The Daily Motivator

[admin]

November 3, 2007
Peace is there
The peace you seek is always there. It sits quietly and calmly beneath everything else that has been piled on top of it.

Let go of the anger, let go of the fear, let go of the anxieties, the arrogance and resentments. What you are left with is the peace that has been there all along.

Peace asks nothing other than your willingness to allow it, to accept it, and to experience it. When you release all else from your awareness, peace is what you will find still remaining.

Peace does nothing and yet it enables so very much. Peace allows you to solidly connect with what is truly meaningful and valuable in your life.

When your efforts come from a perspective of peace, they become much more effective. Peace gives great clarity to your thinking and immense depth to your understanding.

Peace is there, waiting to be uncovered. Let go of all the negativity that serves no purpose, and let the quiet, calm power of peace fill your day.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Monday, November 5, 2007
No problem at all
It's perfectly natural to feel resistance toward the things you have to do. Yet there is no need for that resistance to get the best of you.

You can acknowledge that resistance and allow it. Then, you can just as easily choose to let it go.

After all, the resistance is something you have created. Without your active support, it melts away.

Imagine the freedom of simply doing what must be done, without having to fight against it. You can always choose to enjoy that freedom and the effectiveness it brings.

It's normal to feel resistance when circumstances or other people compel you to do something. That's true even if it's something you would enjoy doing anyway.

Keep in mind that most of what makes a task unpleasant is your attitude toward it. Acknowledge your resistance, quickly let it go, and many of the things you once dreaded will become no problem at all.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Positive questions

When your mind hears a question, it has no choice but to accept the premise of that question, and to think of an answer. Otherwise the question would be impossible to understand.

When you hear a particular question often enough, you'll naturally seek to answer it. Even if you don't realize that you're doing it, your mind will set about to find an answer.

The questions to which you're regularly exposed have a powerful influence on the direction of your life. And many of the questions you hear most often come directly from you.

What questions are you asking yourself? Are they negative questions, such as wondering why you can't ever get anything done, or are they more positive such as asking yourself what's the best thing that happened to you today?

For the next few days, when you catch yourself asking yourself a question, think about what kind of influence that question will have on your life. Pay conscious attention to what you're asking yourself, and make an effort to make the questions positive and life-affirming.

The questions you ask yourself will continue to influence your life long after you've forgotten what they were. Do you understand why it's such a good idea to make those questions as positive as you can?

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Focus

If you focus on resentment, you'll create many more things to resent. When you focus on gratitude, you'll bring many more things into your life for which to be thankful.

Focus on anger, and you'll continue finding additional reasons to be angry. Focus on love, and the opportunities for experiencing love will greatly multiply.

Focus on life's best possibilities, and you'll move steadily in the direction of your dreams. Focus on the things you truly value, and they grow even more valuable.

Focus on what you are able to give, and you'll greatly expand what you are able to have. Focus your energy, your attention, your interest and your passion on some particular thing, and you can make the impossible happen.

Where is your focus most consistently directed? That is where your life is most certainly headed.

By choosing your focus, you choose your lifestyle, the world around you, and your future. Focus on what is truly good and right and valuable for you, and you will be gloriously immersed in that goodness.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Thursday, November 8, 2007

See the bright future

What has happened before has brought you to where you are. Yet the past has no control over where you can go from here.

Your past history does not create your future. The choices you make right now are what create the substance of that future.

Learn from your mistakes, but do not agonize over them. There is nothing you can do to change the fact that they happened, yet there is much you can do to move positively beyond them.

When you dwell on the past it holds you prisoner. When you let it go, that allows you to go anywhere you now choose.

People change, circumstances change, and you can change too. With each moment comes the opportunity to shake off the old assumptions and limitations, to give new purpose and meaning to life.

Give new energy, new effort, new commitment and determination to this day that you have the good fortune to be living. See the bright future that can be, and you will make it so.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Friday, November 9, 2007

Freedom

You can notice your thoughts, use them, learn from them, and find value in them. Yet you do not have to let them hold you back.

You can experience your feelings, explore their depths and find richness in them. Yet you do not have to let them stop you in any way.

You are free to act, free to think, free to love, free to move in the direction of whatever you choose. Nothing outside of you or inside of you can take that freedom away unless you let it.

When you find yourself building limitations in your mind, know that you have the power and ability to allow those limitations to dissolve completely away. When you feel yourself creating resistance, understand that you can just as easily release that resistance.

You are free at any time to take something toward which you've felt negative and turn it into a positive influence in your life. You are free to change, to grow, to learn and to create.

When you feel stuck, let that feeling be, and then you can just as easily let it go. Whatever happens, keep reminding yourself that freedom is always an option, real and available to you.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

November 10, 2007
The newness of life
In order to learn something new you must first accept that you do not know it. To fully understand another person, you must let go of your desire to make blind assumptions and judgments about that person.

Turn down the volume and intensity of your own chattering thoughts, and you can hear the music of life. Stop expecting to see what you've always seen before, and new and wondrous beauty will appear in front of your eyes.

When you continue to perform a task the exact same way you've always done it, your effectiveness cannot improve very much. Be open to new ideas and techniques, and you can vastly accelerate your performance.

If you cynically think you've experienced it all, you'll close yourself off from much of life's richness. If you consider yourself smarter than everyone else, you'll be supporting and advancing your own growing ignorance.

Open your mind and your heart to the newness of life that comes with each moment. There is always more to learn, more to experience, more to appreciate and enjoy, no matter how much you've already done.

With each dawning day, a whole new world of possibilities is born. Allow yourself to know and acknowledge their newness, and bring the best of those possibilities to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Monday, November 12, 2007

What it takes to persist

You already have what it takes to persist. For persistence is nothing more than continuing to do what you've been doing.

Persistence makes the difference between no achievement and great achievement. And persistence is available to all who choose it.

The enemy of persistence is that little voice you hear in your head that urges you to give up. When you hear that voice, remember that you don't have to do what it says, and you don't have to fight it either.

Just listen to that voice, allow it to have its say, and then calmly let it go. Keep on going and you'll quickly be beyond it.

Remember often, with great detail and passion, why you've chosen to do what you're doing. Keep your focus on the goal, and know that by continuing to progress on your journey, one step at a time, you'll get there.

Persistence isn't complicated, and it doesn't require you to uncover some deep, dark, closely guarded secret. You have what it takes if you'll simply choose to do what it takes and persist until the job is done.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

What's good about this?

Questions can have a powerful effect on your thinking, and here's a question that can profoundly improve your perspective. What's good about this?

When you see a news story, or hear about something that's happened to a friend, or come across a challenge in your own life, ask yourself. What's good about this?

Get in the habit of asking the question and you'll be training your mind to always look for the answer. After a while, without even asking, you'll immediately see the positive aspect of every situation you encounter.

And that is indeed a powerful place to be. For when you can zero in on the positive possibilities, you have the opportunity to create enormous value.

People who attain magnificent levels of achievement live in exactly the same world as those who never seem to go anywhere. One big difference is that high achievers have learned to see real value where others see nothing but dead ends and despair.

Choose to be the person who sees the positive possibilities by remembering to ask this question, whatever the situation may be. What's good about this?

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Live on a higher level

When you're constantly on the lookout for limitations, you invite those limitations into your life. Choose instead to allow more of the goodness and wholeness that make life so beautiful and miraculous.

Keep your focus on the positive possibilities, and put your energy into bringing those possibilities to life. When you're busy with creative accomplishment, fewer troubles will be able to find you.

Allow your thoughts and actions to be in harmony with your most cherished values. Fill your moments with sincere expressions of love, gratitude and creativity.

If you see yourself as struggling and striving, you give power to fear, pain and despair. Choose instead to see yourself as making a positive difference, and give your power to the very best things you can imagine.

You never have to live on the level at which everything is a problem or a conflict. You can decide to live on a higher level at which every situation is an opportunity to invoke and to express life's goodness.

In each moment, allow that goodness to stream into your world. With each day, lovingly bring to life the value that is yours to create.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Learn to love

Learn to love challenge, and you'll fill your life with accomplishment. Learn to love effort, and your skills will grow more valuable with each passing day.

Learn to love making a difference, and doors will quickly open for you wherever you go. Learn to love giving freely of yourself, and you'll receive more fulfillment than you ever could imagine.

Learn to love being the authentic person you are, and everything you do will be infused with integrity. Learn to love whatever work you're doing, and that work will bring abundant rewards.

Learn to love beauty for beauty's sake, and you'll discover a wealth of it in places no one else would even think to look. Learn to love unconditionally, and there will be no limit to what your love can accomplish.

Learn to love life just because it is, and each day will be a grand new adventure. Learn to love the moment you're in, and you'll find richness in every direction.

Learn to love the possibilities, and you'll make your way to whatever you seek. Learn to love no matter what, and you'll discover what a miracle you truly are.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, November 16, 2007
Uncertainty
The past is safe and certain, and yet it is gone. The future is filled with endless uncertainty, and yet it is also filled with limitless possibilities.
Something will happen today that you didn't expect. It might be uncomfortable, it might be inconvenient, and it might even disrupt your life in a big way.

And yet, how terribly bland and unbearably tedious life would be if nothing unexpected ever happened. Though uncertainty is a bit frightening, it also brings much richness to life.

You are designed and equipped not only to deal with life's uncertainties, but to in fact transcend them. Out of a little uncertainty you can create a lot of positive value.

If you attempt to hide from uncertainty, you'll also be hiding from the best things life has to offer. Instead, accept and embrace uncertainty, and know that you can make the best of whatever comes along.

Today does not come with a guarantee. And because of that, you have the opportunity to make of it whatever you choose.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, November 17, 2007
Feeling the progress
If you merely wish for more, what you'll get the most of is frustration. Yet when you make use of what you have, what you'll get is real accomplishment.
When you complain about your situation in life, what you'll get is a lot of destructive, depressing anger and resentment. When you use your situation as a platform from which to move forward, what you'll get is the life you choose.

What you have does not matter nearly as much as what you decide to do with it. Where you are now is trivial when compared to the direction in which you are moving.

And you can move yourself in a positive, fulfilling direction no matter where you happen to be. You can create the life of your dreams no matter how much or how little you have with which to begin.

All the money in the world cannot equal the value of being alive, aware, and able to take action. That's exactly what you have in this very moment, and it's a treasure beyond compare.

Take the magnificent opportunity that is this day, and point it solidly, decisively in the direction of your dreams. Before the day is over, you'll already be feeling the progress.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, November 19, 2007
Happy, confident expectation
The good things in life do not create happiness. The good things in life arise from happiness.
If you wish to be happy, then be happy. It really is as simple as that.

There's no need to wait until you acquire this or achieve that. If you constantly place conditions on happiness, you'll prevent yourself from experiencing it.

Go ahead and be happy now, today, this very moment. Be happy for no reason at all, and you'll find that you're more effective, more productive, more creative and more fulfilled.

Indeed, happiness is a powerful state of mind that is available to you when you allow it to be. The best reason to be happy is because you can.

Being genuinely happy is a powerful way to express your confidence and your expectation that positive things will happen. And when you confidently expect the best, that's precisely what you get.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

November 20, 2007
Get busy
A small, simple action is infinitely more effective than a big, complicated excuse. Instead of putting your energy into avoiding effort, put that energy into the effort itself, and you'll get something of value in return for it.

There is something right now that needs to be done. Imagine how great it will feel to have it finished, see what a heavy weight will be lifted from you, then get busy and get it done.

In this moment, in this place, you have a valuable opportunity. You can make something happen, and you can make a difference.

Forget about judging whether one task is difficult and another task is easy. Don't be concerned about figuring out what is pleasant and what is unpleasant.

Just take a deep breath, sit up or stand up straight, and with a steady and confident sense of determination, get busy. Soon you'll find yourself moving rapidly toward real and fulfilling accomplishment.

You can worry and complain about how nothing ever gets done, or you can take it upon yourself to make a real and positive difference. The moment for action is now, so get busy and convert this fleeting bit of time into an accomplishment that will bring you value for a long, long time.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Truly impressive
Always know that what other people think of you is their own concern, not yours. Do what you know is right, and fully accept that others will think what they will think.
Certainly it is valuable to make a good impression. Keep in mind, though, that the best way to make a good impression is not to worry endlessly about what others think.

The way to make the best impression is to be authentic. Allow the goodness that is within you to shine through your genuine courtesy, kindness, respect and consideration.

By caring so much about receiving validation from others, you prevent yourself from getting it. Instead, share your real value with those around you and that value will be clear for all to see.

Don't waste your time and effort keeping up appearances. Put your attention and energy into real solid substance, and your appearance will take care of itself.

The more you strive to make a good impression, the less successful you'll be at doing so. Just relax and be yourself, and you'll be truly and authentically impressive.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

November 22, 2007
Put it to use
A gift that is fully used is a gift that is truly appreciated. If you are sincerely thankful for the abundance in your life, then make something beautiful out of it.

Don't make the mistake of hoarding or hiding away those things for which you are most thankful. For if you keep them stashed away in the dark, they will fade away into nothing.

Instead, keep your abundance out in the open where you can give it life from moment to moment. The more you make use of it, the more valuable it will become.

Go beyond merely counting your blessings. Take them out, immerse yourself in their value, and bring them more fully to life each day.

What you're able to make use of most passionately and effectively will then come to you in even greater abundance. The best way to be thankful for anything is to completely and purposefully put it to use.

The abundance you experience today is but a mere seed of what can be. With each moment, nourish that seed and be amazed at how magnificently it can grow.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

November 23, 2007
All is well
You are enough, just as you are. This moment is enough, just as it is.

Everything you truly value is with you always. The power you seek is yours when you choose to act.

Those things that seem to limit you and challenge you can also create a path to greater strength. Right now you are already connected to your greatest possibilities.

Your achievements and successes do not make you who you are. They are some of the ways in which you most sincerely and lovingly express who you are.

The disappointments and setbacks do not take anything away from the value of your life. They give you the opportunity to more fully understand, appreciate and expand that value.

Whatever is happening, all is well. Everything that is, is yours to experience, to value, to love and to fulfill.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

November 24, 2007
Live with purpose
True purpose has no time limit. True purpose has no deadline.

Whether an accomplishment takes fifty years or fifteen minutes, the purpose behind it remains the same. Purpose exists apart from time, space and material artifacts.

Can you feel the real purpose in your life? It is not in any hurry, and it cannot be deterred by anything.

Purpose does not linger, but moves steadily along with you, whatever you do and wherever you go. Purpose has no use for compromise, and finds its way forward in every situation.

When you live from your purpose, you live beyond time. If you feel fear, anxiety or despair, dig deeper, for you have not yet fully connected with true purpose.

