story.”
🔥 Campfire Questions for Reflection
- What do I still dream of, even if I rarely say it out loud?
- Where have I shown quiet hope by simply continuing?
- What helps me feel that I’m not alone in my struggle—and why does that matter?
Hope doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it’s just the steady voice inside that says: “Try again. There’s more for you than this.”
