As we place the period at the end of a roller coaster year and usher in a brand new 2013, the one thing a writer absolutely can NOT do without is hope.

There are many reasons why people have lost hope in their dreams of being an author. I’m sure you know many of the reasons so I won’t use precious word count to name them.

What is important to list is all the reasons why you should have hope, and why you simply can’t be without it.

Hope is the fuel that churns the engine of creativity. To be a successful writer, you must be creative and that is not possible unless you have hope.

Hope is the magic that takes you to your happy place. Ok, at the risk of sounding fairytale-ish, remember Peter Pan and Tinkerbell? What did she tell him when he couldn’t fly? “Think Happy Thoughts”. If Peter hadn’t hoped he could fly, he wouldn’t have been able to think those happy thoughts.

Hope gives you the tenacity to hang on long after anyone else would have abandoned the dream. No one is going to continue to climb Mt. Everest if they have no hope of reaching the summit. It just doesn’t happen. But on the contrary, hope will take you to the peak of the highest mountain on earth long after your physical strength has depleted.

Hope defends your emotions against all the skeletons in your closet and will fight for your right to live your dream. When those ugly bags of bones rear their ugly heads and try to pull you into their clutches, hope defends your honor, fights your battle and wins on your behalf.

I think you can see that you simply cannot be without hope. Here’s the great thing. Having hope is entirely in YOUR control. That’s right. It’s a state of mind. You choose to have hope or to slither through life in utter despair and hopelessness. That means YOU are in control.

You know, it just doesn’t get much better than that!

As you say farewell to the 365 days called 2012, make the decision that you are going to embrace 2013 with hope that you will live your life in such a way, you will move closer to living your dream. You deserve it. So do your future readers.

On behalf of the My Book Therapy Coaches, I wish you a happy, hope-filled 2013. It has been out pleasure serving you this last year and we look forward to our journey together in the new year.

Here’s to hope… and to your success!

Dr. Reba J. Hoffman is the My Book Therapy Life Coach.

Follow her blog at:  www.magellanlifecoaching.com