Purpose is now and purpose is always. Live with true purpose, and leave the limitations behind.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Monday, November 26, 2007

Life's little annoyances

Don't let a relatively small setback ruin an otherwise beautiful day. Choose instead to take it in stride and quickly get back to being positive, productive and effective.

Don't waste your time being outraged or offended by someone else's careless, inconsiderate remark or gesture. Use the opportunity to strengthen your valuable sense of patience, and move on ahead to something that truly matters.

Life's little annoyances can quickly add up to have a big negative and destructive impact if you let them. Fortunately, you don't have to let them.

Instead, you can choose to let them go. You can decide to see the small, relatively meaningless annoyances for what they are, and move quickly beyond them.

Do you really want your attitude to be held hostage by rude, careless, inconsiderate people or random events beyond your control? Of course not, because within you is a positive purpose that is big and beautiful and filled with real meaning.

Each time one of life's little annoyances comes along, let it just keep on going right past you until it fades away into its own insignificance. You have plenty of much more positive and valuable things upon which to focus your attention.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Joy of being you

To get where you wish to go, you must take an active role in the journey. Though many good and valuable things are constantly flowing into your life, it is up to you to make something meaningful out of them.

No one else can live your life for you. That is your biggest responsibility and your greatest opportunity.

Your dreams and desires, passions, opinions, preferences and interests are yours for a reason. The more sincerely and completely you give life to them, the more genuine fulfillment you will know.

Beauty is what you know it to be. Joy is what you experience it as being.

The meaning of life is the meaning you give to it. Deep down, you know what to do.

Dive into the pure joy of being you. For there is so very much you are able to be and to give.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

A higher perspective

What troubles you is mostly trivial when viewed from the great perspective of all that is. Yet those troubles can feel much bigger when you look at them from the viewpoint of your self-imposed limitations.

Your ego will seek to convince you that nothing beyond you matters. Such thinking will keep you trapped in a prison of your own making.

Let go of the need to prove what you're worth. And you'll realize how uniquely valuable you already and always are.

As long as you remain on the same level as the obstacles in your life, those obstacles will prevent you from making progress. Yet from a higher perspective you'll discover many ways to get beyond them.

If you're confounded by some particular situation, step back and remind yourself, in your own way, of how truly beautiful and magnificent life can be. Feel yourself rising above the limitations that your ego has constructed.

Instead of being troubled by your troubles, let them be a catalyst for your own growth and for truly meaningful inspiration. Climb up to a higher perspective and find a path to the greatness that is within you.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Choose your attitude

Your attitude can be based on the weather, the amount of traffic congestion, the way people treat you, or a whole lot of other things. Or, your attitude can be exactly what you choose for it to be.

When you turn your attitude over to other people or to random circumstances, it's going to be volatile, undependable and not very productive. By contrast, when you choose your own attitude, independent of what's happening around you, then you set yourself up to make swift and positive progress.

Your attitude serves as a lens through which you see life, and it's best when that lens is focused on the positive possibilities. Your attitude can enable you to make the most of difficult situations, to find and to create enormous value in your world.

There is absolutely nothing that forces you to adopt one particular attitude over another. When you get in the habit of consciously choosing to have a positive, empowering attitude, you become gloriously free to achieve the things that are most meaningful to you.

Your attitude is always yours to select. Doesn't it make sense to select an attitude that will foster peak performance and effectiveness no matter what may be going on around you?

Don't let anyone or anything else control something as critically important as your attitude. Now, and always, choose an attitude that will enable you to soar high.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

November 30, 2007
True achievement
Most of the highest achievers in this world are people you've never heard of. Because achievement is much more than amassing fame or material wealth.

Achievement is living fully in a way that is meaningful to you and in line with the values you feel most deeply. Achievement is expressing the unique purpose that is at the center of your being.

Achievement does not require the approval, permission or recognition of anyone else. Achievement is following the desires of your most authentic self, not merely satisfying the shallow impulses of your ego.

The vast majority of achievements that come to life every day are quiet and peaceful and immensely fulfilling. Do not confuse true achievement with meaningless spectacles that make a lot of noise but have no lasting value.

In the smallest moments there is the potential for great achievement. For what true achievement is, is living with purpose and love, with thankfulness and joy.

Remember always that achievement is more than merely constructing great edifices. The most valuable achievement is building a meaningful life that makes a positive contribution.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Yes you can do it

Yes, you can do it. And you can begin right now.

Sure, you've run into problems in the past. Yet there is a way to get past every one of them.

When it is important enough to you and meaningful enough for you, you will find a way. There is a positive, effective step that you can take this very moment.

It will require effort on your part, as well as commitment and persistence. Fortunately, you are fully capable of all those things.

Yes, you can do it, and in the process you will more fully become the beautiful, unique person you are meant to be. You will grow more capable, more confident, more knowledgeable and experienced.

When your objective is connected with the purpose that drives every other purpose, there is no doubt that you can do it. Begin now to work your way there.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Monday, December 3, 2007


The miracle that is now

There is a miracle in every moment. Look closely, and lovingly, and you will clearly see it.

There is an innate and elegant beauty in even the most ordinary of things. Learn to love that beauty, and to let it be, and your eyes will be opened to wondrous possibilities.

There always and everywhere is a quiet yet unyielding peace, upon which rests all that is. The more often you reach in and touch this peace the more fully you experience its power.

Anything that is negative, deceptive or destructive will eventually consume and obliterate itself. What is authentic, peaceful and creative will continue to grow more pervasive.

When you need nothing other than to simply be, you have every beautiful and wonderful and miraculous thing there is. Life's richness is never more than a single thought away.

Breathe in deeply the beauty, the wonder, the miracle that is now. Know the joy that cannot ever fade.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

December 4, 2007
Success within you
The success you seek is a reality that already exists within you. Your actions are the way you express that reality and bring it to your outer world.

Achievement is not a matter of becoming successful. It is a matter of fully demonstrating the success that is already within you.

Success is not something that you must strive to obtain or acquire. Instead, it is a beautiful and unique gift that you are able to give to your world.

Every success, every achievement comes from within. Nothing can separate you from the success you desire because it is already a part of you.

When the success that is within you drives your actions, that success will surely and faithfully flow out from you. Live the success that is yours, and that success will surround you.

Choose in each moment to fully and lovingly share the success that is within you. The expression of that success will add great value and beauty to your world.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

December 5, 2007
Truly great
Life is not always easy. And that is a major reason why it is so precious.

Many of life's best rewards are possible only because you must work your way through difficult challenges to get to them. If everything in life were easy, there would be no opportunity for real fulfillment.

If the only things you experienced were pleasure and comfort, it would be impossible for you to fully appreciate them. A life of total ease and a complete lack of challenge would be unbearably tedious.

When the next challenge comes your way, when the next obstacle blocks your progress, find it in yourself to be thankful. For the difficulties provide you with truly magnificent opportunities to create value, to find meaning and fulfillment in living.

The challenges enable you to give of yourself and to make a real difference. And that's something you desire at the deepest level.

Life is not always easy. And because of that, you have the opportunity to make it truly great.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

December 6, 2007
Able to feel
Sometimes your feelings can hurt profoundly. Yet wouldn't you rather have those painful feelings occasionally than never having any feelings at all?

Your feelings let you know you're alive. They tell you, in ways that words cannot, who you are.

Through your feelings, you discover what means the most to you. With your feelings, you're able to build rich, rewarding relationships.

Feelings can indeed be messy and inconvenient, yet they're certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Without feelings, life would be terribly flat and empty.

When a feeling seems to be uncomfortable or even unbearable, choose to dive more deeply into it. Somewhere in there you'll find something very positive, comforting and affirming.

You feel because you are, and you feel because you care. Those are things about which you can genuinely feel great.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

December 7, 2007
Start with joy
There's a reason why the sunrise is so beautiful and magnificent. It sets the stage for a positive, fulfilling day.

When you start the day by choosing to be joyful, you put yourself in a creative, effective state of mind. You'll make yourself better able to handle whatever may come your way during the day.

A relationship that gets off to a positive start at the very beginning will quickly flourish and build great value. You can forge a positive relationship with each day when you begin it in a joyful way.

Even if the day is gray and gloomy you can choose to start it with a positive experience of your own making. Fulfillment comes to those who make it happen, and there's no better time than the beginning of your day to start moving forward.

There's an endless list of ways in which you can begin the day on a positive note. And the days that start well have the best chance of going well.

A new day arrives, ready to be lived. Choose to start it with joy.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

December 8, 2007
In control
There are lots of temptations and there are plenty of excuses. Keep in mind, though, that you are in control of you.

To reach the destination you have chosen, you must follow the path that will take you there. And while diversions and distractions will constantly come along, remember that you are in control of you.

Your thoughts, your words and your actions are precisely the ones you choose. They can take you anywhere you would like to go.

Though many things are out of your control, you are always in control of you. You can respond, you can adjust, you can persist and you can move in the direction of your dreams, no matter what the outside factors may be.

You are in control of you. Your decisions in each and every moment determine the quality of life that you live.

It is a heavy responsibility and a magnificent opportunity. You are in control of you, and you will always go right where your actions take you.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Monday, December 10, 2007

What you long for

What you are longing form is already here. How could you know it so intimately if it was not a part of you even now?

What separates you from your dream? It is nothing more than your resistance to accepting it a living it.

What you long for is not to be found in some object or location or set of circumstances. It is within you.

Go ahead and let it out. Go ahead and let it be.

No amount of misfortune or disappointment can tarnish the values you hold most dearly. Step gracefully and confidently forward knowing that you and your dreams are always intact, no matter which way the world may go.

Live the joy that is in what you long for. It is real, it is here, and it is you.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Do more

Do more than merely getting through this day. Jump into it fully with vigor and enthusiasm.

Do more than merely getting through your work. Find real joy in making a difference.

When the purpose behind each day is just to get it over with, that dismal purpose can begin to take over your whole life. By contrast, when you put a little bit of joy and positive purpose into each moment, you get a whole lot of great and wonderful things filling your world.

It only takes a fraction of a second to change your whole life and your whole world for the better. Are you ready to go beyond merely surviving and to fill each thought, each word, each action with the most magnificent possibilities of life?

Life is exactly the way you choose to see it. Wherever you may be, whatever you may be doing, you have the opportunity to immediately and completely make life truly great.

Open your eyes, look around, and awaken to all the best possibilities. Now is when you can live with all the richness you're able to imagine.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

December 12, 2007
Persistence
If you're not ready to climb a mountain, then see if you can walk up a gentle hill. If you're not ready to walk up a hill, then set out to take a leisurely stroll.

If you're not able to walk that far, then you can take a single step. After taking that step you'll likely find that you're ready to take another.

If you have trouble imagining yourself reaching your goal, then imagine yourself taking one small, simple action in the direction of that goal. Imagine it, and then do it.

After that first step, there will be another one you can take, something that's a little bit more challenging and yet not overwhelming. Keep it up, and soon the ultimate goal begins to come into view.

Anything can be accomplished if you are willing to keep taking the next step when it is time to do so. What you lack in brute strength, or resources, or knowledge, or skills, you can make up for with persistence.

You absolutely can get where you choose to go, step after step after persistent step. And now is the perfect time to begin.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Thursday, December 13, 2007
Not that difficult
It's not that difficult to be disciplined. It's just a matter of choosing to be, again and again.

It's not that difficult to avoid destructive habits. In fact, all you really must do is nothing.

It's not that difficult to take positive, productive action. You simply choose to put yourself into motion.

Success is not that difficult. It's mainly a matter of doing it, and you're completely capable of doing whatever is necessary.

Your willingness is the most important factor. And willingness comes when you connect to a solid, meaningful reason why.

Discipline, integrity and effective action are tools that you can use at any time and in any situation to achieve valuable results. Follow a purpose that is truly yours, and it's not that difficult at all.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Friday, December 14, 2007
No limitations
If all your limitations were suddenly removed, what would you do? If you were able to make absolutely anything happen, what would it be?

If there were no challenges standing in your way, where would you go? With absolutely nothing holding you back, what would your life become?

It's easy to get so caught up in pushing against your limitations that you start seeing yourself solely in terms of those limitations. Yet you are so very much more.

Instead of identifying yourself in relation to the challenges you face, dig deeper and find the real person inside. For the truth is, you exist apart from any challenge or limitation, and it is a powerful exercise to get solidly in touch with who you are.

Yes, there will always be obstacles and limiting factors. And the best way to get beyond them is by knowing that they do not define you.

Imagine a world with no limitations, and discover who you are in such a world. One by one, the challenges will fade in the distance as you express the limitless vision that is yours to live.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

The root of desire
Most of the things you think you desire are only shallow substitutes for what you truly would like to have. Learn to look past each immediate, superficial wish to uncover the real, profound and fulfilling desire beyond it.
There's no sense spending your time, effort and resources in pursuit of things that are not even what you genuinely desire. Look instead at the root of each desire and put your energy into what you truly wish to bring about in your life.

The things you crave may satisfy you momentarily, yet they cannot fulfill your deepest desires. By giving in to your cravings, you're actually pushing yourself further and further away from what you truly wish to have.

Choose to raise your expectations. Instead of merely chasing pleasures that quickly fade, work on creating joys that do not end.

Instead of diversions that just amuse you, create experiences that wholly fulfill you. There's no need to settle for substitutes when an authentically meaningful life is yours to live.

Look for the root of each desire. Discover and fulfill the person you truly wish to be.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, December 17, 2007
The power of truth
The more completely you live in truth, the more fully you will connect to and realize your best possibilities. Truth will show you who you are, and enable you to go where you most sincerely wish to go.
Truth is not always the easiest or most convenient choice, and it can often be painful. Yet in the long run, truth never fails to be the best course.

When you seek to avoid the truth, you'll put a great amount of effort into a pursuit that will take you backwards. Instead, work your way willingly toward truth at every opportunity, and you'll always be making real progress.

Those who fight against the truth are fighting a losing battle. Use every opportunity, in every moment, to put yourself on the side of truth.

Deception costs much and gains nothing of any value. Truth sets you free to achieve, to learn, to experience, express and fulfill the best that is within you.

Be true to yourself, to others, to the world around you and to all of life. Truth will always keep you looking and moving forward.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, December 18, 2007
This is the time
Everything that is, exists in this moment. This is the best time of your life because this is the time when your life is being lived.
If you have been planning to take action, now is the time to do it. Within you is a vision of how great life can be, and now is the time to make it real.

Now is the time when accomplishment happens. Now is the time when dreams are brought to life.

Now is when you are free to choose the direction of your life. Now is when you are able to do what must be done.

Life is now and you are here to live it. Do you realize what an enormous opportunity is now within your grasp?

