Hope

Hope is a goal without a deadline or a desire without a plan.  Hope alone is never enough.

The Spanish verb for hope is Esperar.  Esperar is also the verb for wait. It illustrates the problem I see with hope.  Hope is fatalistic.  It presume that you don’t have control.  I reject that idea.  I believe that there are always some things you can do to affect your fate.

In English this is illustrated by the difference between affect meaning “make a difference to” and effect meaning “a consequence of an action.”  You can hope an effect is positive or you can try to affect a positive outcome.  One is active the other is passive.  Hope is almost never the best strategy except when trying to win an election.

Note to regular readers:  This completes a little run:  Faith, Hope and Charity.  What is the famous mention of these three virtues?