A Talk at Hope’s Place

Hope has been dedicated to the 7cups Community over so many years. There's a lot to learn from them. I am so glad they invited me to their place and allowed me a time and space where I could sit and talk to them about life skills. Presenting to you the talk we shared:

Question: What makes you feel passionate in your time at 7cups?

Hope: I am motivated by the fact that the work I do makes an impact on many lives. I was drawn to this platform because I loved the concept of active listening, my roles have changed over the years but one thing remains, the work I do still makes a difference! I believe in our vision and mission and that has kept me going.

Question: If you could count 5 strengths in you, what would they be? Further, do you have tips for us to build on those strengths?

Hope: That's a lot of strengths to count! I can try to list 5. I truly believe that all of us are in a constant state of growth so even the strengths I am about to list, I am not a master at these but I have made some good progress and therefore I think I may have some useful insight that others can benefit from.

Grit: Life is filled with challenges and the only way to succeed is to consistently show up and fight for what you believe in. This is a very useful and important skill to have. This is a good ted talk to learn about grit.

Boundaries: It is something I have learned from 7 Cups. I believe I have developed good boundaries and it is one of the best skills/strengths to have. Game changer! You can improve on boundaries by completing this guide. Realize that good boundaries benefit you and often the other person/people/work. Start slow and be firm with the boundaries you have enforced.

Creative problem solving: Credit again goes to this platform that has provided me with enough opportunities to train my creativity muscle. The trick is really to consistently do problem solving and come up with creative solutions and you will get good at it.

Tolerance/Accepting different point of views: This will take you further in life than any traditional education (in my humble opinion). I recommend reading books on leadership, making friendships and working with people to understand this skill.

Seeking knowledge: I have learned so much from the people I have come across in life, the books I have read and the work I did. All this was possible because I sought knowledge.

Question: What’s one thing that makes you feel sad about this world, what change would you like to see in this world we live in?

Hope: It saddens me to see suffering of any kind whether that is due to lack of financial support, education or health support. I would love to see everyone’s basic human needs met regardless of their socio-economic background.

Question: What values would you like to inspire through your life?

Hope: I have this motto in life ‘be stubborn in the pursuit of your passion’ and it is a quote I live by. If people can be inspired to follow what they are passionate about and persevere despite all odds, I think we will live in a much better world. Imagine a world where everyone you meet is passionate about the work they do!

Additionally, I would love for people to start to think more about how they can benefit others around them or the environment around. You don’t have to make it your life’s mission to help others but places like 7 Cups provide an opportunity to help someone else and we should take it. To sum it up, I would love to inspire others to follow their dreams and help others along the way but I believe I have many more years of work ahead before I can be a source of inspiration.

Question: Any general tips for the cupsers to do well at cups and also to balance life on cups and off cups?

Hope: I think it is important to understand that the aim of this platform is to provide support to people in need. We should be mindful of this as we interact and take on roles here. The goal is to support people in need through active listening and at the same time develop yourself.

See it as a learning opportunity, consistently seek out opportunities to further improve yourself. Make use of resources/opportunities like the training courses and academy programs. Be open to feedback and ensure you take on the roles/ you dedicate your time here to things that either help support you (as a member) or allow you to grow as a person (especially if you are a listener).

I highly recommend trying out a few mentors and then sticking with one. A good mentor can really help you with your 7 Cups journey.

As for the work -life balance, understand that you can not pour from an empty cup. You come first and you need to prioritize your mental health and needs before dedicating time to this platform. I highly recommend everyone to take at least 1 day off from 7 Cups every week and this means no PMs/No peeking in! This really helps you avoid burnout in the long run.

Question: You contribute so much for us and we want to thank you in any way we can that could make you smile wider. Is there anything cupsers can do for you, please let us know.

Hope: I appreciate the acknowledgement though you are being too generous! I believe that I have been paid generously in experience for the time I have dedicated to this platform. I have learned so many important skills and met many wonderful people. My life quality has increased as a result of all that I have learned and I feel very honored to work here!

That was a wonderful interview, so many valuable things to remember from that interview. For the benefit of our readers, I am listing some of the valuable points (I underlined more of them in Hope’s answers) from this time spent with our dean friend, Hope:

• Consistently show up and fight for what you believe in.

• Good boundaries benefit you and often the other person/people/work.

• Consistently do problem solving and come up with creative solutions and you will get good at it.

• I recommend reading books on leadership, making friendships and working with people.

• If people can be inspired to follow what they are passionate about and persevere despite all odds, I think we will live in a much better world.

• I would love for people to start to think more about how they can benefit others around them or the environment around.