Daily Motivator - April

[bluidkiti]

April 1

Being useful

Being useful is particularly useful to you. Making a difference for others can give an immense boost to your confidence and positivity.

Feeling useful will make everything feel better. When you focus your awareness on what you can contribute, it blocks out self-defeating thoughts of frustration, anxiety and resentment.

Being genuinely useful brings out the best in you. Making a positive contribution gives you a more positive perspective.

Some of your most powerful desires stem from an underlying desire to know that your life matters. Being useful is a great way to satisfy that fundamental desire.

What can you do right now to provide real benefit to the people around you? It’s a great way to give a boost not only to their lives, but to yours.

Make yourself useful. It’s sure to make your life a more fulfilling experience.

— Ralph Marston

[willbe275]

God bless you Tammy, happy April the 1st,
thanking God for getting through the
month March, one day at a time.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
Here a great song to start Our month off.

https://youtu.be/T1pNXQBBWrs?si=HVSXWlsLR3tLlMtv

[bluidkiti]

God bless you also willbe. Glad to see you.

[bluidkiti]

April 2

Diligent efforts

This world and the people in it are not perfect, and never will be. Your challenge is to live a good and fulfilling life in situations that are less than ideal.

That demands thoughtfulness, creativity, awareness and effort on your part. It is not easy, yet the good results you can obtain are worth the commitment you must make.

Systems break down, people disappoint you, catastrophes can arise out of nowhere to ruin your plans. Even so, go ahead and make those good plans, and follow through on them to the fullest extent that you can.

If you wait for things to be perfect, all you’ll ever do is wait. Though it’s fine to maintain high standards, don’t let them chase away the good, realistic possibilities.

Amidst all the imperfection, frustration and turmoil, many great things can be done. In a world that seems to actively oppose fulfillment, plenty of fulfillment can and does occur.

Step up to the challenges, because you’ll create great value by working through them. Opportunity may not be pretty and perfect but it is real, with real rewards for your diligent efforts.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 3

Genuine participation

Tucked away in every pocket is a high quality camera that can spew images across the globe in milliseconds. So everyone has become skilled at posing.

But if you look back at all those poses, you cannot help but see a little emptiness and a lot of pretense. It’s as if the point of living, of doing, is merely to make a statement.

The next time you’re tempted to set up a pose, whether there’s a camera present or not, reconsider. What, after all, will it really accomplish?

There’s a much better alternative to striking one pose after another. It is genuine participation.

Put away the camera, put away even the thought of a camera. Focus yourself on the moment, on the experience, on the very real people who are sharing it with you.

Carry away more than just pixels from where you go and what you do and who you’re with. Your future self will thank you for living with a depth of richness, embodiment, and participation far beyond anything that can be funneled through a lens.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 4

Look objectively

What if you decided to welcome the problems instead of dread them? Would that make any difference in the way you felt, in your level of anxiety from day to day, moment to moment?

What if you were to remind yourself that you’ve made it through every challenge you’ve ever encountered? Would you perhaps develop a little more confidence and raise your expectations?

What if you came to the realization that dwelling on resentment provides absolutely no value to your life? Is it likely that you’d find more positive and productive ways to focus the magnificent power of your attention?

Step back from what you’re thinking and doing, and see all that you’ve been getting right. While you’re there, notice also the thoughts and actions that do not help you at all.

Be kind to yourself by being honest with yourself. Be respectful of your abilities by pointing them where they will do some real good.

It’s certainly easy to get drawn into negative patterns, yet with some self realization, it’s not particularly difficult to get out. Look objectively at how you’ve been living, and get excited about all the improvements you can make.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 5

Seek to understand

Many issues, questions, and perspectives are not simply one way or the other. In a complex world, in a complicated life, there exists much middle ground.

It’s quick and easy to pass judgment based on a few simple facts. Yet when you look deeper, you often discover the judgment was premature.

Understanding requires time, effort, and connection. You cannot get it from a single data point.

Take the time, go to the trouble to develop understanding of other people, and seek to continually deepen that understanding. Because understanding reduces friction, increases cooperation, and produces enduring value.

Seek to understand and you’ll discover pathways to mutual fulfillment. When thoughtful understanding replaces snap judgment, all sorts of fruitful possibilities spring to life.

Rather than relying on simplistic shortcuts, do the work to understand and to be more fully understood. Your world, your life, and the lives around you will benefit greatly.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 6

Strengthen your patience

Listen with patience, and you’ll understand much more. Work with patience, and you’re able to create lasting value.

