Daily Motivator - December

[bluidkiti]

December 1

Here is your time

This time tomorrow, what will you regret not doing today? This is your opportunity to get it done.

What have you been meaning to take care of, that you haven’t yet found the time to do? Now is when you can jump into action and do it.

This moment is too valuable to let it just slip away. It is filled with opportunities for you to make a difference.

Consider all the times when you’ve been working against a deadline and wished you had more time. Here is that time you wished for, now, today, ready for you to put to use.

Think of how great you’ve always felt in the past after a job well done. This is your opportunity to experience that rich feeling of satisfaction again as a result of your efforts.

There’s an endless list of very good reasons to seize this moment and the opportunities that are in it. Go ahead, and quickly make yourself thankful for your choice to do so.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 2

Potential for progress

You have work to be done, and doing that work will create new value. Let go of your doubt, reluctance, hesitation, and spring immediately into action.

What matters about the work is not whether it is hard or easy. What matters about the work is getting it done.

You can choose to act, and you can stick with that choice. You can make a commitment and you can persist in honoring that commitment.

You have goals to be achieved, and now is your time to achieve them. You have opportunities in front of you, and this is when you can sieze them.

You’re often tempted to become complacent, yet complacency could cost you everything you’ve worked for. Choose instead to zero in on a meaningful intention, and to put that intention into action.

See the potential for progress, and make that progress happen. There’s work to be done, and here is your chance to do it.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 3

Your unique beauty

Living your own beauty is far more fulfilling than imitating the beauty of others. Enjoying your own life is infinitely more satisfying than wishing for a different life.

No person’s situation is perfect. And yet, within any situation lives the possibility for goodness, truth, joy, and love.

By all means, seek to better yourself and your world. But don’t ever turn your back on the good aspects that already exist in your life.

Though you certainly don’t have it all, there is much you do have. Be thankful and eager to make new, interesting, fulfilling use of it.

This very day, you can be enjoying the life you love. You can choose to recognize your good fortune, your unique beauty, and to live it fully.

What you have is the chance to participate in life today, in your own beautiful way. Take hold of that great treasure, and eagerly make the most of it.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 4

Focused effort

Could you devote thirty seconds to focused effort, and see how it goes? If it works well, could you give another thirty seconds, and another?

Could you take just one half minute, shut out all distractions, and give complete attention to your effort? Could you possibly continue in that state, just a minute at a time, for a lot longer?

Focused effort feels amazing, once you make the commitment to it. And, with focused effort you can achieve spectacular results.

You’re already doing great work, and yet you’re capable of so much more. Imagine what you could accomplish by choosing, a little more often, the power of focused effort.

Always there is much to be done, and you can feel like you need to put it all in front of you at once. Yet that severely dilutes your efforts, and you can end up further behind than when you started.

Shift your attention away from the commotion. Choose, right now, the power of focused effort, and get some great work done.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 5

Highest potential

You are worthy of the best life has to offer, so take life up on that offer. Decide right now to think, to speak, to feel, to act in ways that fulfill your highest potential.

There’s more to this day than just getting through it. The moments, the hours, the people, the situations, can all add great richness to your life.

Sure, life can be messy, troublesome, painful, inconvenient. It’s tempting to hide away from most of the turmoil in a routine that’s comfortable and familiar.

But that’s not going to bring you much joy, or richness, or fulfillment. You’re capable of more than merely getting by, and you deserve the experience of exploring those capabilities.

Venture out beyond what you’ve already learned, experienced, and accomplished. Explore new territory and embrace exciting new possibilities.

Give yourself the opportunity to become an even better version of yourself. Live in the direction of your highest potential, and raise that potential ever higher.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 6

Choose enthusiasm

Enthusiasm makes life more alive. Give yourself some right now.

Enthusiasm makes you more effective, more fun to be around, more persuasive. Enthusiasm adds powerful positive energy to everything you do.

And the great secret about enthusiasm is this. You can choose to be enthusiastic no matter what the circumstance may be.

It’s natural to assume that before you can be enthusiastic, you need something to be enthusiastic about. But the fact is, enthusiasm can create its own catalysts, its own objects of expression.

You don’t need a wonderful, positive situation to be enthusiastic about. You can choose enthusiasm, and employ that enthusiasm to create the positive situation.

