Daily Motivator - January

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January 16

Faster is not always better

A few things are genuinely urgent. Most things are not.

Being more impatient does not make you more important. In fact, when you rush dramatically through life you miss out on much of its richness.

Just because you can do something quickly does not mean that’s the best way. Just because you can dispatch an instant communication does not mean you should avoid a long conversation.

Sure, you want to be efficient. Of course, you seek to get the most value out of every moment.

But your purpose is not to merely check off activities on your list. Your deeper purpose is to add meaningful substance by investing yourself in life.

Take a long, slow breath and remind yourself that faster is not always better. Give your moments the time they deserve, and add new richness to your life instead of more stress.

— Ralph Marston

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January 17

Where life has faltered

Weakness carries the opportunity for new strength. Ignorance creates space for new wisdom.

Be honest with yourself about the strategies you employ to hold yourself back. Use that understanding to develop and deploy new strategies for propelling yourself forward.

Don’t curse the shortcomings in your life, or fight against them. Draw energy from them, and transform them into triumphs.

There is much you don’t know, and in every bit of it exists the opportunity to learn. Fears haunt you, and by acting with courage in the face of those fears, you can change your world.

Let the burdens point you toward the possible blessings. Let the failures create a pathway to success.

See clearly those places where life has faltered, and be thankful for the chance to turn them around. Then step forward with love, confidence, courage, determination, and make life as great as you know it can be.

— Ralph Marston

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January 18

Future consequences

Long after this day is over, you’ll be living with the consequences of what you do with it. Now, while you are living this day, you can make those future consequences positive and beneficial.

Every choice in every moment matters, and continues to matter after the moment has passed. Make the choices now that will make life increasingly good as time goes on.

Live this day well, enjoy its possibilities and pleasures. But don’t sacrifice the quality of future days in order to do so.

The choices you make today will echo through your life for a long time. Act in a way that will make your future self thankful again and again.

Right now, you have leverage over your entire future. Even the smallest nudge in a positive direction can create major benefits as time goes by.

Summon the strength to make that nudge, and live today as if your choices, your actions will influence the rest of your life. Because they will.

— Ralph Marston

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January 19

Own your circumstances

Stop thinking of it as somebody’s fault. Start treating it as your responsibility.

You’ve learned there’s nothing to be gained by looking for something or someone else to blame. You know you have everything to gain by taking responsibility, by doing something good and useful.

So do it. Break free from the useless need to blame, from resentment, from excuses, and break through into action.

Own your circumstances. Whether they are mostly of your making, or mostly not, step forward and make a positive difference.

Rehashing what this person could have done, what that person should not have done, will only drag you down. Get over it, and focus all your attention on what you can do now.

Own your circumstances, no matter what they are, or how they came to be. Own your circumstances, and from them you will make great progress.

— Ralph Marston

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January 20

Appreciate what is

For a moment, for a day, for a lifetime, appreciate what is. Whatever may happen, whatever may be, choose to see it with a perspective of gratitude and appreciation.

Not every day is filled with blue skies and sunshine. Not everything you undertake turns out the way you wanted.

Even so, you always have much to appreciate. There is always value to be found, always goodness to be lived.

Always, when you decide to find something to appreciate, you will. Have faith that there’s a positive way forward, and you’ll see it.

Although the weather may turn nasty, and people may disappoint you, there’s no cause to be dismayed. For somewhere in the day, somehow in the situation is real value.

Remind yourself to appreciate what is, and you’ll see that value. Appreciate what is, and position yourself to make the very best of it.

— Ralph Marston

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January 21

Break free

Pull your mind away from thoughts of yourself. There is a whole universe out there to consider and experience.

Ego confines your thinking. Love, gratitude and generosity expand your awareness and multiply the possibilities.

When it’s all about you, the options are few. Raise yourself into the limitless realm outside your narrow self-concern.

Inside the walls of your own ego, problems seem to have no solution, and opportunities lack a path to fulfillment. Break free, be free, and operate from a powerful perspective where fears dissolve and abundance intensifies.

As beautiful and unique as you are, living only within your own perspective is lonely and limiting. Extend your focus, widen your horizons, experience joy and wonder you never could have known on your own.

It is simple to let go of your ego. And amazing what that simple step will do.

-Ralph S. Marston

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January 22

Change of mood

You have an important task to do, and you’re not in the mood to do it. But whose mood is it, anyway?

It is your mood of course, and you’re in control of it. At any time you choose, you can adjust that mood to suit your purpose.

There are times when the best things, or the most necessary things, will not wait until your mood happens to be right. There are times when it is in your best interest to put yourself in the mood for what must be done.

When you’re not in the mood for some specific task, there’s a quick way to get there. Just visualize, clearly, richly and in full detail, how great you will feel to have the job done.

The more you don’t feel like doing it, the more you will want to have it done. You’re not in the mood to do it, and that is precisely what can motivate you to go ahead and get it over with.

You’ve spent your whole life changing your mood, so put that skill to use in a positive, intentional way. Go right ahead and put yourself in the mood to do what’s best for your life and your world.

— Ralph Marston

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January 23

Greater purpose

If you wish, you can immerse yourself fully in this moment. Or if you choose, you can focus your awareness beyond the moment and transcend this moment entirely.