Breathe in deeply the sweet, powerful fragrance of this now moment. This is the time to fully and truly live.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Positive experience
The best response to a negative experience is to create a positive experience. Instead of fighting against life's misfortunes, transform them into useful and worthwhile value.
When things go wrong, you have a choice. You can wallow in self pity or you can seize the opportunity for self improvement.

In every disappointment there is the seed of fulfillment. In every weakness there is the seed of strength.

Problems and difficulties provide reliable pathways to achievement. There is value to be gained from every experience when you choose to see that value and to bring it about.

You never have to be the victim of random circumstance, or of any other circumstance for that matter. For instead of choosing to be the victim, you can always choose to make a positive difference.

Life is often unfair, and comes to you in ups and downs, but that doesn't really matter. For you are free to make of it whatever you choose.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

Thursday, December 20, 2007
Beyond the pain
Resentment is a useless pursuit. It does not help you, it does not help the situation, and it does not help the people you resent.
Resentment expands the damage that has been done and prolongs the pain that has been inflicted. And resentment often leads to new instances of hurtful behavior on the part of everyone involved.

The way to end the downward spiral of resentment is with forgiveness. Forgiveness frees you to move forward, unfettered by the burden of past wrongdoing.

Forgiveness does not mean that what happened was acceptable. Forgiveness simply enables you to completely, once and for all, let it go.

In every life, there are numerous and continuing opportunities for deep, abiding and destructive resentment. But there is nothing at all to be gained by spending your life filling up a mental warehouse with those painful resentments.

Choose instead to quickly forgive, and to move forward, beyond the pain and into a world filled with positive possibilities. Don't waste your life on resentment when there is so very much beauty, life and love to experience.

-- Ralph Marston

[cassie]

:85:

[admin]

December 21, 2007
How you look at it
When you look at the world, what is the first thing that comes to your attention? Do you zero in on the problems, the heartaches, the fears and the disappointments, or do you first take note of the beauty, the joys and the positive possibilities?

If you look at life through a lens of negativity, life will dutifully arrange itself to meet your expectations. When you approach life from a more positive perspective, your expectations will just as surely be met.

Is it unrealistic to look at the bright side, to remain generally positive, and to expect the best in life? No, because reality itself is neutral, and what you get from it depends upon how you view it and what you make of it.

The raw forces, circumstances and events are, for the most part, out of your control. Yet you can completely control the way you perceive, respond, adapt and yes, even prosper under their influence.

The control you exercise over your own perceptions, thoughts and actions will make all the difference in your life. Reality is what it is, and your own relationship to that reality is precisely whatever you choose for it to be.

There is goodness, there is beauty, there is love and joy and boundless opportunity when you choose to see it. Look realistically at the world, see the very best, and bring it joyfully to life in each moment.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

December 22, 2007
Action and attitude
Your actions affect your attitude and your attitude drives your actions. It can indeed be powerful to get your actions and your attitude working consistently in the same direction.

A small positive action can often make a big positive difference in your outlook on life. Even something quick and simple can shift your momentum.

In the same way, a small positive shift in your attitude can encourage you to take action when you previously were not inclined to do so. Just a brief empowering thought can get you moving forward.

So if you cannot quite bring yourself to take action, at the very least you can convince yourself to carry a more positive attitude. After all, thinking does not require any physical effort at all, and before long that positive attitude will surely lead you to take action.

Or, if you find yourself resisting a positive attitude, at the very least you can take some small beneficial action. And you'll be amazed at how soon that will lead to a more positive attitude.

Whether it's through your actions or through your attitude, there's always a way to introduce a more affirmative perspective into your life. Stay focused on the positive possibilities, and life will continue to grow more richly rewarding.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, December 24, 2007
A moment of serenity
Take a moment to pause and remember who you are. Take a moment to reflect on the things that have real and lasting meaning in your life.
In a world where there is so much change from instant to instant, keep yourself ever connected to those values that endure. Refresh your spirit often with a time of quiet serenity.

Find refuge from the noise and turmoil, and you'll be able to hear the voice of purpose and meaning, calling from within. There are many valuable things you know without being told, and it can be energizing to contemplate them.

Beyond the shallow concerns that must scream for attention are life's real treasures. Those treasures come clearly into focus when you step back a little bit and take an objective look.

Pay attention to the nagging feeling that there must be more to life than all the rush and confusion. There most certainly is.

Take the time to make time stand still. And take in the experience of being.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Christmas presence
There is a light in the darkness. It is love; it is joy.
There is a pure and simple radiance with a positive, joyous power. It warms the hearts of those who value peace and love.

The spirit of Christmas transcends beliefs, traditions, culture and customs. It speaks directly to the heart, of love and grace, of giving and of renewal.

In the pure, limitless power of love, life is created and sustained. In the radiance of this day, love's presence is joyously expressed again and again, in countless ways.

In this moment, new life begins. And love is the ever-present purpose that drives every other purpose.

On this day, you have a glimpse of how truly blessed you are. Give love, give joy, and you have even more.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Let life's richness flow
Accomplishment comes when you allow it. Fulfillment comes when you allow it.
Worry, resentment, anger, envy and fear all serve to prevent your best possibilities from being realized. The more you learn to let go of the negative influences, the more easily and naturally will the richness of life flow through you.

How many worthwhile and fulfilling experiences have you missed because you were worried about what others might think? How many precious days have you wasted by being filled with resentment or fear?

You have so many beautiful places to go. There are so many valuable and fulfilling things you can do.

Begin today to more faithfully follow those bright and shining purposes that are deep within you. Let the negative, limiting thoughts and perceptions fall quietly and uneventfully away from you as quickly as they come.

Open your spirit, and allow your most beautiful possibilities to come to life. Remember who you truly are, and let life's richness flow.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, December 27, 2007
Relax and enjoy
The world will wind you up into a tight little ball if you let it. Don't let it.
Relax and enjoy the ever-changing flow of being alive. There's no point in working yourself into a frenzy about anything.

The more uptight you are, the more mistakes you make. Relax, stop taking everything so seriously, and you'll find that you're vastly more effective.

Put a big, authentic and friendly smile on your face. Put some delightful positive thoughts in your mind.

The worst that could happen will almost certainly not happen. And even if it does, you'll find a way to handle it.

Live with passion and purpose while letting go of the tension and anxiety. Relax and enjoy every moment as it comes, and you'll be giving the world your very best.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, December 28, 2007
Voyage of discovery
You are the person you have discovered yourself to be. And there is no limit to what you can discover.
The more you live and experience and accomplish, the more fully you evolve. Every moment is an opportunity to add strength and effectiveness to your life.

Every experience helps you more clearly see and understand the magnificent, enormous potential of your life. The joys and the sadness, the pleasures and the frustrations all enable valuable discoveries.

The more fully you understand who you are and what you have, the more effectively you can put it all to use. Take advantage of each opportunity for discovery, in each moment, in each encounter, and in each challenge.

Every experience is a learning experience. Every day is a voyage of discovery.

A lifetime of discovery awaits you right now. Climb aboard, eager and enthusiastic for whatever experience awaits, and begin the journey.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, December 29, 2007
The best
The best athletes don't care about whether or not they're the best. What they care about is the game.
The best actors, musicians, doctors, scientists, teachers and businesspeople are not consumed with being the best. They're consumed with a passion for what they're doing.

If your desire is to be the best merely for its own sake, you will strive and struggle against a world that absolutely does not care. If, on the other hand, your most abiding desire is to make a positive difference, you will surely end up being the best at some particular thing or another.

The real substance of accomplishment is never in the trophies or the praise or the recognition it brings. The substance of accomplishment is in the value it delivers.

The best performers in any field are not the ones who hope to be the best or even the ones who already think they are. The best performers are those who never have to even think about where they stand in the rankings.

Commit yourself to delivering value, and you won't be burdened with the need to keep score. Indeed, you will always be on top of the game.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, December 31, 2007
Never fade
Whatever you fully experience, you never need to leave behind. Whatever you worry about losing, you never did have to begin with.
Without change, life would not exist. With every change is the opportunity to become more fully alive.

The days and weeks and years come to an end. And yet it is always now.

The artifacts and remnants that you associate with the good times will fade and rust and decay, eventually to disappear. Yet the goodness and joy of the authentic experiences will grow ever stronger.

There is no reason to be sad about the fact that time has passed. There is every reason to find joy in the real treasures that you will always retain from that time.

Learn to quickly let go of the meaningless, superficial things that will soon be gone anyway. Invest your spirit and your experience in the timeless values that you know will never fade.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Begin
Today is the day to begin. This new year is a blank canvas upon which you have the delightful opportunity to paint.
As you do, be authentic. Your greatest accomplishments are the ones that contain the greatest quantity of you.

Be innovative and creative. The challenges you face will melt away when you apply fresh, original thinking to them.

Remember not to take yourself too seriously. You'll climb much higher when you're thoroughly enjoying the effort.

As you move forward, do so with genuine and persistent integrity. That way, the results you create will be results that are actually worth attaining.

Today you stand at the beginning of a grand adventure, with the very real and present opportunity to shape this year into the best one ever. Begin now, take the initiative, and never stop living life according to who you know you are.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Failure
If you do not ever fail, then your goals are not nearly ambitious enough. If you do not come across new challenges on a regular basis, your abilities and effectiveness will become stale and weak.
Comfort is a good state in which to find rest, renewal and refuge for a while. It is a dreary and dismal place to take up permanent residence.

The reason life can be so rich is precisely because it can be so difficult. You cannot possibly appreciate or fully benefit from the good things if you have no experience with the bad things.

When your efforts are met with failure, you know you are on to something. Because on the other side of that failure is real and substantive accomplishment.

Seek not to create failure, nor to avoid failure. Seek instead to allow failure, when it comes, to keep you moving on the path to greater success.

Failure confirms that you are reaching higher. And higher is always the best direction to reach.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, January 3, 2008
Make the choice
The best choice is to make a choice. You have the power to choose, so make use of it.
When you are willing to make choices, your life moves in a direction that is agreeable to you. Choices make control and responsibility possible, along with achievement and fulfillment.

Your moment-by-moment choices serve to focus the energy that is your life. By making choices, you communicate and reinforce your preferences and desires, and the world around you responds accordingly.

Your choices and their content determine the quality and direction of your life. Take a little time to choose in a careful and informed manner, yet do not take so long that you fail to choose at all.

Your choices are what make your intentions real. They connect your goals with your reality.

When there is a choice to be made, there is an opportunity to more precisely and positively direct your life. Choose consistently, with abiding purpose, and your life moves forward toward your highest vision.

[janbear]

Friday, January 4, 2008
Goodness prevails
In the darkest darkness, love is more magnificent than ever. In the deepest sadness, hope has the strength to create anything.
When the whole world is against you, every positive action can bring miraculous results. When the burden of being is unbearably heavy, the spirit can fly to infinite heights.

If all is lost, there is no end to what can be gained. Completely let go of everything, and you surely do have it all.

The more confusing and noisy and complicated the world becomes, the more power there is in stillness. When the day is filled with harshness, gentle actions grow more powerful and effective.

In a world filled with fear, truth gains new clarity. In a time of severe discontent, the possibilities for real joy grow ever greater.

At the deepest level, goodness always prevails. For truth by its very nature will not be denied.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, January 5, 2008
New worlds to explore
To fully know and appreciate the place where you are, you must go someplace else and then return. To increase your understanding, you must challenge and question what you think you know.
Your perspective gains much value when you consider it from the viewpoint of another perspective. Those who willingly, respectfully and thoughtfully entertain skeptics become the most authentic, passionate and convincing believers.

The value of what you know depends on being aware of what you do not know. Learning arises from the acceptance of your ignorance.

The most valuable experiences are those which are filled with surprises. The sights you've never seen before, and the sounds you never expected to hear, can open you to higher levels of awareness.

There is no end to the variety in the universe, and it grows with every moment. Do not hesitate to seek it out, for there will always be more.

You are never too old to feel the childlike wonder and delight of experiencing something new. Step outside of the world you know, and keep on finding new worlds to explore.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, January 7, 2008
Positive purpose
Certain opportunities will come and go. Yet it is never too late and never too early to experience the richness of living with positive purpose.
Circumstances change from moment to moment, week to week, and year to year. And in every circumstance there are ways to find true fulfillment.

You can always make a difference. You can always make a valuable contribution.

By so doing, you connect yourself to life's greatest treasures. For the treasures that bring fulfillment are the ones you have a part in creating.

The joys of this golden moment are yours to live, no matter how you arrived here. For in this moment you have the opportunity to give the best of yourself.

This day is as fresh and wonderful and filled with opportunity as any you've ever known. Live it with positive purpose, and taste the richness you will surely create.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Add kindness
Whatever can be done, can be done more effectively when you add kindness to it. Whatever is said, becomes much more convincing when expressed with genuine kindness.
The kindness in just one moment can have a positive impact that lasts for years and years. Kindness is a gift that keeps giving for a lifetime.

Kindness is not complicated, and it comes naturally when you open your heart to life. Kindness brings new light and hope to the darkest of days.

Act with kindness, and you will have no regrets. Kindness is an easy, modest investment that pays generous dividends in the sense of fulfillment it brings.

Kindness dissolves the pain and speeds the healing. When logic and reason say there is no hope, kindness can pave the way forward.

This day will be brighter when you add kindness to it. Choose kindness, and you're truly choosing to live in a better world.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Now is what you choose
There was a time when you thought you could change the world. You were right, and you still are.
There was a time when you knew that life was filled with limitless possibilities. It still is, and so are you.

Perhaps you're dismayed that so much time has passed without much noticeable progress. Yet the longer you've waited to move forward, the more quickly and powerfully you can do so when you choose to start.

To change the world, and to fulfill your greatest possibilities, does not require anything from your past. It's a matter of making a choice, in the present, to act with positive purpose.

Now is the place where your life resides. And now is what you choose to make it.

With a thankful, joyful heart, look around you at the possibilities that stretch out in all directions. Choose one of those possibilities now, and proceed to lovingly give life to it.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, January 10, 2008
No worry
Here's a simple, easy way to make an immediate and profound improvement in the quality of your life. Stop worrying.
The next time you catch yourself wrapping your mind around a worry, choose to let that worry fall completely away. Notice how much more positive and effective you suddenly are.

Worry poisons your thoughts and keeps life's best opportunities hidden from you. Worry actually increases the power and influence of those undesirable things you worry about.

Certainly it's important to look clearly and realistically at life's dangers, problems and challenges. Yet there is nothing to be gained by worrying about them.

Choose to replace each negative worry with positive action. Instead of looking down, pick yourself up and move forward.

