Hope, according to Snyder, has a lot to do with prioritizing areas needing improvement, identifying possible ways to achieve goals, selecting routes and following those routes. A logical first step is to decide what things in life are most important to you, and then think about how satisfied you are with the current status of that area. An area of high importance but low satisfaction may be a good starting point. For example, if you rank Family as being #1 (most Important to you), but your relationship with your family members is currently quite poor (rating of 2 for Satisfaction), you may want to focus on setting goals and making changes in this area. It’s important to note, however, that you can’t set goals for others (e.g. I want my mother to be more responsive) only for yourself (e.g. I want to communicate my needs more clearly to my mother)