Daily Motivator - November

[bluidkiti]

November 1

Turn it around

You can’t avoid all the disappointments. You can avoid amplifying them.

You’re going to experience your share of setbacks. Yet you don’t have to turn those one-time setbacks into long-term trends.

Just because you find yourself headed in a negative direction doesn’t mean you must keep going that direction. Make the choice, do the work, bring forth the commitment to turn it around.

On a road map you can draw a straight line from where you are to where you want to be, but that’s not how you get there. You must travel across the terrain of reality, and that path includes many twists and turns.

Similarly, in moving your life forward you’ll occasionally stray from the path you’ve chosen. When that happens, make adjustments as quickly as possible to get back on track.

A brief detour will slow you down but doesn’t have to stop you. Because you have the will and the ability to turn it around.

— Ralph Marston

[willbe275]

Happy November the 1st Tammy and Kracker, let's thank God for getting us
Through the month of November, always thinking him for his grace and mercy
each and every day, one day at a time. God bless you on this all Saint Day.
Let's remember those who came before us.

[bluidkiti]

November 2

Adventure into life

Something deep inside you longs for adventure. And for anything to be an adventure it must be challenging.

Adventure happens when you choose to confront the unknown. It could be a journey to a place you’ve never been, an activity you’ve never before undertaken, or a thousand other things.

The point of adventure is to better understand yourself and the universe in which you live. Adventure widens your perspective and compels you to become more capable and competent.

And though the adventure itself might seem self indulgent, its benefits have the power to extend far beyond you. At its best, adventure provides you with more substance and value that you can offer others in countless ways.

It is no accident that those who contribute most to life are often the most adventurous. Perhaps that’s why the desire for adventure is so deeply ingrained.

Fortunately, whatever your situation, there are plenty of opportunities for adventure. See if you can find a way to answer the longing, and add new value to life, by undertaking your own adventure.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 3

Value across time

Honor the past, accept and appreciate the present, build the future. Connect yourself to the value that has been, the value that is, the value that can be.

You can harvest and create value across time. You can give new value to old moments.

You can extend old value into the present. You can work today to instill value in tomorrow.

The hours, days, and years relentlessly slip away. Yet you have the power to transform the fleeting minutes into timeless value.

Although the distant future is a long way off, you’re able to give to it, and benefit from doing so, right now. The past is not coming back, and still it offers you an endless source of treasure to be discovered and utilized.

You exist at a finite point in time, yet you can live the goodness, wisdom, joy, and value of any time that ever was or will be. See the possibilities for value across time, and make them real.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 4

Potential for greatness

Here, today, as you are, with what you have, lives the potential for greatness. Get out of its way, let it fill you, guide you, inspire you to action.

You cannot know all of which you are capable. Yet you can discover, adjust, refine, improve in every action, every moment, every word.

What do you really, truly want in your heart of hearts? Look in that direction, see the love, see the goodness, kindness, forgiveness, understanding.

Keep looking in that direction because the direction you look is the direction you’ll go. Carry your life, your passion, your energy toward what is good for you, what is good for all.

Stop holding yourself back, stop corrupting your whole world by giving in to the easy allure of temptation, indolence, and deception. Surrender instead to your potential for greatness, for truth and diligence in all things big and small.

You cannot swindle or outthink or hide from your potential, from life’s potential for greatness. You must let love guide you in bringing it more fully every day to life.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 5

Make room

Make room in your life for goodness. Make room in your life for joy.

Make time in your life for purposeful living. Make space in your life for wonder, for awe, for growing wisdom, for love.

If you allow your surroundings to fill up with junk, there’s no room remaining for anything useful. If you fill your awareness with negativity, you can crowd out everything else.

Make room for something better. Make room for the richness you seek to experience.

There’s only so much you can think about, or do, or carry with you. So be choosy about how you fill your life.

Make room for what benefits you, your world, and the lives of others. Make room for what matters, and give yourself a fulfilling and rewarding place to be.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 6

Intentional interactions

How many of your daily interactions are chosen, rich, substantive and thoughtful? How many are annoying, distracting, meaningless and superficial?

The quality interactions add greatly to your life. The junk interactions can collectively waste vast amounts of your time.

Information technology has exponentially expanded the kinds and the quality of your interactions, and the trend keeps accelerating. That makes it more important than ever to exercise intentional control over those interactions.

It’s healthy and helpful to be serendipitous, open to diverse and unexpected experiences. But you must have a strategy to avoid being overwhelmed by all the interactions coming your way.

Become more intentional about your interactions and the result will be a more intentional and purposeful life. Take steps to improve the quality and substance of those interactions, so as to deepen your focus and strengthen your values.

Notice your interactions, take intentional control of them, expect more quality from them. Make it your choice to gain value and benefit from all the time you spend interacting with life.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 7

The world as it is

Just because reality is disturbing or unpleasant is no reason to ignore it. In fact there’s a good reason to pay more attention to it, so you can create needed improvements.

Just because your reality is great doesn’t mean you have the luxury of ignoring it. Indeed, that’s a reason for working even more to keep the good things going.

The world is never any particular way just because you want it to be. Instead of pretending or wishing for the situation to be different, go to work on the situation that exists.