Every moment is filled with countless opportunities to create lasting value. Stop worrying, and start living with richness, purpose and real joy.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, January 11, 2008
Learning from consequences
Consequences are superb teachers. Their lessons touch you profoundly and stay with you for life.
Many of the abstract concepts you come across are quickly forgotten. The consequences you experience, on the other hand, are nearly impossible to forget.

Through consequences you learn, in a personally meaningful way, what works and what doesn't. Through consequences you learn what's important and why.

Both the painful consequences and the joyful ones are quite memorable. Most importantly, not only do you remember the consequences, you also remember what specific thoughts and actions brought you to them.

You have the magnificent ability to make things happen, to create your own consequences. The more you learn from the experience of your consequences, the more reliably you're able to create the precise outcomes you desire.

Everything you do has a consequence, and every consequence has a lesson. Learn well, and create all the best you can envision.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Raise up all of life
Do you wish to invest your life in anger, or would you prefer to invest it in love? Would you like to spend your time and energy creating enemies, or would you rather be building and strengthening friendships?
Do you really need all those flashy, useless things that serve only to somehow make you feel superior to others? Is there really anything to be gained by being haughty and rude?

Every moment of life can be a unique, wondrous and deeply inspiring experience. Why would you ever consider wasting even a tiny bit of your precious time on petty bickering or one-upmanship?

Let go of the silly need to prove anything and you'll free yourself to accomplish so very much. The only way to raise yourself up is to raise up others, to raise up your world, to raise up all of life.

Joy comes to you when you give it. Happiness is yours when you live it.

Everything you need, you are already capable of being. Smile from the heart and fulfill the destiny that is yours in this beautiful moment.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Your actions
Whether something is possible or impossible for you depends more on what you do about it than on any other factor. Your persistent, focused action is what brings possibilities to life.
Certainly there are obstacles that stand in your way. And you can choose to use those obstacles as excuses for not taking action.

Or, you can choose to get up, get motivated and get busy working your way toward the results you seek. Once you begin to take action, the obstacles lose their power to stop you and instead become steps along the pathway to achievement.

The actions necessary for success can often seem to be difficult, complicated, inconvenient, embarrassing, uncomfortable, tiresome or demeaning. Realize that those undesirable qualities are, for the most part, mere inventions of your mind, and your choice to take action will override them every time.

When you know what you must do, then go ahead and make it happen. Stop focusing on the excuses and start moving toward real, valuable achievement.

Your actions have the power to change your life and to change your world. Make full use of them, and fulfill your greatest dreams.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Venture out
Can you find it within yourself to appreciate and even enjoy what you do not like? By so doing, you will experience a sense of acceptance, peace and power.
Can you learn to be understanding and patient when you have been angered, frustrated, or inconvenienced? Do so, and you'll discover a highly effective way to move forward no matter what.

Are you able to respect and explore an opinion or perspective with which you disagree? That can add real strength and conviction to your own perspective.

Life's richness does not come from just staying with what is familiar, comfortable and pleasurable. It is when you venture out, away from the familiar, that you grow stronger and more capable.

Hold tightly to your core values while at the same time opening your mind and your heart to new thoughts, feelings and experiences. Your own perspective will grow stronger when you look at it from other perspectives.

Find ways to provide a healthy challenge for your understanding of life. And you'll learn to understand, to discover and to experience so very much more.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Who you know you are
Many of the good and valuable things you do will go unnoticed by everyone else. Do them anyway, because you will know.
Many of the contributions you make will not be fully appreciated by others. Make them anyway, because they're the right things to do.

It's great when you receive recognition for the work you do and the high standards you maintain. Yet even when there is no possibility of recognition, there is still plenty of reason to give your very best.

Even when no one else is watching, you are watching. Even when no one else appreciates the value of what you're doing, you understand that value.

Your honest, authentic view of yourself influences all that you do. And that view is formed largely during the times when no one is watching.

Be ever true to yourself and to the values you hold dear. Your life is a living expression of who you truly know you are.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, January 17, 2008
Your imagination
There are no limits to what you can imagine. And what you create in your imagination sets the stage for what you will create in your life.
Your imagination can take you to any place and any time you choose. In your imagination, you can construct and explore whatever set of circumstances you wish to experience.

Imagination can help you prepare to do things you've never done. It can also help you improve and perfect the tasks with which you're already familiar.

Pay close and careful attention to the realities of your life. And then fully explore the possibilities present in those realities by sifting them through the wondrous power of your imagination.

When it seems that you've run out of options, imagine for yourself some new ones. If you let it, your imagination can pull you toward the truth you need to know.

The reality of your life is rich indeed. And imagination greatly expands your access to that richness.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, January 18, 2008
The depth of life's richness
For every tragedy, there are a thousand joys. For every setback, there are countless ways to move positively forward from it.
Though the world may sometimes seem cold and dreary, there is always a bright new sunrise on the way. Though life can certainly be unfair, it is at the same time filled with an unending supply of positive possibilities.

As painful as the losses can be, love will heal to an even greater degree. In the darkest of times, hope shines more brightly than ever.

Your own existence is so thoroughly familiar to you that you rarely think anything about it. Yet it is a wondrous miracle that is utterly beyond compare.

What you have is so much more than what you can touch or see. What you have is everything that is, and all that can ever be.

You will never fully grasp the depth of life's richness. For the more of it you experience, the more of it there is.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

January 19, 2008
Live with joy
Find joy in doing nothing and you can find it in everything. Experience happiness without a reason and you can create happiness for any reason.

Realize that happiness is not the result of good things, but is indeed the cause of good things. There is nothing you need in order to be happy other than the choice to be.

Imagine living this day filled with joy, happiness and positive purpose. Imagine it, then take one more step and actually do it.

Let go of any concern you may have for what does or does not come your way. Focus instead on the good and valuable things that you can give, create, inspire and choose to experience.

Don't allow the world to pull you down with its negativity. Choose to transform the world around you with your own positive outlook.

Real joy is always a choice you can make. Live with joy, let happiness flow out from you, and life becomes more radiant with each passing moment.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Strengthening your beliefs
To strengthen your beliefs and assumptions, challenge them regularly. You'll rid yourself of those outdated assumptions that hold you back, while at the same time strengthening those valuable beliefs that can move you forward.
There is no doubt that challenge builds strength. It is a key theme of life.

Muscles that are challenged to lift heavier and heavier loads become stronger as a result of the training. Minds that are challenged to solve more and more difficult problems become increasingly adept from the experience.

Questioning and challenging your beliefs can transform them from mere beliefs into absolute certainties. The willingness to challenge a belief demonstrates your commitment to, and confidence in that belief.

By being your own most effective skeptic, you add real depth and substance to your beliefs, perspectives and assumptions. By continuing to ask why and why not, you learn much and grow stronger.

When you challenge your beliefs, you compel yourself to make them a reality. You transform them from vague concepts into living, breathing certainties upon which you can build great value.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Get a purpose
If you're not clear about your purpose on this day, random events, distractions and circumstances beyond your control will impose a purpose upon you. You'll end up spending your precious time in the service of things that won't bring any value or fulfillment.
In contrast, when you're solidly connected to a personally meaningful purpose, you're able to focus on making real progress. Though the same problems, frustrations and distractions will come, they will not have the power to overwhelm or consume you.

The more fully you understand why you wish to do something, the more clearly you'll see how to do it. Strong, solid, meaningful reasons will ignite the energy to create worthwhile and lasting achievements.

It is well worth the time and effort necessary to understand why you seek what you seek. When you know why, anything is within your reach.

To get maximum results from your efforts, look beyond the outer concerns of what you're doing. Look at why you've chosen to do it.

Give this day a real, honest purpose that truly means something to you. And you'll build value that continues long after the day is over.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

The trap of anger
Your anger hurts you much more than it affects anyone else. When your energy and awareness are tightly wrapped around anger, you're not much good for anything else.
There are many things beyond your control that can be perfectly legitimate reasons for anger. Yet the amount of time you maintain that anger is completely up to you.

The more quickly you move on, the better off you'll be. When you feel the first sensation of anger, let that be a reminder to let it go.

Anger can be useful in calling your attention to matters that require your response. But anger itself is not an effective response.

Take a slow, deep breath and remind yourself of how much more effective you can be by maintaining a positive, results-oriented approach. Decide, in a cool, calm and thoughtful manner, exactly what response would be the most powerful and valuable, and then make it happen.

Don't let the foolish, thoughtless, destructive actions of others catch you in a trap of anger. Take note of the anger, let it go, put your focus on being your best, and you'll surely emerge as a winner.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, January 24, 2008
Yours to fulfill
Right now, there is something you can do to make a positive difference in your world. Instead of just speculating about it or wishing for it, go ahead and do it.
Positive, effective action is what changes things. And you're fully capable of taking those actions that will bring your highest visions to life.

Avoiding, delaying and making excuses will just waste time and produce regrets. The time has come to take action.

Until you take decisive, committed action, your problems will continue to hound you and your dreams will continue to elude you. Get moving now, and your actions will surely begin to bring those dreams to life.

You are designed from the inside out for meaningful achievement. Go ahead and feel the delightful satisfaction of doing what you are meant to do.

Get busy, take action, and make it happen. Life's best possibilities are yours to fulfill.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, January 25, 2008
Expect the best
Some people make a practice of expecting the worst, in an effort to avoid being disappointed. Yet when you expect the worst you also focus on it and visualize it, thereby pushing yourself in a negative direction.
A more positive and effective strategy is to expect the best. Then build upon that expectation with preparation and action.

Expect the best, and visualize, in great detail, your own participation in it. That puts you into a powerful frame of mind, orients you toward success, and brings your expectations to life.

Expect the best, and you enable yourself to recognize and make full use of the opportunities coming your way. Expect the best, while preparing to handle whatever may come along, and you'll be ahead of the game from the very beginning.

No, life will not always live up to your highest expectations. Yet when the disappointments do come, choose even then to expect the best eventual outcome, and you're much more likely to get it.

Base your expectations on the best that you can imagine for every situation. More often than not, you'll go precisely where you expect to go.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, January 26, 2008
Willingness
Talent and ability have an influence on your level of accomplishment, yet there is another factor that plays a much greater role. That factor is willingness.
You can come up with all sorts of excuses and reasonable explanations for why you are where you are. The truth is, you are precisely where you have been willing, up to this point, to bring yourself.

You can know just what to do, and have every ability and resource with which to do it. And yet you also must be willing, or it will never happen.

Willingness comes from knowing why, on a deep and undeniable level. Willingness comes from making a solid, consistent and persistent connection to your most meaningful purposes.

Willingness comes from understanding that every action has consequences, as does every failure to act. Your most authentic and abiding desires are faithfully expressed by what you are willing to do.

Seek to remember, perhaps for the first time in a long time, who you are and why you are here. And find the willingness to bring your own unique purpose to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Calm your mind
You can choose your thoughts. And you can choose, for a while, to be free of those thoughts.
Serenity does not require any particular environment or conditions on the outside. Serenity is a state you can achieve on the inside, whatever else might be going on.

At any time, you can choose to calm your mind. Clear your thoughts away and for a while, feel the refreshing and renewing peace of simply being.

Discover how easy it can be to let go of the thoughts racing through your head, and let in a feeling of serenity. Choose to put yourself in a state where even the distractions cannot affect you.

See that the disappointments of the past are far, far away. Let your peaceful, accepting experience of the moment fill you with a solid, confident energy.

Step back for a little while and feel the calm reality of who you are, of the life you are living. Enjoy a serene moment, and your eyes will be opened to the positive possibilities that are all around you.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Fast recovery
Even when you are thoroughly committed to staying positively focused, life can get in the way. Though you may have the best of intentions, there will be times when you veer off course as a result of your own actions.
When that happens, don't beat yourself up about it. Just recognize it, accept it, learn from it, and get moving again in a positive direction.

Winners and losers will both stumble. The difference is, winners have learned to quickly get back up.

If you make a mistake, or lose your temper, or allow yourself to become distracted, it's normal and natural, and not the end of the world. Though it is painful when you've disappointed yourself, you have the opportunity to make something positive out of that pain.

It is indeed a good thing to realize that what you have just done was not the best choice. For now you can move forward with a renewed and stronger determination.

When you know you've stumbled, decide to recover quickly. Soon you'll be moving ahead even faster than before.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

A little success
If you can't bring yourself to be positive about the big things, then be positive about the little things. That's easy enough to do, and it can make a surprisingly significant difference.
You're not going to solve the world's major problems before bedtime. And yet, you can surely make a little positive progress in your own way, and that can be a big help.

The little annoyances, distractions, challenges and difficulties in your world may seem minor when viewed separately. However, they can all add up to create a major negative drag on your life.

You can easily choose to rid yourself of those little negative influences, one by one. Before long, the positive effect will be dramatic.

If you spend the next few minutes doing nothing except worrying about your problems, you'll just end up even more anxious and worried. If, instead, you spend that same five minutes to overcome a relatively minor problem, you'll end up feeling a little more empowered and in control of your own destiny.

A little bit of success will motivate and inspire you, like nothing else can, to create a little more success, again and again. Soon, you'll discover that those little successes are adding up to a life of big and meaningful achievement.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Life returns the favor
When you encounter resistance, it means you are moving forward. When you come across a challenge, it means you have reached the point where you can successfully meet that challenge.
Life becomes more rewarding as it becomes more demanding. You are destined to achieve, and each successive achievement positions you for an even greater, more challenging achievement.

Each new challenge is an opportunity to stretch beyond your previous limits. Most of the advantages you enjoy today were born in the difficulties through which you traveled in days past.

Every day brings a new way for you to more fully give of yourself. It is by so giving, in ways that are familiar and in ways not yet imagined, that you create the life you most sincerely desire.

In everything there is treasure to be found. The richest treasures are those that ask the most of you, for they resonate wholly with your deepest purpose.

Delight in the living beauty of each challenging effort. Give your best to life and life returns the favor, a million times over.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thoughts and feelings
How can you go ahead and take action when you don't feel like it? Set your feelings aside and do what needs to be done.
How can you move toward your dream when you don't think you can do it? Set your thinking aside and follow your heart.

Thoughts and feelings are powerful and extremely useful, yet they do not have to control you. You control you.

Pay heed to your feelings and listen carefully to your thoughts. Then act according to what you know, in that part of you beyond thought and beyond feeling.

Thoughts and feelings are important parts of life, and yet they are not the whole essence of life. Keep yourself connected to that ineffable presence that is life itself.