Whatever the circumstance, you’ll put yourself at an advantage with enthusiasm. So choose enthusiasm, and put its positive power to work today.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 7

See it as a mission

Get yourself on your own side. Align your attitude with your own best interests.

As bothersome, frustrating, and inconvenient as the effort may be, see it not as a struggle. See it as a mission, one you’re fully on board with.

Don’t waste your energy fighting against yourself and your own attitude. Focus your energy on making real progress.

Remind yourself that you’re doing what must be done. That’s a good thing.

The path is difficult, and yet you’re making headway. The cost is high, yet you’re able to pay the cost, bear the burden, and make a difference.

This is no time to drain your energy by feeling sorry for yourself. You’re on a worthy mission, and working to add real value to life.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 8

Proactive kindness

It’s in your best interest to be considerate of the best interests of others. It’s in your best interest to live in a world where there’s more understanding and less divisiveness.

You can’t force others to be kinder, more tolerant, more cooperative. Yet you can set a powerful positive example with your own behavior.

Don’t wait to receive kindness before offering kindness to others. You can be more proactive than that.

You can be the first person in the situation to act with genuine kindness. You can be the first person to listen, to seek to understand, to offer your assistance.

Your kindness will not always be returned. It will, however, always make a difference and set a positive example.

The highly beneficial conditions of friendship, understanding, unity, and peace have to start somewhere. Do your best to let them start with you.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 9

Get through the middle

Starting a new effort is exciting, and successfully finishing is even more exciting. The real challenge is getting through the middle.

When the thrill of starting out has faded, you can be in danger of losing interest. When the goal is still a long way off, it’s all too easy to give up.

If you wish to achieve, you must prepare yourself for the long, dreary, demanding middle. That’s where the achievement gains its value and substance.

Keep that in mind as you work tirelessly through the middle. As tedious as it may seem, the work you’re doing is adding up, step by step by step.

Get through the middle, and you’ll see the achievement taking shape. Get through the middle, and your goal will grow ever closer and brighter on the horizon.

Before you begin, make the commitment to get through the middle. That commitment will take you all the way to the achievement you desire.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 10

Get your energy flowing

Don’t just sit there and think about it. Get up, get going, and put your thoughts into action.

Inject new energy into this moment. Move around, and focus that motion on a useful purpose.

Engage the potential energy that lives inside you. The more energy you use, the more you’ll have.

Thoughts, feelings, wishes, desires, regrets, ideas, all are bouncing around inside you. Turn your intention in a specific direction, harness all that energy, and do something with it.

Burn some of those calories you’ve been storing away. Express some of those dreams you’ve been nurturing inside.

You’re filled with potential energy, just waiting to be put to use. Discover for yourself, right now, how great it feels to get that energy flowing.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 11

Interrupted

Eventually you’re going to be interrupted. Until then, stay focused.

Don’t let yourself be interrupted by your own fear of being interrupted. Accept that the interruptions will come, and press forward undeterred by that eventuality.

Focus now, but not out of desperation. Focus now, and let that focus be powered by your love of making a difference.

Whatever it is you seek to do, life will at some point get in the way. But don’t let possibility that inhibit you, because you’re good at successfully dealing with the obstacles.

Even when you expect the best, unexpected events can knock you off track. Expect the best anyway, work toward it, and build a level of momentum that enables you to recover quickly.

You will be interrupted, and that’s okay. Because before the interruption comes, and after it quickly goes, you have good work to do.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 12

Fully prepared

The race is won long before the race is run. The race is won in the preparation.

An accomplished actor earns the role long before the audition. Preparation is what makes the crucial difference.

Those who pass the test with flying colors are those who learn and study and rehearse in the time leading up to the test. Impressive excellence and committed preparation go hand in hand.

When life asks for your highest effort, you must give that effort in the moment. To do that, be fully prepared.

You cannot allow preparation to become a substitute for actual doing. But neither can you allow yourself to avoid preparation.

Be fully prepared ahead of time. And be fully able when the moment calls you to make a difference.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 13

Add to it

Be thankful for your most recent achievement. But don’t let yourself become too impressed with it.

Celebrate the victories, enjoy the good times, but don’t let the celebrations dominate your life. You have much more good work to be done.

Find great joy in each moment without allowing that joy to become a permanent refuge. Instead, let it be an inspiration, a challenge, to create new goodness.

