Hope. Just as a single spark can create fire, a single spark of hope can create a better life. Even when all seems hopeless, hope still exists, just as surely as the sun still shines on a cloudy day. Hope lives in the absence of external evidence because it is the product of one's most innate nature. Hope illuminates the better path to take.
Here are just a few of my observations about finding that spark of hope even when all seems lost:
Become willing to “act as if” there is a way out of a current problem, even in the face of no external evidence. Don't be afraid to “fake it till you make it.” Any action will get the ball rolling.
Understand that you don't know everything about any situation you find yourself in. Even though your feelings are real, they might not be true.
You can only change yourself. Stop trying to change others, it just doesn't work.
Take Maya Angelou's advice and "Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better."
Remember, you don't have to do this all alone.