I work in sales. My days are filled with emails, presentations, cold calls, and forecasting which deals I expect to close.

Once I forecast, I then present it to my manager.

At the end of the presentation, he always asks me, “Are these deals going to close, or are you hoping they are going to close?”

The difference between these two questions determines whether I hit quota every month.

The point is that hope is not a strategy.

We often hope for our dreams to come true, we hope for that house on the hill, we hope for financial freedom.

We hope and hope and hope.

And oftentimes, hope replaces action.

Hope will not produce consistent results.

Hope will not save a portion of your paycheck for you.

Hope will not bring your dreams to life.

Action will.

Take back your agency by refusing to rely on hope.

On a practical note, if you catch yourself using hope as a strategy, try asking yourself if there is anything else you can do.

The definition of hope “is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.”

Do not settle for the desire of your dreams. Take action and turn your desire into reality.

Go out and take action. Go out and make a difference.