At any and every point in time the choice is yours. With this choice you shape your life, your experience, and the world around you.

You decide what gets in and what is left out. You decide which notions, stimuli, experiences are amplified, enshrined in memory, acted upon, and which are attenuated until they are forgotten.

This great power is yours. With this power, you manifest your intentions into reality.

What drives all this, what makes it work without breaking down into utter chaos, is your clear sense of purpose. And that comes from being completely honest with yourself about yourself.

Live to love all that you love, to support all you value, to care for what matters most. You have great power over your life, so be sure to direct it with even greater purpose.

— Ralph Marston

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January 24

Opportunity of this day

You have plenty of ways to begin this day on a positive note, if you choose. And keep in mind, days that start well have the best chance of going well.

So go ahead, take one little action right now that helps bring your dreams into reality. Wait not a moment longer to begin living life on your own terms.

Sure, there are obstacles and complications to get in the way. Yet within you is a strength of purpose that enables you to push through those problems and give life to your dreams.

Feel that purpose, feel its goodness, its authenticity. Let that good feeling flood your awareness and spark you into action.

Decide to no longer be encumbered by doubt. Choose instead to be energized by the possibilities.

Remind yourself of the good fortune you have to be right here, right now. Wrap your arms, your thoughts, your focus around the opportunity of this day, and make it the most rewarding one yet.

— Ralph Marston

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January 25

Outlast every failure

If you’re making your best effort, you’re making progress. When that effort doesn’t bring the results you want, keep going.

To get it right, you’ll probably go through many iterations of getting it wrong. Success happens when you’ve worked through enough failures.

Give yourself enough time to fail, and to fail again. That’s how much time it takes to succeed.

Give yourself permission to fail. That’s how you develop the confidence to succeed.

You know where you desire to be, what you desire to create. With every disappointment you’re smarter, more focused, closer to the goal.

Learn, adjust, innovate, adapt, and keep going. Outlast every failure and you’ll end up with success.

— Ralph Marston

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January 26

Inside the problem

You won’t solve problems by complaining about them. You won’t solve problems by running from them or shouting angrily at them.

To successfully deal with the problems, you must get inside them. Familiarize yourself with the problems, and you’ll find plenty of ways to work through them.

If life is not going well, identify one clear, specific outcome that would improve your situation. Then go to work and make it happen.

From a distance, as a looming, hazy concept, any problem will feel intimidating, overwhelming. What you must do is get inside, get details, get clarity.

March right into the problem, take a look around, and make note of what you see. Something you see will lead you to a strategy for making the problem go away.

Get inside the problem, and there’s plenty you can do. Get inside the problem, and you’ll find it filled with opportunities.

— Ralph Marston

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January 27

Relentless and flexible

You can’t ever make more hours in the day but you can always make more of the hours you have. You can’t ever change what’s already happened but you can always choose what to do with it.

Some options are simply not available, yet that doesn’t have to stop you. Because you have plenty of other options to choose from.

If your path is completely blocked, don’t descend into bitterness, retribution or self pity. Instead, use all your energy to find another path.

Plan well, but don’t get so attached to the plan that you abandon the goal when the plan doesn’t work. There is another way, one that will get you there.

Remind yourself why reaching your goal is so important. Stay solidly connected to your purpose, and you’ll more readily see the alternate options.

Be relentless about achieving the goal, and flexible about how you do it. In a world of endless possibilities, you’re sure to find a way.

— Ralph Marston

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January 28

Be there

Sometimes words are not necessary for encouragement. Sometimes words can even get in the way.

Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is just to be there. Sometimes your loving, authentic, accepting presence is what someone else desperately desires.

Be there, and be you. Be there, be present, listen, see, share.

In every person is a longing to connect in a meaningful way. Your presence is one of the best gifts you can give.

Communication technology is wonderful, allowing you to exchange thoughts, information, sounds and images in amazing ways. Yet none of that replaces the value of being there.

When you can, if you care, make it your business to be there. Your presence can make all the difference in the world.

-Ralph S. Marston

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January 29

Inspired by the difficulties

Do you want to complain about not being able to get it done? Or would you prefer to actually get it done?

Do you seek to have an impressive sounding excuse? Or would you rather have a real, substantive achievement?

The world pushes against you often, that is true. Life is not fair, and disappointing results are all too common.

You can be offended by that, and use it as an excuse. Or you can accept the challenge, and transform it into an inspiration.

Nobody cares why you can’t. What makes people stand up and take notice, is doing what you can.

So go ahead, and instead of being excused by the difficulties, be inspired to act. Do what you can, every chance you get, and you will surely get the job done.

— Ralph Marston

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January 30

New choice

Nothing continues about the way you are, unless you allow it to continue. Your future begins now, and you decide how to be, how to act in it.

At times you’ve disappointed yourself. But now, that disappointing behavior does not have to continue.

Habits, worries, fears, compulsions bind together into a powerful momentum. Fortunately, you are even more powerful.

You can make your choices now based on all you love and treasure and value. Feel your inner beauty, your inner purpose, as you turn cleanly away from all you’ve employed to hold yourself back.

What has served you well, build upon. What has created regret and dismay, let go.

Today, breathe new life into yourself, your dreams, your world. Today is a new choice, and you are positioned to choose very well.

— Ralph Marston