I Have A Dream

The famous I have a dream speech delivered by the great Martin Luther King Jr. on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, is one of my favorites. In that speech, he shared his vision for the future, a day when all men are created equal. A day when all will be judged by the content of our character but not by the color of our skin. And with this faith, he shared, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.

I, like Martin Luther King Jr., have a dream. I dream of a day when all around the world, most especially our children, know ‘how’ to hope. That in our darkest of times, all know how to get from the depths of despair back to feeling better, and out of helplessness into action. I dream of a day when we put our swords of difference down and work together in places we agree to create progress that benefits us all.

Meeting Reverend Jesse Jackson from over 10 years ago.

Over 10 years ago I met the great Reverend Jesse Jackson, where I talked to him about my work in global mental health and he encouraged my mission. It was only shortly after I found that hopelessness caused both violence and suicide, and then went on to create Hopeful Minds, a program to teach the ‘how’ to hope around the world. So it was a great honor to reconnect and work beside The Reverend Jesse Jackson at the Cook County Jail on Christmas Day this past year, where he led the prisoners in the ‘Everybody is Somebody’ chant, as well as at Brandon Mayor Johnson’s Chicago Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast this past Friday.

Reconnecting with The Reverend Jesse Jackson

And it is a great honor for me to be celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday at the Rainbow Push Coalition’s breakfast, where I get to share a table with so many inspiring people, including my mentor and advisor Dr. Edward Barksdale that had the great Martin Luther King Jr. at his home growing up. I’m grateful for the time to connect, share, remember the great Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, celebrate the  justice leader Reverend Jesse Jackson, and talk about a collective  vision for a greater tomorrow for all.

Kathryn Goetzke and Dr. Edward Barksdale, GWU Medical School Commencement Speech, Hope: The Fifth Vital Sign of Medicine

I recently picked up The Reverend Jesse Jackson’s Keeping Hope Alive book, and learned that the Martin Luther King Jr. instructed The Reverend Jackson right before his murder that The Reverend must take on the mission to Keep Hope Alive. And through his speeches referenced in the book from all over the world, I see how he did that very thing. What an inspiration.

And I write today to encourage us to take Martin Luther King Jr. and the Reverend Jesse Jackson’s great work a step further. As hope does not happen passively, and we can’t find our way to hope unless we know how. Actions we take every day Keep Hope Alive.

It is in our daily commitment to navigating our emotional despair in healthy ways, and getting out of helplessness and into action, that we activate hope in our lives. We must not be swallowed by the giant jaws of hopelessness, and instead find our way to get to the light.

At a time of great division in our country, it might be easy to stop trying. We might want to give up. Yet it is in the giving up that we lose our ability to create change.

I’ve studied hope around the world, and keep track of my hope score. The more challenges I have, the more it can go down. That is why I get ultra serious about Shine Hope during challenging times.

These are the Five Key Ingredients we have found necessary to build hope:

• Stress Skills: We must navigate our fear, sadness, and anger in healthy ways. It is time to stop running to addiction, violence, self-harm and risky behaviors for momentary relief. Once we honor and feel our emotions, they inform us of our passions and where we need to channel them. Emotions contain great power, if only we use them wisely. Know when you, or others, are in the downstairs brain. Wait to engage until at least 90 seconds, until you can get back upstairs.

• Happiness Habits: Build routines that fuel your body and soul with happy hormones to counteract the stress hormones. Prioritize quality sleep, healthy meals, gratitude, and moments of joy. Help others. Pursue your passions. Use your strengths.

• Inspired Actions: Break big goals into manageable steps. Write down what you want. Check in with someone regularly on progress. Know when you need to regoal. Focus on the next action, not the end goal. Just take one step.

• Nourishing Networks: Surround yourself with supportive people that want what is best for you. Lean on friends, family, and community groups for connection and encouragement. Have them help you stay accountable. Don’t forget the viral Let Them theory, it’s a good one.

• Eliminating Challenges: Stay focused on what you can control. Replace negative self-talk with positive, action-oriented thoughts. Learn from the past, and stay out of rumination. Engage your senses to get out of worry. Limit your toxic consumption, things like the news and social scrolling can train you to hopelessness. End procrastination by just taking a single step.

With these five keys, there is always a way to get out of despair back to feeling better, and from helplessness into action. Be kind to yourself. Gentle to others in the process.

What’s Your Dream??

Like Martin Luther King, we all have a dream. Mine is that the entire world knows ‘how’ to hope. What’s your dream? Consider taking a moment today to reflect:

• What do you want to achieve in this lifetime?

• What Stress Skills and Happiness Habits will you commit to practicing daily?

• What action steps will you take to bring this dream to life? Can you take one step today?

• Who can support you in your dream?

• How is your mind holding you back, and what are you willing to do about it?

As we honor Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy and embrace this season of change, let’s commit to shining hope—within ourselves, our communities, and the world around us. Let’s remember that a lot of things set us up for hopelessness, yet with a proactive approach, we can manage those moments and cultivate hope. We are all, as Dr. Edward Barksdale says, Purveyors of Hope.