The Hope Quotient

The Hope Quotient by Ray Johnston came to me at a perfect time. I am a teacher, and I use some of the time during my summer break to reflect on the past year and prepare for the next one. This being said, hope is a huge part of teaching. Johnston argues hope is the main ingredient of any success, and after reading his book, I would agree. If I didn't have hope for my students each year, the problems I see in their lives and in education in general, would leave me broken. Hope is what gets us through. Hope is believing that God has something better, that better days are coming, and that I can be part of that. Johnston explains how hope can change everything, because it changes how we see and how we act and react. Without hope, there is no point to life. And all hope stems from God. Through personal stories, biblical ideals and real principles, Johnston touches on ways to increase your hope and areas of life in which we need to raise our hope. He argues that when we have hope rather than discouragement, there are eleven major differences in our lives. Some of those differences include being healthier, being more willing to help others, being more successful, and being more forgiving. Johnston asserts that hope is the beginning of everything. But he doesn't stop with just trite words or cute phrases. He digs into the areas in life where real people struggle: marriage, parenting, career, church, community and the world. The struggles we face may differ, but Johnston gives practical advice on how to raise our hopes in each area so we are better able to face those struggles. And when we face our struggles with hope, we provide hope to others too. Johnston writes in a conversational way, making you feel like he is talking directly to you. He provides real examples of people in history who were knocked down, but got back up because they had hope. And he gives you tools along the way to help you gage your own level of hope, and tools to help you improve you hope quotient. Johnston's book reads like friendly advice. His ideas and writing style cannot be ignored. You will want to pass this book on to others who seem to be losing hope. And it will inspire you to go out into the world and be hopeful and to make a difference. I highlighted many helpful passages that I imagine I will return to over and over when I need to build back up the hope I have that things will continue to get better. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”