Offer your life and your world the power that comes as a result of patience. Express genuine love and care, through your patience.

With patience, you are able to avoid careless mistakes. In a state of patience, you can feel anxiety melting away.

Patience gives you genuine and meaningful refuge from the frustrations you encounter in the world. Patience builds in you a character that’s strong, resilient, and enduring.

With persistence, you’re able to achieve almost any meaningful objective. And patience is a crucial element of persistence.

Today you’ll encounter many opportunities to give benefit to your life and your world with patience. Every time you exercise and strengthen your patience, you greatly expand the positive possibilities available to you.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 7

Marvels of this day

Your very breath, each and every one, is a miracle. Take some time to focus on your breathing, and only on your breathing, and the life energy it continually brings.

The light you are able to see is amazing, in all its hues, intensities, directions, and motions. Pay attention to the light, the shadows, how they change, the feelings and thoughts they bring.

Consider all the physical reality you can touch, and walk upon, and hold in your hands. Imagine the possibilities in all that substance, and challenge yourself to fulfill some of the best ones.

Listen as the wind sings of a journey it’s been making for hundreds or thousands of miles. Feel in its restless dance the connection you have to all that is.

With simple acts of awareness, awaken to the beauty and power of existence. Remind yourself again and again of the potential for meaning and fulfillment.

Fill your thoughts with gratitude, fill your heart with peace, and fill your awareness with the best possibilities. With positive and purposeful energy, live the marvels of this day.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 8

Choice to be inspired

What is necessary to inspire you? What’s necessary is your own choice.

Do you seek to be inspired? Then respond to life with inspiration.

A quiet moment can be just as inspiring as a thrilling adventure. A sudden downturn can bring positive inspiration just as surely as a run of good luck.

You can respond with inspiration to random occurrences as well as to carefully planned events. You’re able to find inspiration in extraordinary developments and in ordinary times.

The common factor in all situations when inspiration arises, is you. It’s all about how you interpret what’s going on, and what you decide to do with it.

Anything has the possibility to inspire you. Because you always have the choice to be inspired.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 9

Work ahead

Nothing of value is created by waiting until the last minute to put forth the necessary effort. Go ahead and get it done.

The sooner you take a difficult action, the less time you’ll spend burdened by the necessity of it. At your earliest opportunity, get it done.

Your work is better when it is calm, intentional and relaxed. Rather than being rushed and filled with anxiety, do the work now.

You won’t make anything easier by putting it off until later. Do your future self a favor, and do the work right away.

If you seek to get ahead, there’s a straightforward and accessible way. Work ahead.

Minimize the time you must agonize over it, and maximize the amount of time you spend knowing it’s finished. When there’s anything to be done, go ahead and make it happen.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 10

Rewarding day

Coursing through you is a love of life’s beauty and goodness. Hold that love at the front of your awareness, let it guide your thoughts, perceptions and choices.

Deep inside you is a place of peace. Know it, feel it, love it and let it grow.

All around you are possibilities. Every moment life is changing, so pick the possibilities that enable those changes to uplift your world.

At the heart of you lives a unique, beautiful purpose. In your feelings, your interests, your preferences and passions, that purpose makes itself known, so you can follow it.

Surrounding you is a universe overflowing with beauty. Let yourself be amazed and inspired by the endless wonder.

Flowing throughout your existence is the energy to live, to love, to create positive outcomes and to experience fulfillment. With good, purposeful use of that energy, make this the most rewarding day yet.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 11

Give it some time

Occasionally an immediate response is necessary for an urgent situation. But in most cases, what might appear to be urgent really isn’t.

Often it’s best to take a breath, take a beat, and give events time to stabilize. Even when a response is called for, that response will likely improve as you see more clearly how things are playing out.

It’s important to respond in a timely manner. Yet a response that’s hurried and thinly informed can be worse than no response at all.

When there’s a legitimate emergency, act quickly. Otherwise, remind yourself that the effectiveness of your action is probably more important than the quickness of your action.

You’ll improve that effectiveness by taking some time to observe, to understand, to strategize and prepare. No, you don’t want to wait forever, yet a bit of time can often buy you significant advantages.

Jump into action when you must, and be more deliberate when you can. When possible, give it some time and provide the most effective response.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 12

Design your life

Design your day, design your season, design your year, design your life. Then follow through and do the work to bring your design into being.

Know at the beginning where you intend to end up. Be clear about the details of your design and the reasons why they matter.

