Aug 31, 2024 | Reflections

Hope: Embracing Malcontentment as a Path to Growth

Many people believe that in today’s fast-paced world, we should strive for and achieve contentment. Countless advice articles imply that accepting things is essential for happiness. However, I’ve come to recognize the power of a different perspective: the virtue of hope, manifesting as a form of productive malcontentment.

Hope, in its essence, is not merely a passive wish for better things. It’s an active force propelling us forward, constantly urging us to improve and evolve. This hope is intrinsically linked to a certain level of dissatisfaction with the status quo – a refusal to settle for “good enough“ when “better“ is within reach.

As I work on various projects, from optimizing content at VentureLab to experimenting with AI-generated content for ReachingMyDreams, I’ve embraced this hopeful discontentment. With each project and piece of content, I can’t help but think, “This is good, but the next one will be even better.”

Some might ask, “At what point should you be content?” In a nutshell, I derive intermittent moments of happiness and fulfillment from my achievements, but I rarely experience lasting contentment. This constant striving isn’t a symptom of obsessive perfectionism; it’s a driving force that has propelled me from my first job picking bad pickles on an assembly line at Degraffenreid Pickle Factory in Springfield, MO, to graduating college, and becoming a versatile digital marketing professional with expertise in SEO, e-commerce, and AI-assisted content creation.

It could be argued that this perpetual striving for improvement is exhausting or unsustainable. However, I’d counter that it’s precisely this mindset that keeps us engaged, curious, and growing. It’s what pushes the boundaries of what’s possible, both in our personal lives and in our professional development. Hopeful malcontentment has been key to my ability to adapt to new technologies and methodologies. From mastering WordPress and WooCommerce to becoming proficient in AI tools like ChatGPT and Stable Diffusion, I’ve always been driven by the belief that there’s more to learn, more of my personal best to surpass.

The Interplay of Hope and Faith

Drawing from the philosophy of religion, specifically the work of Shannon Kincaid and Philip Pecorino from Queensboro Community College, we can understand the relationship between hope and faith:

  1. Faith represents our current belief system, shaped by past experiences.
  2. Hope is oriented towards a desired future state.
  3. While faith without hope is possible, hope cannot exist without some degree of faith.

In practice, this means I have faith in the quality of my past work, but hope drives my belief that my current efforts will yield even better results.

Hope vs. Self-Doubt: Beyond Self-Esteem

Interestingly, this hopeful outlook doesn’t preclude self-doubt or require high self-esteem. Like many, I struggle with uncertainty and often question my decisions. In fact, I’ve grappled with agonizingly persistent self-doubt throughout my life. However, when I commit to a task, my hope in potential improvement overrides these doubts.

The key is separating hope from self-judgment. Hope isn’t necessarily tied to how we feel about ourselves in the moment. Rather, it’s about recognizing the potential for growth and improvement, regardless of our current level of confidence or self-esteem. Hope focuses on future possibilities, not present limitations or past struggles. 

This perspective allows us to maintain a hopeful outlook, even when we’re plagued by insecurities or self-doubt. We can acknowledge our uncertainties while still believing in our capacity to learn, grow, and achieve. Hope becomes a bridge between who we are now and who we can become, inspiring us to keep moving forward despite our doubts.

By framing hope this way, we create space for both realistic self-assessment and optimism about the future. We can be honest about our current struggles or limitations while still believing in our ability to overcome them. This balanced approach fosters resilience and perseverance, key qualities for long-term growth and success.

Conclusion

I believe that hope, manifested as a form of productive malcontentment, is an underrated virtue. It’s not about being perpetually dissatisfied, but about maintaining an unshakable belief in our capacity to learn, grow, and improve. Whether in our personal lives, careers, or art, this hopeful dissatisfaction can be a powerful force for positive change.

Hope is our bridge to the future. It allows us to acknowledge our current best while simultaneously believing in the possibility of something even greater. The fuel for continuous growth and improvement is found in the delicate balance of discontentment and aspiration.

So, I invite you to embrace your own hopeful malcontentment. Celebrate your achievements, absolutely, but never stop asking, “What’s next? How can I make this even better?“ Because in that question lies the seed of all future growth and innovation.

Further reading and inspiration not previously linked:

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