Be guided by what you think and what you feel. And all the while, be true to who you are.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Make it real
The problems seem so big and imposing because you focus on them so intently and see them so clearly. Imagine looking at some of your best positive possibilities with the same intensity and level of focus.
The past seems so real because you know so much about it, and as a result it commands much of your attention. Consider what would happen if you could put your full, undivided attention on the valuable and creative things you're now able to do in the present.

Whatever you focus upon grows more and more influential in your life. Because the things you focus upon are the things you act upon, and every action has real consequences.

Your life is what you choose to make it, and the time to choose is right now. What you do with the moment at hand is more important, by orders of magnitude, than any past disappointments or present difficulties.

This is the day for you to make a difference. This is your moment to transform nagging problems into magnificent opportunities.

You are able, right now, to choose any thought, any action, and any path. This time, you can choose the very best and truly make it real.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, February 4, 2008
Put it to use
Gratitude is the key to abundance. When you're truly thankful for the good things you have, those good things grow more numerous and valuable.
So how do you put gratitude into action? By making the most of the good things you have.

If you hoard and hide your blessings away, they begin to wither and eventually disappear completely. When, on the other hand, you put the good and valuable things in your life to full use, they multiply many times over.

There is no better way to show your thankfulness and appreciation for something than by using it for a positive, productive, creative purpose. Do that, and the value you already have grows even more valuable.

Whatever you have is not really yours unless you are truly thankful for it. To be truly and effectively thankful for it, make full and fruitful use of it.

Live with a thankfulness in your heart, in your thoughts and, most importantly, in your every action. All the good things you make use of will grow even better.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Give to every day
There will always be a reason to give up, and there will always be a reason to keep going. The question is, which reason will you choose to focus upon?
Your troubles will get the best of you if you give all your time and attention to them. But you always have another choice.

You can give your attention to the positive possibilities. You can choose to focus upon what's right with life.

There is something you can do in this very moment to create a little bit of positive value in your world. Though it may not seem like much, just one small positive action can have an enormous impact.

Even the smallest step has a clear and unmistakable direction. When you choose to take action, you choose to take control.

Don't allow your life to be defined by the difficulties that come your way. For beyond them all, you have something unique and beautiful to give to every day.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The way you respond
The things that are out of your control can make life interesting. The things that are within your control can make life exactly what you envision it to be.
Many of the challenges and difficulties that come your way are not in the least bit of your own making. Yet neither are many of the joys and blessings that arrive in your life.

Though you didn't make them, you certainly can make the most of them. And in so doing, you will move life forward no matter what else may be going on.

The real key to success and fulfillment is to take whatever you have and to do something useful and valuable with it. That's a path you can follow no matter who is running the country or where the economy is headed.

Your day-to-day thoughts and actions, along with your commitment, persistence and integrity are what will make the most difference in your life. The way you respond is much more important than the events and circumstances to which you are responding.

No matter what happens, there is always more opportunity today than there was yesterday. See those unique opportunities that resonate with who you are, and bring them magnificently to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, February 7, 2008
Rise above the need
Instead of focusing so intently on what you can get, consider what you can let go. Lighten your load and become more nimble, peaceful and powerful.
Some of the things you so desperately think you need, you do not need at all. As your needs diminish, your freedom and richness grow.

There's nothing you must have in order to be. Devote some of your life to simply being, and know the liberation that comes from letting go of yourself.

Ambition, intention and disciplined effort will bring you much in this world. Always remember, though, that there is more to life than the success the world confers.

When you act out of need you will struggle from a position of weakness. Rise above the need, and you are free to achieve without limitation.

Remember that fulfillment is not about getting all that you need. Fulfillment is knowing the freedom to be all that you are.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

In the living
The beauty of life is in the living of it. And the living of life is now.
It is fine to make grand, wonderful plans and to then bring those plans to life through your efforts. Yet do not ignore the quiet, stunningly beautiful treasures in each ordinary moment.

Happiness is not in some distant place of perfection and pleasure. Happiness is waiting for you to give it life in this moment.

If all of your dreams were to suddenly come true, you would have no use for them. For the real essence of their joy is in the journey you take to reach those dreams.

It is in working your way through each day, one moment after another, that you connect with the value of life. Every flavor of experience adds to the richness in one way or another.

Do not put a lot of effort into judging whether today is good or bad, happy or sad. Just go ahead and live it with a thankful heart, and you will surely experience this day's own special value.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, February 9, 2008
What you seek is now
End the battle within yourself and you will know peace. Cease to separate one thing from another and you experience unity.
Enlightenment is not the accumulation of knowledge or wisdom. It is the full realization of what you already are.

Richness has nothing to do with material artifacts or financial transactions. It is the surrender to an abundance that has no limit.

What you seek is not somewhere else, or this or that. What you seek is now.

The more you look for it, the more it hides from you. Relax, remember the source of your deepest yearnings, and allow yourself to know their fulfillment.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, February 11, 2008
Much you can do
You probably will not have an opportunity to save the whole world today. But you can surely brighten your own corner of it.
Most likely you will not get everything done that you had wanted to do. Yet you can definitely make some real and lasting progress.

The people with whom you come in contact may not all appreciate or understand you. Still, you can have a positive effect on some of those lives.

The events of this day are not all going to proceed according to your plans. Even so, you can create value from whatever comes your way.

Chances are that conditions will not be perfect and circumstances will not be ideal. Fortunately, there is much you can do with whatever you have.

Welcome to this gloriously flawed and wonderfully imperfect day. It's the perfect opportunity to live with richness and to create real value.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Opportunity to improve
Do you ever attempt to hide from your mistakes or pretend they didn't happen? If so, you'll keep making the same ones over and over again.
Instead, quickly recognize and admit your mistakes. And learn to see the value in moving beyond them.

When you've found an error, you've uncovered an opportunity to improve. Take those opportunities and make those improvements.

When you discover a weakness, you've found a way to grow stronger. Overcoming a weakness in one area can make you more effective in all aspects of your life, after that weakness ceases to hold you back.

Accept that there are things you've been mistaken about, things you don't know, and things you have not been able to do. That puts you in a position to make powerful positive improvements.

Instead of letting your mistakes and shortcomings grow more costly by denying that they exist, choose to see the real value in them. Decide to confidently deal with them and transform your liabilities into assets.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, February 13, 2008
It takes strength
It takes strength to do what must be done when the work is unpleasant and uncomfortable. It takes strength to persist in the face of obstacles, when it would be much easier to simply give up.
It takes strength to be polite to someone when that person has been rude to you. It takes strength to be truthful when a lie would be more convenient.

It takes strength to build for the future. It takes strength to resist temptations and distractions.

It takes strength to do what is right. It takes strength to make an effort when it would be easier to make up an excuse.

It takes strength to do all these things. And all the while, these are the very things that build even more strength.

Be truthful, do what you know is right, put forth effort when it is called for, persist, and the more you do so, the more easily you'll be able to do so. Exercise your strength, and you'll surely grow stronger, more capable, and successful in each endeavor.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, February 14, 2008
Richness of being
This moment has a beauty all its own. Look carefully and lovingly, and the real value of this moment is yours.
Instead of thinking ahead to what might or might not come next, pay attention to the richness of what is now. Instead of re-fighting past battles in your mind, open yourself to the treasure that is in front of you.

A miracle is unfolding right before your eyes. In the big picture and in the smallest of details, this very moment holds everything you could possibly need or desire.

This moment does not care how old you are, how much money you have, or what your hair looks like. Its treasures and possibilities are yours to experience no matter what.

Everything is as it is right now, and there is an immeasurable sense of peace in letting it be. Freely give your love and joy and meaning to this moment and travel along in the growing richness of being.

Think of how truly fortunate you are to be here and now. Live that good fortune with all that you are.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, February 15, 2008
Life is good
Life is good. The possibilities for joy and true fulfillment are more abundant than ever before.
It is great to be alive, on this day, in this place, with things just as they are. And you are truly blessed to be you, with your own unique and valuable gifts to offer each new moment.

Making the most of this beautiful moment is really quite simple. Just allow the authentic, driving purpose that lives within you to be expressed in your thoughts, words and actions.

Sure, there are difficult problems and formidable challenges in this world. And yet even the challenges and difficulties eventually bring positive value to life.

For in working through those challenges, you learn, you grow, you create and you discover new, delightful possibilities. When life compels you to give your best, you end up getting better, stronger, and more capable of living with richness and joy.

Life is beautiful right now, as it is. And what's better, is that you can make it even more so.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

The strongest confidence is quiet, inner confidence. The surest sign of inherent weakness and lack of confidence is the need to boast.
Practice humility and what you will build is confidence. The less you care about impressing others, the more impressed they will be.

Be honest and authentic, and your confidence will grow. The more fully you realize that there's no need to hide who you are, the more confident you'll become in every endeavor.

Approach each task with understanding and patience. Don't let arrogance infect your attitude, for arrogance is a feeble imitation of confidence that drives real confidence away.

Know where you are going and why. True confidence flows naturally from a clear sense of purpose.

There is a solid, genuine confidence within you, and it can empower all that you do. Live and act to nourish and grow that confidence, and it will surely serve you well.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, February 18, 2008
Decide and do
The route to success in any area of life can be summed up in a simple, easy-to-remember formula. Decide what you wish to do, and then do it.
That may seem entirely obvious, and indeed it is. Yet even though the path to success is so clear and simple, many people have great difficulty following it.

The decision of what to do can be greatly hindered by doubts, fears, insecurities and worries, as well as by confusion over priorities. To get past all that, remember that every doubt is a creation of your own mind, and deep within you is an authentic purpose that can transcend any challenge.

When it comes to taking action, there can be all sorts of justifications and excuses for not doing so. To move forward anyway, it's important to keep in mind that every moment is an opportunity to create value for your life and your world.

When you choose to do nothing with this moment, the opportunity it contains is gone forever, never to return. Choose instead to invest yourself in effective action, and the potential value of this moment is transformed into real, actual, lasting value in your life.

Decide how you can best express the values and dreams that mean so much to you. Then take step after step to successfully bring your decisions to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, February 19, 2008
The little things
It only takes a minute or two for you to make a little progress. And a little progress can put you solidly on the road to a lot more.
It only takes a small effort to give a little kindness. And a little kindness can easily multiply itself again and again until it starts to make a big difference.

It only takes a simple adjustment of your attitude to build a little enthusiasm. And with a little enthusiasm you can attract the support of many others.

Small positive changes are easy to make. In between all the things you're already doing, there are numerous opportunities to fill in the spaces with extra treasures.

And the small positive changes do something much more powerful than making a difference in the world. They make a difference in you.

Get in the habit of making small positive changes, and soon you'll be experiencing big, valuable accomplishments. Let the little things put your spirit in a positive place, and that can change your life in magnificent, profound ways.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Life is what you choose
The choices you've made have brought you to this point. Where do you choose to go next?
You have learned many things from the journey that you've taken. What do you wish to learn now?

From a vast array of possibilities, you have selected certain specific ones and successfully followed through with them. What are the possibilities that most interest you now?

It may sometimes seem that life is what happens to you. In truth, it is exactly the other way around.

Life is what you choose, what you do, what you think and what you create in each moment. All the other things going on provide the space and circumstances in which you make your life happen.

What do you choose to do with this day? Now is when you can bring your favorite dreams to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, February 21, 2008
Tired of nothing
It's certainly true that the effort necessary for accomplishment will make you tired. And yet the lack of any effort at all will surely bring on an even greater amount of weariness.
It's far better to be exhausted from focused effort than to be tired of doing nothing. After you've grown tired from productive effort, you can renew your energy with a little bit of rest and relaxation.

But when you're tired because of a lack of meaningful effort, that's a different story. No amount of rest can overcome such weariness.

What can overcome that kind of weariness? It will disappear as soon as you start to take purposeful, directed action.

Too much of anything will make you tired, especially too much of nothing. If you're going to be tired, then make sure you gain something valuable from it.

So go ahead, set your sights high, and do something truly useful and challenging with your time. You'll make yourself tired, and it will feel great.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, February 22, 2008
The values in your heart
When your world seems frustrating, keep in mind that the most important part of you exists beyond those frustrations. When life feels painful, never forget that the pain, however difficult it may be, is confined to just a small portion of who you truly are.
All around you are things you can see and touch and physically manipulate. They are part of life, but they are by no means all there is.

You cannot hold love in your hand, and yet you know for certain that it exists. You cannot capture joy in a box or an envelope and yet you have no doubt that it is real.

When the outward concerns of life seem to be overwhelming, remind yourself, there's more. There is so very much more to living and being than those things you can see and hear, taste and smell, touch and possess.

Even those losses and disappointments that feel big and burdensome, are small in comparison to all the beautiful, positive possibilities living within you. Look beyond the noisy, superficial distractions and remember the miracle of your existence.

Live your life around the values in your heart. And those everyday pains and nuisances will lose their power to bring you down.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, February 23, 2008
When effort feels effortless
It is your true nature to create and achieve. Today, allow that true nature to be fully expressed.
If you think you must struggle to get things done, that is precisely how it will be. If you see life's abundance as being apart from you, that abundance will be out of your reach.

Consider how completely right it feels when you are living in harmony with your most authentic purpose. Think of how effective you can be when doing something you love.

The objectives for which you strive and agonize will bring no real fulfillment, even if you're able to reach them. When you're moving toward a goal and the effort feels effortless, that is a goal that will bring real lasting value.

Let go of the need to struggle for what you don't really desire in the first place. Instead, allow your life to unfold each moment in accordance with your true creative nature.

Connect to the purpose that is sincerely you. Express that purpose, and you'll fill your world with richness.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, February 25, 2008
Make something beautiful
The victories bring joy, and new opportunities. The defeats bring wisdom, strength, determination, and new opportunities.
In this way, life moves continually forward. In each moment, you can build upon whatever has come before.

Sometimes things happen just as you expected they would, and then there are times when nothing goes the way you had it planned. In any event, there is a way to respond triumphantly.

Learn to see the value no matter what outer conditions and circumstances may be concealing it. Know that there is value, and you will find it.

Right now, you are where you are supposed to be. For right now, you are where you can truly make a difference.

The ups and downs and ins and outs of life have brought you to this day. And on this day, you can make something beautiful out of it all.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Already fulfilled
When you don't need anything, then you truly have everything. When you know that you already have enough, that you already are enough, that everything is as it should be, then your life will be rich indeed.
Get past the need to possess and you'll discover that the whole world is yours. Abandon the need to be right and you'll find real truth.

Let go of the need to impress others and you'll have their sincere respect. Move beyond the need to control every detail, and your influence will grow stronger.

As long as you feel you need something, it cannot possibly be yours. The more you focus on the need for anything, the more you deny it to yourself.

Why would you want to do that? Instead, realize that whatever you desire is already available to you, and enjoy the process of expressing it more fully as you move through each moment.