As your design unfolds into reality, if it’s not living up to your expectations, learn, consider, and adjust. The whole point is to have an objective in mind, one that’s meaningful and satisfying.

Though your plan won’t always go according to plan, you’ll always have a way to determine whether you’re making progress or not. When there’s a specific design, you’re able to figure out how to implement it in your life.

Powerful, purposeful living requires a clear and compelling purpose. Set your sights on an intentional design, and feel the energy of your purpose as it carries you along.

What’s the most amazing, fulfilling design you can imagine for your life in the time that stretches in front of you. Go ahead, imagine it, and live the way you are meant to live.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 13

Opportunity to learn

The most valuable lessons are not what anyone else seeks to teach you. They are the lessons you learn for yourself.

How do you learn those lessons? You learn by doing, by living, by experiencing.

You learn by making mistakes, then enjoying some progress, then making bigger mistakes, followed by a little more progress. You learn by observing and contemplating, by putting yourself on the line and accepting the consequences of your actions.

You learn by experimenting, by adjusting and adapting. You learn from paying close attention to what works and why.

Even when you have no intention to learn anything, there’s something to be learned. Ask honest questions, listen with care and respect, and learn.

With what you learn you can make real improvements to your life, your work, your world. And every moment, in any situation, you have the opportunity to learn.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 14

Prepare the way

You have the opportunity today to prepare the way for tomorrow. Because of what you choose in the present, you can arrive in the future fully prepared to make the most of it.

Yes, you must spend some effort just getting through right now. Yet you can also add some extra effort and make yourself better able to prosper in the time ahead.

When you invest that effort well before it’s necessary, it will yield more valuable and abundant outcomes. Prepare the way now, and ignite a virtuous cycle in which you’re better able to further prepare the way again and again.

Consider all the you would like to accomplish. Then consider the steps you can take immediately to facilitate those accomplishments.

Though you won’t achieve immediately, you can begin immediately. And the more decisively you begin, the more likely you are to get the whole thing done.

Right now is your chance to prepare the way. Act on it, and build yourself some unstoppable momentum.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 15

Miracle of existence

The shiny objects are not the beautiful objects. The easy gains are not the fulfilling gains.

You have so much to live for, so much you can be. You are far from empty, so avoid consorting with emptiness.

Meaning exists in every particle of your being. To the extent emptiness creeps in from outside, it corrupts the once-beautiful places where it goes.

A long time ago you knew all this, yet some of that knowledge became suppressed. Now is when you can give it voice and give it action.

The time is not too late, but rather just right. Meaning floods back into your awareness when you let go and allow the satisfaction of its richness.

Fill your time, fill your awareness with what matters, with what you know is right and good and substantive. Treasure the miracle of your existence, and take care not to let its beauty be emptied from you.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 16

Make your choice

In the long run it will improve your life. Yet in your immediate, day to day experience, you’ll have some inconvenience, discomfort, and doubt.

You know a change is necessary, but it’s also daunting. You’re eager for the benefits of having made the change, while not quite prepared for the cost of getting there.

Even so, it must be done. As intimidating as it might be, delaying what you know you must do won’t make it any easier.

For your own sake, focus on the eventual benefits of the challenging, yet positive change. Remind yourself that you have the strength to work through the temporary disruptions and difficulties.

Though it may not be easy for the first few weeks or months, it will bring value for a whole lot longer than that. You have the opportunity to benefit from the power of your own intention, of your own choice to do what’s best.

So activate that intention, make your choice and act on the changes you know are necessary. You have what it takes to change, to grow, to improve, and you deserve the rewards of doing so.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 17

Meaningful effort

Even when nobody else cares about the good things you do, that’s okay. Because you have the opportunity to care, and to make a difference.

The point of effective effort is not to impress others. The point is to give your best, to spend your time in meaningful and valuable ways.

It’s not the cheering crowd that makes a winner. It’s the commitment, the persistence, the execution of fruitful actions day after day.

Certainly you experience a sense of achievement when you’re recognized for the good work you do. Yet doing the work itself is when you experience the fundamental reality of achievement.

The results do matter. What matters just as much is your contribution to those results.

Whether you have permission, recognition, assistance, encouragement, or none of them, you’re able to extend sincere, dedicated, meaningful effort. Give your best, and live at your most fulfilling level, no matter what.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 18

Welcome reality

You can curse reality, you can hide from it, you can deny it and ignore it. Or you can accept it and work with it.