Yes, by all means imagine how the world can be more to your liking. Then put forth the effort to bring about what you imagine.

Allow yourself to be upset by negative reality, permit yourself to be comforted by positive reality. But don’t let yourself become ignorant or complacent about the reality of the world you live in.

Recognize and live appropriately with the good, the bad, and the in between. With the world as it is, make life the best you can envision.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 8

Steps to achievement

What would you attempt if you could be sure there would be no problems? What worthwhile efforts do you avoid because you’re afraid of the problems that might arise?

It’s reasonable and prudent to anticipate that there will be problems. But just because problems are inevitable is no reason to avoid taking action or living your best life.

When you avoid the possibility of problems you also avoid opportunities to get things done. A more fruitful strategy is to accept the possibility of problems and then commit yourself to quickly dealing with whatever occurs.

See the potential problems not as burdens but as steps along the path to achievement. They provide you with meaningful work to do, with value to create in reaching your goal.

Yes, there will be problems, but those problems don’t have to scare you or drain you or stop you. It is by working through the problems that you achieve useful and desirable results.

See each problem as one more situation that’s well within your ability to handle. And no problem will ever be a problem for long.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 9

Being reasonable

Being reasonable is not glamorous. Being reasonable will not earn you instant fame or riches.

Yet being reasonable is a good way to live. Being reasonable prevents lots of unnecessary friction in your life and your relationships.

The reasonable approach to a situation is not going to perfectly satisfy everybody. However, it is an approach that just about everyone can agree upon.

Sometimes being reasonable requires you to admit you were mistaken, but that’s not such a bad thing. Sometimes the most reasonable solution is not the easiest or most convenient, yet it’s certainly something you can do, and live with.

There are plenty of facets to consider in addition to reason. Yet when consensus and cooperation are important, being reasonable is an excellent basis upon which to proceed.

Keep yourself always open to the reasonable path. You can create and maintain much value and goodwill by being reasonable.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 10

Exercise discipline

Discipline pays massive dividends. But it takes a while.

In the moment, discipline is not the easiest choice. Yet over time discipline can create an impenetrable fortress of value and effectiveness.

With just raw skill and desire, and very little discipline, you can achieve some impressive results. Yet without discipline you’re unlikely to repeat those results.

During a typical day you are awake for about a thousand minutes. Imagine what you could accomplish by focusing just half of them on a single, meaningful purpose.

That is the power of discipline. And it grows exponentially stronger when exercised over longer periods of time.

What areas of your life, of your world, could benefit from some added serious, sober, purposeful discipline? Today is an ideal time to make it happen.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 11

Not what you expected

Just because you have realistic expectations does not guarantee reality will match those expectations. Live the experience as it is, even when it’s not what you thought it would be.

You might be pleasantly surprised, or you could face unexpected challenges. It’s possible you’ll encounter opportunities you didn’t consider or complications you couldn’t anticipate.

Adapting to the unexpected requires flexibility, effort, and creativity. When your expectations are off the mark, let go of them quickly so you can focus attention where it will do the most good.

Make informed, experienced guesses about what is likely to happen, and prepare accordingly. Then be ready to adjust your actions based on what actually does happen.

Sometimes life will not be as good as you expected, and other times it will be much better. In every case, embrace what is and make use of your considerable ability to identify and to live the goodness that’s in it.

Be informed and inspired by your expectations while not being limited by them. Whatever you expect and whatever happens, let life’s treasures continue to come.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 12

Benefit of joy

Joy is a choice. Choose it often.

Joy is not a rejection of reality. Joy is at once an acceptance of reality and an improvement upon it.

Joy does not demand a cause. Joy of its own making and for its own sake is just as beneficial as any other joy.

Joy enables you to feel your purpose. That’s a useful and powerful thing to do.

Joy adds to life without asking anything in return. Accept the offer and pass it on.

Every day, every undertaking, every situation goes better when there’s real joy in it. Give life the benefit of all the joy with which you can choose to live.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 13

Experience meaning

Find meaning not by searching for it. Make meaning in your life by making yourself useful.

That doesn’t mean allowing yourself to be taken advantage of. That doesn’t mean buying into some grand utopian scheme to save the world.

It involves making steady, incremental improvements to whatever situation you’re in. It means enriching the lives of people who are close to you.

Meaning is not contrived by thinking about it or studying it. Discover and experience meaning by living generously and authentically.

Right now, within your reach, someone can benefit from your encouragement, presence, sincere attention, your kindness, your smile. You can offer helpful words, a sympathetic ear, skillful action, an understanding heart.

A rich sense of meaning is as close as your next act of generosity, you’re next moment of usefulness. The more you give your best, the more profoundly you know how much your life means.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

November 14

Everything you have

Don’t boast about it. Just do it.

Don’t agonize over it or complain about it. Just deal with it.

Stop wondering whether or not it will work. Put it into action and find out.

Rather than milling about on the edges of life, jump into the middle. This is your day, this is your chance, this is when you grow in depth, substance, wisdom, and purpose.

What you’ll most regret is what you neglect or decline to do. Keep those regrets to a minimum.

Your potential deserves and demands more than just a tentative response. Go ahead and live it with everything you have.

— Ralph Marston