Appreciate, understand and focus your energy on the good and valuable things in your life. And you'll know that your most authentic desires are already fulfilled.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Beauty and goodness
Think of the most beautiful thing you've ever witnessed, and multiply it by a thousand. What you then have is only a small, barely detectable fraction of the magnificent creation that is life.
What if you could experience the full beauty and goodness of life in one instant? You would surely and uncontrollably weep with tears of pure joy at the realization.

And there is something you would know, without the slightest doubt. That no problem, no challenge, no difficulty, no pain can ever really diminish the wonder and grandeur that is life.

There is a truth you would understand, in a way surpassing all thoughts and words, and it is this. Although the difficulties are very real, they are also very small when compared to the positive possibilities.

It pays to continually put things in perspective. For the more ground your perspective encompasses, the more valuable opportunities you'll have to live with genuine richness.

Choose as your perspective the wondrous and ever-expanding beauty of life. Within that golden territory, you'll find all the goodness and value you could ever desire.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, February 28, 2008
Hunger for meaning
Are you so busy chasing pleasure that you leave no room for joy in your life? Are you so obsessed with proving how happy you are that you make yourself miserable?
Step back for a moment and remember who you are. Even if you reach them, the generic goals and aspirations you borrow from others will not bring you even a moment of real fulfillment.

Life does not gain meaning through the things you see advertised on television. If all you want is what the world tells you to want, you'll find yourself in a perpetual state of lack, limitation and frustration.

Within you is a hunger for meaning. Within you is a burning desire to make a difference and to express a purpose that is special to you alone.

No one can give that purpose to you, for it is something you already have. Let go of the need to nourish your shallow ego, and you'll begin to connect with the real, meaningful purpose that is woven through your whole life.

Free yourself from the off-the-shelf definition of success that is nothing more than an empty fantasy. Instead, find real success and joy by giving life to the purpose that has always been within you.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, February 29, 2008
Serendipity
Good things will come to you in ways you could never anticipate or expect. Yet if you're constantly placing judgments, conditions and restrictions on your life, you'll miss out on most of those good things.
Being open to the abundance of life means being open to the unknown and unexpected. If you hide away from what you do not know, you'll never discover anything new.

The world is constantly changing, and many of those changes can seem frightening. Yet within each and every change there is opportunity.

When the world changes, legions of positive possibilities are born. When the unexpected happens, there is much new value to be created.

Choose to welcome the constant newness that is essential to life. For it brings new ways to more fully express and fulfill your own unique purpose.

In every unexpected turn of events is a pleasant surprise waiting to be discovered. Open yourself to the freshness of each dawning moment, and find those magnificent treasures that have just been born.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, March 1, 2008
Emerge a winner
There are some events that you can influence by making intelligent choices and by taking decisive action. There are other events and situations that are completely out of your control.
You have what it takes to successfully deal with both. There's no need to worry endlessly about what the future will bring, for it always brings you new opportunities to make a positive difference.

You can do your very best with those situations that are under your control. And you can adapt and adjust to those situations over which you have little or no influence.

The foolish actions of others can leave you hopelessly frustrated if you allow them to do so. Keep in mind, however, that there's nothing to be gained by working yourself into a knot of frustration and resentment.

Instead, accept whatever comes your way and commit yourself to finding the value in it and making the best of it. With a positive, generous sense of purpose, there's no limit to what you can achieve, even when conditions are less than ideal.

Greet each new day and each new turn of events with confidence and enthusiasm. And you'll emerge a winner no matter what.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, March 3, 2008
The future is bright
The future is bright. Because the future is created by positive people.
Those who are negative make a lot of noise about how bad things are. Those who are positive quietly and steadily make a lot of real improvements and contributions to life.

There are always problems and there are always challenges. And there are always people willing to transform those challenges into great opportunities.

Those who have the courage, commitment and discipline to follow their own best dreams, bring the rest of the world along with them. Those who choose to do the best they can with what they have, create a better life for everyone.

For every high-profile guru of doom who wails about how hopeless and unfair life is, there are millions of others working tirelessly to make life better than ever. For every frightening crisis that is breathlessly reported, there are millions of real, meaningful success stories that don't get noticed, but that do have enormous positive influence.

Negative people obsess over the past while positive people work their way eagerly toward the future. Life gets better and better when you choose to make it so, and the future is bright indeed.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The chorus of all that is
You are part of a greater whole. Without you, the whole cannot fully express itself, and without the whole, you are desperately empty.
You are vitally and uniquely important. But that does not make you more important than others. Your thoughts, ideas and actions have the power to transform. But that doesn't give you the right to overwhelm.

Instead, it gives you the obligation to serve. It gives you the opportunity to contribute to something bigger than yourself, something that gracefully encompasses all you are.

By so giving, you enlarge your own life and the world around you. By so giving, you create real value and meaning, and experience profound fulfillment.

Sing your own song, with a passion that comes from the center of your being. And delight in how beautifully it resonates within the chorus of all that is.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Drop the pretenses
Have you ever thought about what an extraordinary burden your pretenses create? In the service of your various pretenses, you waste much time, treasure, effort and emotional energy.
And what do those pretenses accomplish for you? Even if you are highly successful at maintaining them, the most they can bring are the resentments of others.

The pretenses you strive to create and support are, by any reasonable measure, simply not worth having. And fortunately, they're very easy to discard.

What happens when you choose to let go of your pretenses? You experience a wonderful, refreshing and positively exhilarating sense of freedom.

The power and fulfillment you seek through your pretenses can be yours the moment you drop those useless pretenses. The way to be most impressive and effective is to most authentically be the person you are.

Pretense and true confidence cannot both exist in the same space. Drop the pretenses, and watch your confidence rightfully soar.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, March 6, 2008
Hidden in plain view
The most valuable secret of success is that there is no secret. Success comes not from seeking to uncover some exotic hidden formula, but rather through persistently following through on opportunities to create value.
The best shortcut to achievement is to avoid looking for a shortcut. Simply get busy and do the work required, for that is the quickest way to reach the goal you've set.

The most effective way to handle what must be done is to do it. Procrastinating, agonizing, complaining and avoiding will only prolong the task and add greater difficulty to it.

Life is not always easy, and wishing for things to be easier will usually make them more difficult. The time-tested strategy for making life truly easier is to go ahead and work through each challenge as it comes along.

By so doing, you grow stronger, more capable, more effective and more experienced. You put yourself in position to live life on your own terms.

The route to success is no secret, and is in fact hidden in plain view. Use every opportunity to make a difference, and you'll go precisely where you choose to go.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Always enough
Instead of striving to get where you wish to go, simply allow yourself to be there. All that is, is available to you in the moment you're in.
As long as you're trying to understand something, you will fall short. Let go of the desperate need to understand, and you'll find that the understanding is part of you already.

When you think you lack something, that blocks it from your awareness, your experience and your life. Instead of filling your thoughts with what is missing, focus on what is possible.

Relax into the limitless abundance of now. There is always enough, and it is all here for you to allow.

Life's overwhelming richness is mirrored in every little detail. The only thing separating you from that richness is the wall you imagine to be around yourself.

Allow the goodness, the possibilities, the value and joy to fill your life in this moment that is now.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, March 8, 2008
Play
If there's something that confounds you, play with it. Experiment with different options and approaches, without any expectation or agenda other than satisfying your curiosity.
Playing is a superb way to learn and improve. Consider how very many things children learn in their first years of life, and how much of that time they spend playing.

Being overly serious and rigid can bring your creativity to a standstill. Relax, and give yourself permission to play.

Those tasks you enjoy most are the tasks at which you're most effective. Approach your work with a playful sense of delight, and enjoy the experience of improved performance.

Allow yourself the special joy of being curious and playful. Even in the most complicated challenges, there's room for fun.

Play, and be an enthusiastic lifetime learner. Play, and create delightful new value in your world.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, March 10, 2008
In love with life
Fall in love again each moment with life. Breathe in the rich, new wondrous possibilities that are continually being born.
Realize what a grand opportunity exists in even the smallest of matters. Today is a day like no other, and you are magnificently blessed to be a part of all that it encompasses.

The wind blows, the sun shines, night falls, and some days bring brutal cold while others offer stifling heat. There is beauty, there is tragedy, and there is exquisite fulfillment along with bitter disappointment.

On the surface, life is filled with much adventure, activity, change, confusion, excitement, joy and frustration. Underlying it all you'll find abiding peace and goodness that can never be denied.

You have the unique, unmatched good fortune of being you, right here and right now. Take a brief moment to realize and remember who you truly are.

Then look out at the vast expanse of possibilities that surrounds you. And dive lovingly into it in your own special way.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Faithful expression
Fulfillment does not come from grabbing and holding something outside of you. Fulfillment is brought about by being the living expression of what you value most.
The possibilities in life have no limit. Those possibilities you fulfill are the possibilities you choose to embrace and embody.

Life is whatever you can sincerely imagine it to be. Those possibilities that you conceive of, understand, and value are the ones you bring to life.

If you continually hold conflicting possibilities in your mind, then that same conflict will shape the events and circumstances of your life. Focus instead on the good, valuable, desirable possibilities that support and complement each other.

The things you seek become yours when you allow your life to express them. Think of what you can do right now, in this moment, to bring to life your most treasured dreams and values.

Every thought, every word, every action matters, and adds to the substance of your life. When all that you do faithfully expresses the person you are, life is filled with richness and meaning.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Treasure in the challenge
The difficulty of the journey gives meaning and value to the destination. The more effort you put into achievement, the more that achievement is worth.
The problems and challenges are not there to stop you. Their purpose is to bring your commitment to the surface where it can come wholly and powerfully to life.

The tasks that are the most difficult are the ones that make the greatest positive difference. Situations with the most formidable problems are where you find the biggest opportunities.

See the problems for what they are. They provide a clear, compelling path to strength of purpose, creativity, effectiveness, commitment and achievement.

Working your way purposefully and persistently through the challenges will create great and lasting value in your world. With each difficulty you grow stronger and more capable.

See the opportunities that the challenges provide. And make their considerable, substantial value your own.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, March 13, 2008
A way forward
Whatever happens, there is a way forward. Remember that as you welcome each moment and each new development.
Out of any circumstance, you can find a positive pathway. In any situation, there is the opportunity to create success and to experience fulfillment.

Be unconditionally thankful for the moment you're in. Because the moment you're in is filled with real possibilities.

Your gratitude will enable you to see the best of those possibilities. Your expectation of finding the best way forward will enable you to begin moving solidly forward.

There is much to be gained by planning and preparing, by anticipating what is most likely to happen and being ready for it. Yet there is no reason to be paralyzed by worry or fear, because you have what it takes to handle even the most unexpected setbacks.

Know that always, whatever may come, there is a realistic way forward. Have the confidence to find that way, and take yourself to magnificent new heights.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, March 14, 2008
Be clear about why
When your reason for doing so is meaningful enough, you can bear any burden and prevail through any challenge. When you know why, you'll have what it takes to work through how.
If you have a sense that something is too complicated, that merely means that you don't have a compelling enough reason to figure it out. Know why you seek to understand, and that understanding will surely come.

Before beginning any endeavor, take the time to be completely clear with yourself about the reason why. Solidly connecting with the why will activate skills, capabilities and effectiveness that you may not have even known you had.

Whether you seek to motivate yourself or others, a fundamental, essential part of that motivation is knowing why. Without a reason, all the abilities, opportunities, efforts and resources in the world will yield nothing of any value.

Purpose is what makes possibilities come to life. Keep reminding yourself why, in rich and colorful detail, and you will find a way to do whatever you intend to do.

Before you even think about how to proceed, make sure you clearly know why. After that, you'll begin moving forward faster and more reliably than you ever could have thought possible.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, March 15, 2008
Peaceful effectiveness
Be continually at peace with yourself, and absolutely anything is possible. Rid your mind of all inner conflict, and the outer conflicts will not matter.
Realize that you can transcend anything, and everything becomes an opportunity. Decline to be caught up in the wasteful, destructive power struggles of the world, and you'll find the real power to create according to your highest vision.

Gratefully and graciously accept each day as it comes. Let go of what has been, and eagerly take in all that is.

Choose your intentions as if they will come to life in great abundance. For when those intentions are sincerely filled with positive, meaningful purpose, they will indeed become real.

Instead of struggling to get one up on everyone else, raise your awareness to the point at which the competition is insignificant. Get in the habit of creating value, and you won't feel the need to take it from others.

To be truly effective, be truly peaceful, sincere, thankful and accepting. Find delight and fulfillment in pulling all of life forward.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, March 17, 2008
A burden you don't deserve
It's easy to blame someone else for your troubles. Yet when you're truly honest with yourself, it's clear that blaming someone else will not add the slightest bit of value to your life.
It seems fair and reasonable to expect your problems to be solved by the people who caused them, but stop and think about it. Do you really wish to give those people who caused your problems any additional control over your life and your future?

To move your life in the direction you choose to go, you must be willing to take full responsibility for it. That means moving past what's easy and accepting that things are not always going to be fair.

Perhaps life has given you a burden you don't deserve. Instead of seeing that as an excuse to give up, see it as an opportunity to give more.

Though you may not have brought the troubles upon yourself, you can nevertheless make positive use of them. Choose to take full responsibility for your own situation, and you'll begin to see how you can rise from it to a level that's higher than ever before.

Real success does not result from everything going perfectly. Real success comes when you're willing to move forward no matter what may happen.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Truly live
Think of the best possible thing that you could accomplish today, and then ask yourself this. What would be even better?
Instead of lowering your expectations to be more in line with reality, raise those expectations and then improve your reality so it matches them. That's a much better choice and yes, you can most certainly do it.

Realize that the best is yet to come. Then get busy and make it happen.

What has happened before may be interesting and useful to know about. Yet all of that is in the past, and right now the world is filled with brand new possibilities.

The quality of your life right now depends on how you live it right now. What will you choose to do with such a magnificent opportunity?

This is the moment when you can mold life into whatever you would like it to be. Take a deep breath, stand up, walk forward and truly live all the wonder that is here.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Live life as it comes
Life has a beautiful rhythm and pace. Live it as it comes.
If you try to outrun life, you miss much of its beauty. Instead of racing ahead to cover more ground, see the treasures that are right here and now.

Rather than resenting or regretting what has already happened, focus your thoughts on the good you can do in this moment. There are plenty of opportunities when you choose to see them.

If you're constantly chasing life, the best of it eludes you. Decide to do a little less pursuing and a lot more enjoying.

You cannot do all of this week's breathing, or eating, or sleeping in just one day. There's plenty of time to get everything done if you'll just stop wasting so much effort on jumping ahead.