Reality is what it is, no matter how you feel about it. Yet reality also has the potential to be what you make of it.

Many aspects of reality can be extremely burdensome, yet they can also give you a solid, predictable framework in which to operate. What might at first seem to be an obstacle could end up providing essential support.

For example, there’s nothing more real and pervasive than the force of gravity. That reality makes it difficult to move a large rock, yet it also ensures the rock stays in place once you get it where you want it.

You cannot choose to abstain from reality. But you can choose to successfully deal with whatever the reality of life presents to you.

With thought, with effort, with purpose and persistence, transform obstacles into opportunities, limitations into advantages. Welcome reality and make it your friend by doing what’s necessary to make good and meaningful use of it.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 19

Along the way

Make time in your days for wonder, for awe. Make space in your thoughts to dream of what’s possible.

Your journey is much more than getting quickly and efficiently where you intend to go. It’s about all you experience, express, and share as you move forward.

Be open to discover what you never could have imagined. Be eager to connect with people who will deepen your understanding.

Remind yourself how thoroughly and inextricably your life is woven through all that exists. Take care with all you do because it goes far beyond you, and then comes back to you as well.

While you’re being diligent about the specifics, also keep the big picture in mind. Exercise flexibility in your perspective, and appreciate life’s wonder from many illuminating angles.

As you dance among the details and grand visions, stay open to the awe-inspiring connections and dreams that unfold. Life’s richness arises in the shared experiences and boundless wonder you cultivate along the way.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 20

Live robustly

Even when you’re surrounded by apathy and incompetence, avoid letting it absorb you. Remain true to who you are and the good you can do.

When nearly everyone else seems to be making flimsy excuses and getting away with carelessness, it’s tempting to go along. It can make you question why you should bother to distinguish yourself when no one else is doing so.

Yet life is about more than merely what you can get away with. You gain great richness with what you accomplish, the positive impact you have, the value that’s generated by your actions.

Every approaching moment offers a choice. You can either coast through with minimal effort, or you can wisely invest your full attention, energy, and action.

Whatever anyone else may or may not be doing, you have the opportunity to live robustly. In any circumstance, in every stretch of time, you can add meaning and fulfillment to life.

Seize the opportunity, now and always, to act as if life has great potential. Continue proving to yourself and others that it does indeed.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 21

Comfortable and tolerable

In the space between what’s comfortable and what’s tolerable, that’s where achievement takes place. That’s where you develop skill and persistence, grow stronger, gain wisdom.

When you attempt to close that gap, you chase away your best possibilities. The more you refuse to tolerate, the less you’ll be able to accomplish.

Comfort makes for a pleasant and useful refuge. But if you insist on spending all your time there, you render real progress impossible.

Laying in a warm bed is quite comfortable, yet your options for action are extremely limited. The moment you get up and on your feet, those options rapidly expand.

What you can actually tolerate is far beyond what you find comfortable, and it’s helpful to keep that distinction in mind. Because the more you challenge yourself and train yourself to tolerate, the more value you’re able to create.

Solving problems, fulfilling dreams, and building a life of accomplishment simply cannot be done in a perpetual state of comfort. Be eager to act and expand upon what you can tolerate, and discover the great things you can achieve.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 22

What if and why not

What if I started? What if I stopped?

What if I changed? What if I listened more carefully, understood more deeply?

What if I followed through on my intentions? What if I quit analyzing and doubting and started doing?

What if I wasn’t held back by so many outdated assumptions? What if I skipped over the excuses and went straight into action?

Ask yourself what if, demand a thoughtful answer, and envision the reality of what you contemplate. Then ask yourself why not, and be honest as to whether your objections actually hold any weight.

Your best what if scenarios are probably not that farfetched, and very much within reach. Pick one and go with it.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 23

Morning comes

After the darkest part of night has passed, morning comes. What troubles you so much now will be better in time.

Not all, but much of that improvement will be due to the good actions you take. Though it’s understandable to become lost in despair, it’s more fruitful to immerse yourself in positive purpose and effective effort.

Take good and diligent care of what you’re able to tend to. Proceed with confidence that morning will come, that with work and with time, the situation can improve.

Know that there are people who care. With each positive action on your part, those people are more likely to find you and join in your effort.

Every new moment brings new possibilities. Keep those possibilities coming, open yourself to them, give your energy and attention to them.

Be insistent with yourself about traversing the path forward, step by step. And eagerly welcome the progress you’re sure to make.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 24

Venture out

You’re constantly at risk of being trapped by your assumptions. Mitigate that risk by doing something new.