The more progress you make, the bigger is your temptation to grow complacent. Don’t give in to that temptation.

Remind yourself that the advances you’ve made have created opportunities to do even more. The good work you’ve done is calling upon you to add to it.

You’re at your best when you’re making a difference. With gratitude, with joy, with positive purpose, keep up the good work.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 14

Next time

This time, you made a mistake. Next time, you’ll know better.

This time, you let anger get the best of you. Next time, you’ll be able to respond differently.

You’ve said things you wish you had not said, and done things you soon came to regret. Fortunately, there’s next time.

Next time, you can do better. And the time after that, even better again.

Next time, you can apply all you’ve learned and experienced. Next time, you can respond with positive purpose, with kindness and understanding, with love.

As difficult as you’ve made things, you can still make your way forward. Next time begins now, and now you begin to make things better.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 15

Wonder of existence

Life is amazing, even in its most ordinary, familiar aspects. Give your cynicism permission to melt away, and be amazed.

See life today as you saw it for the first time. Open your eyes wide with wonder and curiosity, and be amazed.

Feel the texture, observe the detail, breathe in the aroma of this unique point in space and time. Listen as the rhythm changes, watch as hues are transformed, taste the fresh flavor as each new moment arrives.

You are distinct, beautiful, and at the same time part of an even greater whole. Be amazed at all you know, and at the limitless nature of what you’ve yet to experience.

Glimpse the simple, elegant truth that resonates throughout every complexity. Be amazed at your own awareness of being amazed.

Witness with all your senses, with all your heart, the wonder of existence. Show yourself how good it feels, and how empowering it is, to be amazed.

— Ralph Marston

[willbe275]

Today I'm leaning to put my brain in gear before I put my mouth and drive.

[bluidkiti]

December 16

Power of determination

Tomorrow, many of your frustrations can be gone. Because you can do something about them today.

Tomorrow, many of your goals can be closer. Because today, you can work your way toward them.

Next week, next month, next year, even more problems can be behind you, even more goals reached. Because every moment provides the opportunity to make progress.

Are you disappointed right now with some aspect of life? That disappointment is pushing you to make a positive change.

Feel the disappointment, and along with it, feel the power of your own determination. That power is yours to put to use today.

The very things that would bring discouragement, can instead drive you into effective action. Accept those shortcomings, and let them activate your own ability to make life much, much better.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 17

Treasure right now

Let all those thoughts about yourself gently drain away from your mind. Allow peace to take their place.

The issue of the moment is not you. The issue of the moment is the moment itself, its wonder, its beauty, its possibilities.

You can think far into the future, and deep into the past, but you don’t always have to. Quiet those bustling thoughts, and experience the fullness, the richness, the rightness, of now.

Thinking you have to be somewhere else doesn’t make you important. It just makes you miss out on the treasure that’s already right here, right now.

Stop fighting the fights that aren’t even here, and may never come. Let yourself be at peace, alive, in love, open to what can be, accepting of all that is.

You’ve come a long way to get to right now. Be peaceful, be present, live it now, and live it well.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 18

Saving time

Plenty of products, strategies, and technologies enable you to save time. The question then becomes, what are you saving it for?

Anything that saves time does not literally squirrel that time away to be used later, for that’s impossible. As you save time on one activity, you’re spending that time on something else.

So it’s useful to ask yourself, what is that something else? Your new smartphone is fifty times faster than the old one, and what exactly are you doing with all that extra time?

Faster is better, sometimes. Keep in mind, though, that going somewhere slow is far preferable to going nowhere fast.

The faster you go, the more important to know precisely where you wish to go. If you’re unclear about your desired destination, speed will hurt more than it helps.

As you endeavor to make efficient use of time, seek also to make its use purposeful and meaningful. Whatever your velocity, the factor that matters most is your direction.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 19

Think with quality

Let yourself think with quality, with purpose. Give space, time, consideration, and respect to the thoughts that come into your mind.

You have much to tell yourself. Take the time, every now and then, to listen, to consider.

Expand on those thoughts, question them, nurture them. Challenge them to be more clear, more specific, more useful, pragmatic, compassionate, enlightened and compelling.

Allow your thoughts to lead you beyond what is comfortable and familiar. Refuse to let the same predictable thoughts play over and over again in your mind.

