HOPE: A PRACTICE, A CHOICE, A COMMITMENT

Rosario Londono
2 days ago
5 min read

Updated: 2 days ago

Author: Rosario Londono

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair."

CHARLES DICKENS, A TALE OF TWO CITIES

"We’ve changed our minds.

This is no longer an investment priority for us."

That was it. Three years of work—gone.

The email continued: "We understand this may cause disappointment, but we have no doubt you’ll find funding easily and quickly. Thank you for your collaboration and for working side by side with us these past three years. We wish you the best of luck in the future."

I read the words again. And again. Three years. Of work, belief, sweat equity, and sacrifice. I had poured everything into this initiative. I believed in the investors, in the mission, in the tremendous impact we were building. More than that—I believed the time, energy, and opportunity costs I had sacrificed would be honored. We had funding secured for another three years, including my equity stake, my role, my compensation. And just like that, it was over. Calls happened. Meetings were held. Nothing changed.

I sat there, frozen. How could this be happening? I was a single mother of a 10-year-old, responsible for her and my elderly mother. I had put everything into this. And now? Nothing. Despair hit hard. But this wasn’t the first time I’d been here. And it wasn’t the last. At first, I spiraled. I questioned everything—my instincts, my worth, my future. I felt completely stuck. But eventually, I realized something. I had a choice. Not about what had happened. That was done. But about what I did next. Would I let this define me? Would I stay stuck in the loss? Or would I find a way forward? Because hope isn’t something that just appears when things go well. Hope is something we practice, even when it feels impossible. And that’s what I want to share with you today.

THE INNER NARRATIVES THAT HOLD US BACK

I've worked with at-risk youth, executives, social innovators, and intrapreneurs—and I’ve noticed something: The people who lose hope the fastest aren’t the ones who fail. They’re the ones who get stuck in the stories they tell themselves about failure. Here are the three biggest ones.

“What if hope wasn’t something you waited for, but something you practiced first? "When I allow myself to feel hope, joy, and courage—opportunities will arise."

Past

The first is the past. "I am not worthy of forgiveness." You made a mistake. You trusted the wrong people. You took a risk, and it didn’t pay off. And now? You’re replaying it over and over, convinced that if you don’t forgive yourself (or them), you’ll never make that mistake again. But here’s the truth: Holding onto the past doesn’t prevent future failure—it just prevents future growth. Real progress comes when you give yourself permission to fail—without judgment, without condemnation. I had to forgive myself for believing in that project, for trusting those investors, for not seeing the red flags sooner. Only then could I start moving forward.

Present

The second is the present. "I need to be very afraid of getting it wrong." When everything feels uncertain, fear takes over. You think, If I just control every detail, I’ll be safe. But hope requires embracing the unknown—and all the emotions that come with it. Fear that things won’t go as planned. Shame over past mistakes. Grief for what didn’t work out. I didn’t want to accept that the project was dead. I wanted to fight, to fix it. But the reality? Some things aren’t meant to be fixed. Sometimes, the only way forward is to let go.

Future

The third is the future. "If I fail (again), the consequences will be unbearable." We tell ourselves: I can’t afford to take another risk. If I fail, I won’t recover. But I’ve learned something powerful: Our resilience is always greater than our fear. That investment initiative I lost? Eight years later, it found new investors. My GP % was honored. If the deals go through, I’ll be okay. But I couldn’t have known that at the time. I had to let it go. Completely. And sometimes, that’s the hardest part.

Hope isn’t passive optimism—it’s daily action. Here’s what I started doing. And here’s what I tell my clients to do. Play life as an infinite game. Most of us live by this rule: "When X happens, then I will allow myself to feel Y." When I get the promotion, then I’ll relax. When my startup succeeds, then I’ll feel proud. When I finally have clarity, then I’ll move forward. But what if we flipped the script? What if hope wasn’t something you waited for, but something you practiced first? "When I allow myself to feel hope, joy, and courage—opportunities will arise."

HOPE AS A DAILY RITUAL

You are the heroine of your own story. Choose

three superpowers. For example, hope, courage, resilience. And commit: "I will nurture hope, courage, and resilience, no matter what happens."

“Schedule hope. Make it a non-negotiable meeting in your day. Because the world needs your vision, your courage, your resilience.”

1 | Create your personal manifesto

You are the heroine of your own story. Choose three superpowers. For example, hope, courage, resilience.

And commit: "I will nurture hope, courage, and resilience, no matter what happens."

2 | Schedule hope 3 times a day

Morning, dusk, and before bed, take a moment to envision yourself living your Personal Manifesto. Speak it: "I will be courageous, forgiving, and hopeful—no matter what." See it: Picture yourself embodying those qualities throughout the day. Feel it: Experience the emotions of hope, courage, and possibility.

3 | Build your Hope team

Hope isn’t meant to be carried alone. Find 5-8 people who will support you, in life, in your career, in the change you’re trying to create. Take consistent hopeful action. Ask yourself: If I had hope, what would I do today? What would I say? Who can support me?

Hope is not a solo journey. If there’s one thing I’ve learned through years of working with social innovators, system-changers, and impact-driven intrapreneurs, it’s this: The road to change is long, uncertain, and filled with setbacks.There will be moments when you feel like your work is invisible, like the system is too rigid, like all your effort has been for nothing. But that is precisely when hope matters most. Not as a passive feeling, but as a commitment to keep showing up.

Your work is needed. You are needed. And you are not alone. The League of Intrapreneurs exists because of you—because we know that this work is too important to do alone. So, if you’ve been waiting for a sign to recommit, to take one small step forward—this is it. Schedule hope. Make it a non-negotiable meeting in your day. Because the world needs your vision, your courage, your resilience. And when you need a reminder, the League has your back

Rosario is an executive advisor and systems thinker with over 20 years of experience in innovation, impact investing, and cross-sector leadership—helping leaders navigate the digital economy with clarity, resilience, and a regenerative mindset.