Seek to live in harmony with the rhythm and flow of life. Live life as it comes, and it will come to you in great abundance.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, March 20, 2008
Here to do great things
You are worthy of all the goodness that life can hold. You are capable of making a valuable contribution to the moment you're in.
You do not need to beg for the kindness of others. For you have within you the ability to express and manifest enough kindness to fill your world.

There is no reason for you to feel sorry for yourself, and there is no point in acting in such a way that others feel sorry for you. For a world full of positive possibilities awaits you, if you will simply lift your head and open your eyes.

You have no cause to be ashamed of who you are or where you come from. For there is so much you have to offer.

You were born to do things that have never been done, to understand things that have never been understood. You are here in this place to express the rich and unique beauty that lives within you.

Don't let the silly little dramas of each day get you down. For you are here to do great things.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Be success
Only when you're able to accept the possibility of getting it wrong will you have the persistence to get it right. Meaningful success rarely comes from a single transaction.
Success is a consistent pattern more than it is an isolated event. It is the way you live rather than some object or experience you acquire.

In fact, the way to truly have success is to be success. Success is yours when you persistently embody the discipline, the integrity, the positive attitude, the respect and all the other attributes of which it is made.

Visualize yourself today as a living, breathing, active and dynamic manifestation of success. In what way does such a vision compel you to think, to speak, to act and to live?

If you consider success to be something outside of you, that's where it will always remain -- outside of you and apart from you. Instead, choose to not merely be successful, but to be success itself.

In your thoughts, your words, your actions and your expectations, be the living embodiment of success. And whatever you envision will surely be within your reach.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Your moment to fulfill
This day is too valuable to waste. The people in your life are too beautiful to ignore.
Take a moment to remember how fortunate you are to be you. Take a look around, with your eyes lovingly and enthusiastically open to the possibilities.

Most of what you fear does not even exist. Much of what you love is closer than you realize.

You are just one small step away from being on the path toward your most treasured dream. You are just one brief thought away from understanding the richness that is your life.

You have traveled a long way to be where you are. With every step you have gained something of real and lasting value.

Now is a day to move forward with more experience, knowledge and wisdom than ever before. Now is your moment to realize and fulfill the miracle that is your life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Small opportunities
Big opportunities come to those who make the most of the small opportunities. Small opportunities are present in each moment and in every situation.
Today is filled with small opportunities. In little bits of time that might otherwise be wasted, there is treasure waiting to be created.

Having a clear sense of purpose brings those small opportunities to light. Living with a strong commitment to move forward compels you to seize those opportunities and make the most of them.

Small steps, taken consistently, put you in position to take big steps. Save a few dollars a day, day after day, for example, and soon you have hundreds or thousands of dollars available to invest.

Honing your skills on the small things, by learning what works and what doesn't, will prepare you to successfully handle the big challenges and opportunities. Time is your friend when you make continuous use of it to grow stronger and more capable.

Everywhere you look, there are small ways for you to make a positive difference. String enough of them together, and absolutely anything is within your reach.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Fully convinced
If you're having trouble taking action, it's probably because you haven't fully convinced yourself that it must be done. Once you truly convince yourself, you'll most certainly make it happen.
Perhaps you think it's something that is important. Yet there's a big difference between thinking it's important and knowing, without the least bit of doubt, that it must be done.

So if you're hesitant to take action, look within yourself for the reason why. Have the courage, and make the effort, to answer your own objections.

You may discover that you're not sincerely committed to achieving the results your actions would bring. And if that's the case, you can choose to either find that commitment or to move on to something else.

Your thoughts and actions are incredibly powerful. And to focus them in a particular direction, you must be absolutely convinced.

Convincing yourself is indeed a challenge, and that's as it should be. For when you truly convince yourself to do it, you have the power to make it so.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
If you could choose
If you could choose what kind of world to live in, what kind of world would you choose? If you could determine how the upcoming day will be, with what kinds of things would you fill it?
If you had the power to decide what types of opportunities would come your way, what opportunities would you select? If you knew that your experiences would equal your expectations, what would your expectations be?

In fact, you do have the power to choose the way that much of your world will be. You do have the ability to decide what kinds of events, experiences, opportunities and circumstances come your way.

For the world you experience is the world with which your dreams, your thoughts, your expectations and your actions most closely resonate. The world you see and live in, is the world you most sincerely expect to see.

The universe is filled with endless possibilities, and those possibilities keep growing more numerous with each minute. The way you live determines which of those possibilities come into contact with your life.

With your thoughts, with your actions, with your values, dreams and expectations, you do indeed choose what kind of world you live in. The way you are, is closely mirrored in the world you see.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, March 27, 2008
What begins in your mind
Your worries create their own fulfillment. But you don't have to worry about that, because you can let those worries go.
Your fears bring you closer toward whatever you fear. But do not fear such a scenario, because you have the ability to let those fears go.

Your thoughts do not end when you finish thinking them. They continue to echo through your life in ways you may not even realize.

So fill your mind with thoughts of gratitude for the abundance you already enjoy. That abundance will most certainly grow as a result.

When you feel doubt, or fear, or anger, or frustration, know that you can let it go just as surely as you can pull your hand away from a painful sensation. Keep your life focused on the goodness, on the positive possibilities and on your most treasured dreams.

What begins in your mind ends up in your life. Think continually of the way you most would like to be, and your reality will reliably fall in line.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, March 28, 2008
Treasures for this day
This is a new day, so use it to add new and useful treasures to your life. You are blessed with this moment, so make it a moment filled with value and meaning.
There is no limit to what you can understand. Today is the perfect opportunity to add to your understanding.

Kindness does not leave you when you give it away, but in fact grows more abundant within your life. This is an ideal time to find a delightful new outlet for your kindness.

Look back at the challenges you've been through and recall how each one has brought a new kind of strength into your life. Is there some new, purposeful and empowering challenge that you can now offer to yourself?

Real joy is something that lights up your whole world. Somewhere in this day is a new and wonderful way for you to express the joy that lives within you.

Each moment that passes brings with it the opportunity to discover and give life to a new treasure. How many new treasures will you make today?

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, March 29, 2008
Yours to create
If anyone has been able to do it before, you can do it too. If no one has ever done it, you can be the first.
What seems out of your reach now, gets closer the moment you begin working toward it. There is a way to achieve what you choose, when you commit yourself to continue taking action.

If you could have it all instantly, it would not be worth having. For the real value of accomplishment is in the accomplishing.

You are smart, and motivated, and flexible and resourceful. When you decide to make it happen, you will surely find your way there.

Focus on the reason for doing it, the deepest reason you can find within yourself. That will keep you going as long as necessary.

Achievement is yours to create, when it's something to which you're truly committed. Get it done, and know the special joy of making the world a better place.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, March 31, 2008
Never stop reaching
It is only when a seed grows that it can produce more seeds. It is only when you express joy and abundance in your own life that you can help others to know joy and abundance in their lives.
To make yourself miserable for the sake of helping others will serve no useful purpose at all. The best way to be of service to others is from a position of strength and fulfillment rather than from a position of weakness and despair.

The goals and dreams and desires that are so undeniably your own are yours for a reason. They are showing you, and at the same time compelling you, to make the most of your life.

It is not selfish to be your very best. What's truly selfish is to let your enormous potential go unrealized.

What have you always wanted to know, always wanted to have, always wanted to do, and always wanted to be? It is never too late to honestly answer that question, and to answer it with all the colorful detail and passion that it deserves.

For in the answer to that question is your own truly beautiful and unique gift to life. Never stop reaching for the best you can imagine; for when you fulfill your highest possibilities, you raise the whole world up with you.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The way you feel
As you go through this day, make an effort to notice one small, insignificant little frustration that you'd normally get upset about. Then do yourself a favor, and simply let it go.
Experience, in that small way, the freedom of being in control of the way you feel. And realize that you can extend that control to every situation in which you find yourself.

The little things most certainly do not have to get you down. And neither do the big things.

At any moment, the way you feel is the way you choose to feel. The way you respond is the way you choose to respond.

Do you really wish to be under the control of those who do not have your best interest at heart? Of course you don't.

Base your feelings on the unique, valuable person you know you are, and on the positive possibilities available to you. Feel the genuine greatness of this moment, and you can bring it to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Select your direction
Your destination depends not on where you are but on which way you go. Your results depend not on what has happened, and not on what you have, but on what you do with it all.
From here, you can go anywhere. There are pathways leading in every direction.

What matters now is which of those pathways you choose. What matters now is the next step you take.

Give yourself permission to decide what you truly desire for your life and for your world. And know that there is a way, right now, to begin creating it.

When your thoughts and actions have a clear, specific purpose, each moment will carry you closer to the fulfillment of that purpose. When you move consistently in a chosen direction, you cannot help but reach the destination you choose.

Lovingly, thoughtfully and carefully select your direction today. You are always moving toward something, so make that something exactly what you wish.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, April 3, 2008
What tomorrow will bring
Life is dynamic. And for that reason, the bad news is never as bad as it seems.
Whatever may happen, whatever condition may arise, you can adjust to it and make the most of it. Not only can you survive in the face of changing conditions, you can indeed prosper.

When you look at new developments through the lens of your existing assumptions, they can often appear overwhelmingly negative and hopeless. Yet when you start working your way through the new conditions, brilliant opportunities begin to appear at nearly every turn.

Circumstances are constantly changing, and even the changes are constantly changing. As you continue to adapt, and as those around you also adapt, positive new possibilities emerge and take root.

It's difficult to know precisely what tomorrow will bring. Yet you can know with confidence that whatever tomorrow does offer, there will be a way for you to make the most of it.

For the value and goodness of life never go away. They just continue to be presented to you in new and more fulfilling ways.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, April 4, 2008
Conflicting desires
You are highly skilled and experienced at fulfilling your desires. The problem is, many of your desires conflict with other of your own desires.
For example, a desire to continually consume junk food would be in conflict with a desire to be fit and lean. A desire to go fishing every day can undermine the desire to be successful in your career.

The challenge of achieving meaningful success and fulfillment is largely a challenge of prioritizing and directing your own desires. In fact, the challenges imposed by the outside world are often much less severe than the challenges of choosing between conflicting desires within you.

So how do you resolve the conflicts between your desires? First, accept each desire as it arrives, without judgment or resistance.

Then, remind yourself that you can choose to follow that desire, or to follow an alternate desire, or to follow no desire at all for the moment. Finally, know that you can quickly and easily let go of each desire.

See your desires as reminders and suggestions rather than imperative commands. Calmly accept and consider each desire, knowing that you always have a choice, and your desires will stop fighting against each other.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, April 5, 2008
What is it?
It can turn a dreary day into a day that's bright and exciting. It can transform a mundane task from a burden into a joy.
It can make wonderful, valuable possibilities suddenly appear all around you. It can draw positive people and positive experiences toward you in any situation.

It can open the door to a world filled with abundance. It can enable you to learn, to achieve, to grow and to prosper.

It can change problems into opportunities. It can pick you up and get you moving forward after even the most difficult setbacks.

What is it and what makes it so powerful? It's your attitude, and when it is positively focused it can truly change your world.

For the world in which you live is shaped by the way you choose to see it. Carry a positive, thankful, forward-looking attitude with you, and wherever you go, you'll be able to do great and wonderful things.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, April 7, 2008
Fill it with all you are
If you've been looking for an opportunity, this is it. If you've been waiting for the right time to move forward, that time has arrived.
On this day, you have the power to take action. In this moment, you have the ability to make a difference.

Hopes, dreams and wishes can be powerful and compelling, yet if they remain imprisoned within you, you'll never know their true beauty and value. Now is when you can take the very best of what's in you, and give it room to grow.

Reality is where you are right here and now. And the great thing is, you're able to shape that reality as it arrives.

So take the opportunity to shape the reality of this day to mirror the best that is within you. This is when your values, your visions, and your unique essence can be given expression and fulfillment.

The time is upon you to create and to experience life's richness in your own special way. Fill it with meaning and purpose, and fill it with all you are.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, April 8, 2008
It comes back
You have no way of knowing how or when all the things you do will come back to you. What you can know is that they will.
Some obscure and seemingly useless fact you learn today could end up playing a major role in your life next week, or five years from now. Some small favor that you do tomorrow may come back to you in a few months as a grand opportunity.

You never know exactly how life will reflect back the face you present to it. Yet eventually, and quite faithfully, it does come back to you.

The value that you put into life becomes the value that you experience from life. The more love you give, the more love you are able to know.

Your words do not end when you speak them, and your actions do not stop when you've completed them. They go out into life and begin connecting you with the people, circumstances and things that resonate with those words and actions of yours.

Live as though the things you do, in one way or another, will come back to you. For you can be certain that they will.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Make it better
Whatever way this day is going, you can make it better. You have the power, the ability and the opportunity to do so.
If you find yourself in a good and useful situation, you can make it even better. When you encounter a difficult and troubling situation, you can make that better as well.

Accept the reality of what is. Then get busy making your own unique positive contribution using whatever you have to work with.

Look at the events and circumstances of life not as things to fight against or to attempt to grab. See them as opportunities to build and grow.

Be truly thankful for whatever comes your way. For within all of it, there is room for you to add as much real, meaningful value as you wish.

See the possibilities in every moment, and find ways to give your best to life. Always, you can make it better, and by continuing to do so, you make it great.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Have a goal
When you're not headed in any particular direction, that's where you'll end up arriving -- nowhere. When you have no specific goal in mind, that's what you'll end up accomplishing -- not much.
Sometimes it can be truly helpful and enlightening to wander without a clear destination and to explore new territory. Yet if that's all you ever do, all that enlightenment will never be put to use.

When you give yourself a clear, specific goal, your actions take on the power of purpose. That can help to make you more creative, resourceful, persistent and effective.

Set a couple of goals for today, and you become far more likely to get those things done. Powerful forces, some of which you may not even realize or understand, are set in motion by your intentions.

Before you start to move forward, decide for yourself exactly what it means to move forward. Before you begin to take action, be sure you know the reason for that action.

You'll accomplish much more when you clearly know what you intend to accomplish. Get a goal, and you'll make it happen.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, April 11, 2008
Let go and enjoy
Sometimes you can hold so tightly to what you enjoy that you deny yourself the opportunity to enjoy new and different things. You can become so worried about losing something you enjoy that it ceases to be enjoyable.
It's important to keep in mind that your sense of enjoyment does not come from anything that's outside of you. The enjoyment you experience comes from you.

Certainly you identify that enjoyment with various people, places, things and situations in your world. Yet the reason you know these things as enjoyable is because you choose to enjoy them.

When you're willing to let go of what you enjoy, you can actually enjoy it more. When your energy is not consumed by possessiveness or fear, you have more energy available for true enjoyment.

