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New Year's Hope: The Power of Belief and Renewal

First day of a brand new year. Calls, messages, Facebook, newspapers—you name it, and you'll find excitement all around. In case you didn't party the night before, there's got to be something wrong with you. 'How can you not be excited about a new year starting?' Probably this is the only time when humanity comes together and celebrates. No religion, no caste, no communities, no borders—nothing. It's the first stroke of hope and the last of what has gone—a fresh new year.

A new year brings with it an ocean of hope—hope of a better everything: myself, my job, the world we live in—everything. But this spark of hope has a very short life, sometimes days, sometimes weeks, and some very firm-willed are able to push it until the end of the month. To dig a little deeper into this, let’s rewind a little and see what changed. From 31st Dec 12:00 am till 1st Jan 12:00 am, nothing changed other than a digit, one created by historians for recording purposes. Then how come this transforms everything around us during those moments?

The only logical answer to this is ‘We believe.’ It is our belief that this change will somehow impact things around us. We like a reset button after 365 days. It is this element of hope that excites us, which keeps us moving. Does this hope come from somewhere outside? It is right inside us. The moment there is a shift in our state of mind, which might have been created due to the environment around us, a state of hope is felt within us which in turn makes us feel empowered. In the field of neuroscience, they explain it like this: "Hope, which involves belief and expectation, causes the brain to release neurochemicals called endorphins and enkephalins which actually mimic the effects of morphine. The result is that the brain can overcome hurdles and move to a place of recovery. In scientific terms, hope and recovery are not causally connected, but they are correlated." (Source: Terry Small)

The moment we slip out of this state of hope, one by one our resolutions also start slipping away. So is it futile to make a list of resolutions that in a month’s time we won’t even remember? Probably not. It is not the list that will make it happen; it is the presence of that state which gave it birth in the first place. So this year let’s try to revisit this beautiful state of hope every time we hit a rock or a pit.

Have a hope-filled New Year.

Happy New Year.

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