I once asked an old man in my area why some people never leave, even when everything around them is falling apart. He smiled and said, “Only two things keep people where they are…hate or hope.” That sentence stuck with me. I started looking around and realized it was true. Some people stay because they’re angry, bitter, & waiting to prove a point. Others stay because they believe something good is still coming. Hate will make you hold on just to fight. It will make you wake up every day with a heavy heart, trying to win battles nobody even sees. But hope? Hope makes you stay and build. It makes you endure hard days because you believe tomorrow can be better. Hate drains you. Hope fuels you. So the real question is simple: what is keeping you where you are right now? Is it the desire to hurt back, or the belief that things can improve? One will slowly destroy you. The other will slowly transform you. Choose carefully, because what keeps you, shapes you. ✌️