Empower your thinking by putting real effort and quality time into it. Broaden your thinking by venturing deeply, respectfully, into the words and thoughts of others.

Your thinking drives and directs your life. Put your energy and intention into doing it well.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 20

Beyond you

Can you put your problems in perspective? Of course you can, but doing so means admitting you are not the center of the universe.

Can you let your anxiety melt away? Sure you can, when you let go of the notion that everything is about you.

You’ll see more, know more, understand more when you look beyond you. You’ll live more richly, with a deeper, sustaining sense of purpose, when you live beyond you.

Reach out with your arms, your mind, your spirit. Look up, away from your insularity, and contemplate a higher, broader, greater vantage.

Beyond you are countless possibilities you can participate in. Beyond you are forces, truths, levels of experience and understanding that offer great benefit.

Know that you will never know it all, and you’ll know something exceedingly valuable. With humility, appreciation, and awe, be mindful of all that’s beyond you, and be enriched in every moment.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 21

Failure cannot stop you

Failure happens to you only when you let it. And you never have to let it.

An unintended result is a failure only when you see it as a failure. Choose instead to see it as a valuable step toward success.

Then choose to take the next step. You’ll take it with more experience, more determination, more focus and higher expectations.

Setbacks and disappointments occur all the time. But failure occurs only when there is no persistence.

Commit to keep going and failure cannot stop you. Keep going, and no matter how far you fall, you have not failed.

Get back up, go back to work, fix what is broken, adapt to the changes, make another effort. And you’ll never be burdened with failure.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 22

Happy with who you are

Give yourself permission to be happy with who you are, with what you love and care about, with all you can do. Don’t let the shallowness of daily encounters distract you from the profound values that live at your core.

Feel how peaceful it is to be comfortable in your own skin. Enjoy the satisfaction you can bring forth inside yourself rather than being addicted to acquiring more and more outer possessions.

Love yourself for who you are instead of being obsessed with the image you project. Recognize the unique beauty in each person you encounter, and let that beauty be reflected in your own behavior.

Do what makes you feel good on the inside, not what merely makes you look good on the outside. Be good to your authentic self and enjoy the treasures that flow from your deepest values.

Be an enthusiastic explorer in the rich and fertile realm of your own true spirit. There is no telling what wonders you will find, what magnificent experiences you will have.

Make your life about more than just doing and having what everybody else says you should do and have. Be truly happy with who you are, and live the special joy that is yours to live.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 23

Positive path forward

Whatever your current situation, there is a path forward. Your job is to find that path, identify the best course of action, and then implement it.

Your work will not be easy, and that’s a good thing. Because powerful, effective, significant efforts, the ones that improve life, are not easy efforts.

Wishing things had been different, won’t make any difference now. Put all your focus and energy into improving your future, not into rehashing the past.

Whether you’re facing a small inconvenience or a life-altering hurdle, always keep something in mind. There is a positive path forward, and you can choose that path.

Commit yourself to keep on choosing that path in every moment. With each major setback, with each small victory, keep following that positive path.

Life is inherently challenging, and your best strategy is too step up to every challenge. You can do it, always, and you can do it now.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 24

Love for life

Imagine today that you can simply let go of the tensions, of the pretensions, and love your life. That you can love others without needing to control their actions or influence their thoughts.

You can give the best of yourself, and you can let that be enough. You can approach every encounter with a genuine desire to do what is right, what is good.

Instead of seeking to gain advantage, you can discover new joy, new beauty, in life as it is. You can magnify your effectiveness by minimizing the demands of your ego.

Imagine earning the respect of others without inviting their resentment. That happens when you live, and give, with authenticity, with understanding, with love.

An enjoyable position in life is of no use if you’re not able to enjoy it. Your genuine love for life, and for all who live it, enables that enjoyment and fulfillment.

Look at the world, and approach each moment, with a love for life. Let go of whatever engenders conflict, and make space for new goodness to flourish.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 25

Goodness endures

For a world hardened by life, joy appears. In a time dimmed by a million meaningless diversions, the light of truth emerges.

Where angst and cynicism have engulfed awareness, hope begins to rise. When the day is overwhelmed with despair, kindness steps in.

With grace, with humility, with eternal persistence, goodness endures, and grows. Subverting every challenge, goodness finds a place, however small, however unnoticed, to resonate in each heart.

