Catching Hope

I wrote a book many have been waiting for:

Catching Hope: Hope Givers, Hope Receivers & Hope Stealers

The book and related training program is about catching hope that's out there and realizing an individual's potential for success. As I began talking to audiences about the process of my recovery from mental illness, it became very clear that so many of my desired goals were achieved because of the many Hope Givers in my life. Hope Givers are the folks who provide hope and support. They believe in people, and see potential for success and achievement. I also began to see that my part in the process was to become willing to be a Hope Receiver. Hope Receivers accept hope and support. They take action steps to achieve personal or professional goals. Hope Receivers gain confidence and motivation from support provided by Hope Givers.

Whether you have a mental illness or not, you likely have been a Hope Giver and a Hope Receiver at some time in your life. Perhaps, like me, you have noticed there are people around you that play the role of Hope Stealer. Hope Stealers fail to see an individual’s potential, and tell them that they can’t, or are not qualified, to achieve a goal. In order for my recovery to move forward, I had to get pretty savvy about identifying such people and learning how to ignore those Hope Stealer influences. I gained courage, confidence, and strength by setting out to prove that my Hope Stealers were wrong.

Here’s just one example. After my divorce, I wanted to return to college, even though I had been told that I had a mental illness. When I went to a mental health agency for career counseling and college assessment, their report was that, not only could I not get a college degree, but I couldn’t even pass a college exam. I didn’t know what to think about that at the time, but now I recognize them (and I hope you do too) as Primary First Degree Hope Stealers!

Fortunately, I had enough Hope Givers to encourage me at that difficult time. My parents insisted that I could do whatever I wanted, even with my mental illness. They encouraged me to apply to a college. I forged ahead and made an appointment with the admissions office at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Not only was I accepted, but they also transferred a full year of academic credit I had earned while attending Michigan State University!

College was not easy for me. In addition to my disability, I was a single mother to my three small sons. Sometimes, I had to take incompletes in classes, but I was making progress. At one point, I was hospitalized for six weeks due to my mental illness. During that time, my sister cared for my children, and was a most valuable Hope Giver! But there were some hospital staff who told me that, if I didn’t improve, I would be put in an institution. I was released from the hospital but was feeling pretty hopeless about continuing my goal of finishing college.

How fortunate that when I gathered my courage to try again, the first person I encountered turned out to be just the Hope Giver I needed. A Professor told me: “Sherri, you have the right stuff to become the mental health trainer that you have been dreaming of becoming and I will help you do it!” I became a Hope Receiver again as I signed up for his next class. My first assignment was to bring in my high school yearbooks the first day of class. He took a look at them and said, “Oh, I see you were in a speech contest and the school plays. . . and here’s a photo of you dancing in a talent show . . . and look at this, swim team too!” By showing me my own past accomplishments, he reinforced for me the certainty that I had the personal experience to become a mental health motivational speaker. There were ups and downs during college, but I earned my degree in Human Resource Development with an Emphasis in Training within a year and a half of the hospitalization.

So you can see that it pays to be a Hope Receiver. Look for the many Hope Givers around you. Listen to them and take action on the visions they see for you. Before long, you will become a Hope Giver. And don’t forget, be on the lookout for those sneaky Hope Stealers! You can avoid their slings and arrows if you see through their game!

Are you a Hope Giver, Hope Receiver or Hope Stealer?