The world around you offers countless choices for novel experiences. Open yourself up to a fresh challenge, and discover how much it energizes your mind, body, and spirit.

Venture out, whether physically, intellectually, artistically, culturally, or some combination. Learn, observe, go, participate, listen, refresh your sense of who you are and of all that surrounds you.

Experience the degree to which some of your habits and assumptions may have been holding you back. Feel the thrill of adding to your skills, widening your perspectives, traversing terrain you never knew about before.

Transform possibilities from concept into living reality. Expand the value of whatever interests you by putting your interest into action.

You are endlessly creative, adaptable, talented, resourceful and adventurous. See for yourself, again and again, where all that good stuff can take you.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 25

Change for the better

It’s easy to make a small positive change. It’s just as easy to quickly see and feel the benefits that change will bring to your life.

So what are you waiting for? Today is as good a day as any to identify and implement a small change for the better.

It will take a little time and a little effort. It will require some intention, discipline, and commitment on your part.

Yet in return, you’ll gain real value in the form of time saved, or a problem solved, or future regrets avoided.

What small changes do you wish you had made a year ago? See this moment as your opportunity to be more thankful and less wistful a year from now.

You have the power and the foresight to make a small change by simply doing it. And very soon you’ll come to appreciate what a big difference it has made.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 26

Where opportunity hides

Opportunity is a good thing that very often masquerades as a bad thing. It’s readily available to those who see it, yet opportunity can cleverly hide.

Most of the time opportunity conceals itself inside problems. Problems can be so obvious and overwhelming that the opportunities within them are ignored.

Remind yourself that when you encounter a problem you are also encountering opportunity. When you come across difficult work that must be done, that situation is full of opportunity too.

If you’ve been conditioned to assume that challenge and effort are to be avoided, you’ll end up avoiding much opportunity. Instead, seek to maximize the effectiveness and purposefulness of effort rather than avoiding it, and you’ll see opportunity everywhere.

In hindsight, opportunity looks powerful, valuable, desirable. Yet on first approach, opportunity can be intimidating and disagreeable.

Those who benefit most are those who can see opportunity earliest, long before its value becomes obvious. Learn where opportunity hides, and reap the rewards of going there.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 27

What you do best

Possibilities fill your world today. Grab a few and go with them.

Allow the possibilities to energize you out of your weariness. Let them inspire you out of your complacency.

It’s great to develop capabilities and resources. What’s even better is when you put them to meaningful use.

Every moment that passes will never come again. Spend them all in ways that recognize and celebrate the precious value of the life that’s yours.

Transform potential value into realized, enduring value. Experience the satisfaction of reshaping opportunities into achievements.

Plenty of possibilities currently await your competence, your action, and your commitment. Do what you do best, and bring them fully to life.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 28

The questions to ask

The quality of what you receive depends on the integrity of what you ask for. Valuable, life-enhancing answers require thoughtful, honest, and well-constructed questions.

That has always been true. And in a world where the power of artificial intelligence is so widely available, it’s increasingly evident in all kinds of situations.

A well-formed question can include one or more starting points on pathways to its own answer. The more clearly and specifically you know and express what you seek, the better equipped you are to find it.

Put serious, focused effort into asking the question. That effort creates a momentum that can carry you all the way to the best answer.

In asking a good, detailed question, you’re articulating a specific purpose. When guided by that purpose, you’ll be able to make great progress.

To arrive at the right answer, you must ask the right question. Put time, work, respect, and wisdom into your questions, and get the answers that propel life forward.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 29

Work steadily

Take a breath, calm down, get the job done. It may not be the most pleasant activity, you’d probably prefer to be doing something else, but there will be time for that later.

Right now, focus on the task at hand. Don’t dally and stretch it out, don’t rush and invite mistakes, just work steadily, mindfully and yes, even cheerfully.

The time will pass, and you’ll make the necessary progress. Rather than mentally fighting the effort, embrace it, respect it, and see it through.

Just because your task in this moment is not the most glamorous, fulfilling one, doesn’t mean the whole world is out to get you. Do it well, do it diligently, without undue angst or complaint, and get it done.

Before long you’ll have it behind you. Choose to arrive at that point thankfully rather than miserably.

Peacefully let go of tension and resentment, take satisfaction in mastering your attitude and intention. You’re doing good work, soon you’ll have it done, and that’s a great place to be.

— Ralph Marston