In lives hardened by the world, a spark ignites new passion, renewed purpose. Words of truth transform chaos into order, despair into beauty.

Courage, strength, goodness are not always evident, not always engaged. Yet they persist, and never fail to come forth when needed most.

After a cold, clear night, sunlight warms the eastern sky. And new hope has been born.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 26

Great new beginning

Don’t be dismayed if you’ve been going the wrong direction. Turn around, now, and put yourself on a positive track.

Don’t let your lack of progress become an excuse to avoid effort. Embrace responsibility in this moment, and direct yourself into effective action.

Your shortcomings and mistakes are in the past. Keep them there.

Take the opportunity of this day, of this situation, to push forward. Set your intention firmly on a positive goal, then set about to make it happen.

You can do this. Yes you, yes now, yes from where you are, with what you have.

Grab hold of the fresh, new opportunity that’s right here, today. Your future begins now, so give all you have to make it a great new beginning.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 27

Give life new value

Let yourself be yourself. Stop stopping yourself from following through on your best intentions.

Whatever you seek to do, you probably won’t get it perfect. But that’s no reason to avoid it altogether.

Give yourself permission to do what you can, when you can, with what you have. Amaze yourself at how much you can get done by simply allowing yourself to do it.

Seek to genuinely understand and connect with others. But don’t let yourself be immobilized with worry about what others might think, or say, or do.

Speak your mind, do your work, offer your authentic best. Learn from your outcomes, and adjust your efforts to become even more effective.

Get yourself out there, get in the game, and make a difference. Give life new value using whatever life has given you.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 28

Go ahead and feel like it

Are there things you want to achieve, but you don’t feel like making the effort? That’s great, because the way you feel is something you can change in an instant.

Are you ready? Okay, here is your big moment.

Make the choice, right now, to feel like it. Yes, it really is as simple as that.

You have the opportunity to connect your dreams with your reality. What it takes is your decision to feel like making the commitment and doing the work.

Your feelings can serve as an excuse, or they can launch you into action. You get to decide which it will be.

So make the choice, right now, that will enhance your life and improve your world. Go ahead, feel like it.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 29

A better pathway

When you feel like giving up, remind yourself of the reason you started in the first place. If that reason is still there, still strong, still meaningful, keep going.

Just because your strategy hasn’t worked, is no reason to give up on your goal. Consider what makes the goal important to you, and inspire yourself to devise a better pathway to it.

Feel the purpose, deep inside, that originally prompted you to set your goal. Let that feeling energize you.

Learn from all your experience, adjust your approach, reaffirm your commitment. And keep going, keep following your purpose.

Though the setbacks will sting, they can also teach you, focus you, motivate you. What a shame it would be to waste all that by giving up.

You have the time, the desire, the skill and fortitude to persist. Use it, do it, keep going, and bring new value to life.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 30

Serious business

Are you a little unclear about your priorities, about what matters most to you? Subject yourself to challenge, and you’ll quickly understand those priorities.

Challenge will focus you, inspire you, improve you. Challenge will connect you with your highest values and your deepest desires.

Challenge will force you to generate real, meaningful substance in your life. Challenge will get you out of bed in the morning, and keep you on track all day long.

Whether you choose a particular challenge or one is imposed on you, your most useful response is the same. Step up to the challenge and let it bring out your highest, most effective effort.

A serious challenge is serious business. Respond with serious commitment, and it will make you seriously better, more purposeful and effective.

Embrace the challenges. And know, with confidence, just how meaningful, valuable, and consequential your life, and your efforts, can be.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 31

Difference of opinion

There are people who have different opinions than you. Those people are not your enemies.

There is much you can learn from those who disagree with you. There is much to be accomplished when people with a wide range of perspectives work together.

Your own viewpoint is not strengthened by blind rejection of other viewpoints. On the contrary, your viewpoint grows stronger when you thoughtfully consider the views of others.

No one has all the answers all the time. Diversity of opinion gives rise to great value whenever it is embraced.

Don’t let your thoughts be imprisoned by your refusal to consider other thoughts. Don’t let your thinking grow stale and ineffective by isolating it from challenges.

Go deeper, and seek to find means of connection and agreement rather than points of contention. Behind every opinion, every perspective, there’s always value to be found.

— Ralph Marston