Every moment and every experience is precious for what it is. Instead of striving to hold tightly to it, let it come, let it go, and let the next moment bring its own unique treasure.

Allow enjoyment to flow out from within you. And there will always be plenty to enjoy.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

Saturday, April 12, 2008
This moment is what it is
Choose to accept all that comes your way and in it you will find great value. Resist the urge to impose your judgment on the people, places, things and events that surround you, and you'll connect with many more possibilities.

To make the very best of any situation, you must first acknowledge and accept the reality of what it is. That provides you with a valuable starting point from which you can move in any direction you choose.

To deny or to fight against what has already happened will merely waste your energy and resources. To wish that things had been different, or to pretend that they are, will do you no good.

Instead, visualize what can be in all the richness and detail that you can imagine. Then find a step you can take right now that will lead you in the direction of your dream.

Losers argue about what has happened and who is at fault, and put their energy into resentment for what is. Winners choose the life they wish to create, and find a way to move toward it from any situation.

This moment is here and now, and this moment is what it is. Accept it fully, with enthusiasm and gratitude, and take a big step in the direction of your dream.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, April 14, 2008
To be alive
Give for the sake of giving. Love for the sake of love.
Live for the sake of living. Learn just because you can.

Don't fill the future with ambiguous motives or imagined fears. Fill the moment you're in with the extraordinary richness of ordinary life.

This day is a gift that you've never had before. Jump in and explore the exquisite treasure that is right now at your feet.

Life's beauty appears at exactly the place where you choose to see it. Choose to see the beauty and value of whatever situation you find yourself experiencing.

Listen to the part of you that resonates with life's true and never ending goodness. Experience again and again, in a new way each time, what it means to be alive.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Every choice is an opportunity
Every choice has certain benefits. And every choice has its costs.
If you are willing to bear the costs of a particular choice in order to enjoy the benefits, then go ahead with it. If the costs are too high for you when compared to the benefits, then move on and find another, more appropriate choice.

When you adopt an attitude that life, or the world, or your community owes you something, you set yourself up for extreme disappointment. Realize instead that you are already living in a universe filled with abundance, and that creating meaningful value out of that abundance is up to you.

No matter who you are, where you are from, or what you have, a life of fulfillment requires personal effort, commitment and integrity from you. It is through making continued positive choices that you line up life's abundance in ways that uniquely express your visions and values.

Every moment is a choice, and every choice is an opportunity to build real and meaningful value in your life. Your choices enable you to direct efforts so that those efforts add up to something great and desirable.

Through the choices you make, you have the power to access the very best of life. Choose often, choose wisely, choose with the highest intentions, and your choices will take you precisely where you wish to go.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
What you imagine
Have you ever thought about what a powerful, flexible and creative thing your imagination is? With your imagination, you can create whole worlds that have never existed before.
What's even more amazing is this. The creations of your imagination are not confined to your imagination.

There are absolutely no limits to what you can imagine. And much of what you imagine works its way into the rest of your life.

You can completely control your powerful imagination simply by choosing to do so. Imagine the very best for your world in rich detail and intensity, and the things you imagine begin to grow in the reality of your life.

For your imagination reaches beyond your thoughts and your mind. Its transforming power comes from the fact that it is connected to all you are.

Life becomes the way you most sincerely and consistently imagine it to be. What do you dare to imagine?

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, April 17, 2008
Move forward anyway
You may not get it right on the first attempt. Do it anyway, and you'll soon figure it out.
People are likely to come up with all sorts of reasons why it will never work. Work on it anyway, and commit yourself to handling each challenge as it comes.

Something unexpected will probably happen, in your life, in your industry, or in the world at large, that will cause many of your assumptions to be incorrect. Move forward anyway, because you are perfectly capable of adjusting to changing conditions.

It's possible that you won't get the results you expected. Learn from the results you do get, and with your newfound knowledge you'll discover ways to achieve even better results than you first expected.

There is no good reason to deny yourself the opportunity to accomplish whatever you choose to accomplish. Life is about making a difference, and you will never run out of ways to do that.

Whatever has happened, whatever they say, whatever the state of the weather or the economy may be, move forward anyway. Life is what you choose to make it.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Turning point
Your troubles can sometimes be your greatest blessings. Because those troubles will hound you relentlessly until you make valuable improvements.
Your troubles help you to see and understand your weaknesses. And that enables you to start transforming those weaknesses into strengths.

The best way to respond to trouble is not to curse it, but to do it one better. See each challenge as an opportunity to raise yourself to a higher level.

As with everything else, your troubles are what you make of them. You can choose to make each one a turning point to a more positive and fulfilled life.

Many of history's greatest accomplishments were responses to terribly difficult problems. Many of your own greatest advances have been in response to challenging situations.

Choose to find the positive possibilities in everything that comes your way. And no problems will ever be able to hold you back.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, April 19, 2008
Free from worry
Stop worrying about being perfect. Just be sincere, honest and authentic.
Stop worrying about what might or might not happen at some future time. Put your energy and attention into connecting with the richness of right now.

Take a deep, refreshing breath and feel the freedom as you let go of every worry you've been holding. Experience the full power of your thoughts and actions when they are constantly pointed in a positive direction.

Allow your thoughts to support and encourage you rather than hinder you. Free yourself to deal effectively and successfully with what is real and what is now.

Get in the habit of choosing and following your best possibilities instead of worrying about the worst ones. Bring your highest intentions to life and leave the worries far behind.

Worry brings you nothing worth having, so choose right now to free yourself from its grip. Focus on what you can do and why, and experience the true goodness that life can offer.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Choose your commitments
You won't be able to commit to anything if you try to commit to everything. Be willing to say no to the things that are not really important, and you'll be able to say yes, in a big way, to those things that are most meaningful.
A few, carefully selected, quality commitments will bring much more value to your life than a whole calendar full of shallow, relatively meaningless ones. The depth and meaning of life's experiences matter more than the sheer volume of them.

Just because you're busy doesn't necessarily mean you're making real progress. Take some time to consider just where all that activity is taking you.

Life is filled with all sorts of wonderful opportunities for real fulfillment. There's no need to grab at everything that happens to come by.

Every single day is precious and unique. Spend each day moving life forward in a personally meaningful way.

Choose your commitments with care and grace, with love and purpose. Then you can truly know the joy of giving yourself fully to them.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Negative to positive
Positive energy is very nearly the same as negative energy. It's just focused in a different direction.
The best way to deal with negative energy is not to fight against it. Instead, make positive use of that energy by redirecting it.

For example, at the heart of frustration, when you strip away the circumstances, it feels a lot like enthusiasm. And in fact, by simply focusing the energy of your frustration in a different direction, you can transform it into enthusiasm.

For everything that you feel the urge to oppose, there's something else that you can support. Each instance of negative energy has a positive counterpart.

When you're feeling negative, you're actually quite close to being positive. Just make the choice to focus the intensity of your feelings on what you value and appreciate, rather than on what you don't want.

No matter what is coming your way, you can point the considerable power of your life in a positive direction. Remember what you're in favor of, and put your life into it.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
A job well done
Nothing can compare to the satisfaction you receive from a job well done. When the problems have been solved and the difficult tasks have been completed, you know without a doubt that you've created something of real value.
Any difficult challenge can seem a bit overwhelming when you first encounter it. Yet as you begin to work on it, you transform it from overwhelming to fulfilling.

The confidence you gain from a job well done cannot be obtained in any other way. And that confidence will still be with you long after the work has been completed.

The real value of accomplishment is not in the having. It is in the doing.

Success is a state of mind, and the most reliable way to reach that state of mind is by working through a meaningful challenge. What a blessing it is that there is always work to be done.

Step willingly forward and take on those tasks that you know will make a difference. And enjoy the continuing benefits that flow from a job well done.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, April 24, 2008
Dreamer and doer
Is it best to be a dreamer or is it best to be a doer? Actually, it is helpful to be both.
In all great creations, the idealistic exists with the pragmatic in elegant proportions. A dream is of little value unless you put action into it, and action won't get you very far unless there is meaningful purpose behind it.

Allow yourself to dream grand, magnificent dreams that express the deepest essence of who you are. Then let those dreams pull you steadily through the practical, nuts-and-bolts work of making them real.

Work through each day with diligence and persistence, doing what there is to be done. And as you do, stay close to the dreamer that always lives within you.

As a dreamer, you can envision a world and a life with no limits. As a doer, you can focus on something that has never existed before and make it real.

Let your most treasured dreams focus your actions and let your actions express your dreams. Be both a dreamer and a doer, and dive deeply into the multifaceted treasure that is your life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, April 25, 2008
Sustainable pace
Small efforts bring large results when repeated often enough. And anyone has the ability to make a small effort.
Small efforts meet with little or no resistance. Over time, with patience and persistence, those small efforts can steadily wear down the most formidable challenges.

Often, the progress that is the most reliable and unstoppable is the progress that falls below the threshold of detection. Though each individual effort may seem to have no effect when you make it, at some point you'll look back and realize the enormous impact of all your efforts added together.

When you seek instant gratification from every action, you make life needlessly painful and frustrating. When you choose instead to treat each moment as an opportunity to make a small, positive, long-term investment in your life, the rewards will be many and great.

Progress on your journey with one modest, joyful step at a time. By moving at a sustainable pace, you'll be able to keep moving for as long as it takes to get exactly where you choose to go.

Enjoy success and fulfillment as they come, one small effort after another. Steadily add the special value of each moment to your life, and you'll create a treasure that you can never lose.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, April 26, 2008
A memorable day
Decide right now to make this day a memorable one. Make use of the precious moments now available to you to do something you'll continue to remember and be thankful for, years and years from now.
This very day is your opportunity to move life forward in a significant way. Choose to find your enjoyment today in making a real and enduring positive difference.

Do you realize how fortunate you are to be able to transform the fleeting hours of this day into something that will continue to add value to the world long after this day is over? Can you see how profoundly fulfilling it will be to live this day in such a way that you can always look back upon it with grateful satisfaction?

Just imagine living every day that way. Then, go beyond merely imagining it and start to continually live with a strong and abiding sense of true purpose.

The whole universe spreads out in front of you. And anything is possible in this very moment.

Make this day a beautiful and memorable one. Then repeat the process, again and again, for each new day that comes your way.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, April 28, 2008
Frame of life
The way you frame your life has a major impact on the way your life unfolds. The way you see yourself and your place in the world determines who you truly are.
The unstated assumptions upon which you rely are constantly exerting their influence. Your deepest, most sincere feelings about life have a way of coloring every circumstance.

The events in your world do not just happen without reason or source. They are driven by your most fundamental expectations of how you will find life to be.

In each small moment and in every large undertaking, your frame of life sets the stage. So choose to frame your life with love, with respect, with beauty, grace and a focus on the most magnificent possibilities.

The way you see the world determines the kind of world you see. So decide to assume, expect and look for the very best you can imagine.

Live with a positive, enthusiastic and thankful frame of life. And within that empowering frame, you will create a masterpiece that grows more beautiful with each moment.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Unsurpassed enthusiasm
When the going gets rough, that's not a sign that you must lower your expectations. It is precisely during such times that your best strategy is to raise those expectations.

If your goal is to merely get by, to do nothing more than just break even, there's nothing in it to motivate or inspire you. Set your sights on a destination so compelling that you'll be pulled toward it just by thinking about it.

Giving up and settling for less is never the answer to life's challenges. See those challenges as the tremendously valuable opportunities that they are.

Always, always, always there are rich rewards waiting for those who can produce and provide real value to life. That is even more acutely true in times of turmoil and uncertainty.

You have so very much to offer, for you are smart, experienced, adaptable, curious, open-minded and willing to make a positive difference. So by all means, get busy making your own unique contribution to life with every opportunity that comes your way.

This is your time to shine more brightly than ever before. Greet this day, and every day, with the unsurpassed enthusiasm of knowing what a truly grand opportunity is now in your hands.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Fulfillment never ceases
Fulfillment is not a matter of doing more. It is a matter of focusing who you are, what you have and the actions you are already taking.
Fulfillment flows from focusing your life around specific and authentically held intentions. When the intention is clear, consistent and meaningful, you already have sufficient means to bring it about.

Though you will surely cross through formidable challenges, fulfillment is not a struggle. Rather, it is a unique and magnificent expression which receives its nourishment from those very challenges.

Fulfillment brings the ineffable treasures inside of you to the surface and beyond, where they manifest as great value. Fulfillment is a medium through which you intimately interact with all of life, strengthening the presence of joy in the process.

The fulfillment of your most profound desires is always present in your life. By your continual thankfulness for what is, you allow and enable the fulfillment of what can be.

See the beauty, feel the joy, and keep your thoughts filled with the most positive and meaningful possibilities. For fulfillment never ceases.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, May 1, 2008
Desires that tug at your soul
Do not be ashamed of the things you desire. Be diligent in exploring the depths of those desires.
Do not settle for mere superficial desires. Find the pure, undeniable truth of the underlying purpose that gives rise to those desires.

The best way to be is to be who you are. True success is living with authenticity, being joyfully honest about your own life.

Let your life unfold more fully with each moment. The passing of time is always your friend because it brings you ever closer to who you truly are.

There is magic in the most ordinary of moments. For you are life witnessing itself from a fresh perspective, filled with more possibilities than ever before.

Pay heed to the desires that tug at your soul. And discover new miracles to which you can give birth.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, May 2, 2008
What do you expect?
You don't have to look very far to find a reason to feel sorry for yourself. But why would you want to waste even a few moments of your precious life on self pity?
It's easy to come up with perfectly reasonable excuses for lowering your expectations and hiding away from life. But then all you're left with are worthless excuses.

There are certain circumstances under which some people see themselves as victims. Yet under those exact same circumstances other people find and make the most of truly grand opportunities.

When you expect life to be cruel and harsh, it will live up to your expectations. When, on the other hand, you consider yourself to be extremely fortunate, you will become even more so.

There is great value in every moment. Positive possibilities are generated by every turn and twist of fate.

No matter what may happen or fail to happen, life is what you choose to make it. Choose again and again, in every situation, to make it great.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, May 3, 2008
Choose peace
The peace you experience comes from who and what you are, and how you choose to be. The world around you can be full of turmoil and strife, and yet you can be completely at peace in your own heart.
Peace is one of the surest signs of strength. Inner peace brings true outer strength.

Those who lack confidence feel the need to lash out. Those who are strong have what it takes to stay calm and peaceful.

When your identity and fulfillment are tied to fleeting, superficial things, it is impossible to remain at peace. When you invest your being in true and lasting values, and when you remain ever vigilant to those values, you develop the confidence and strength to be peaceful.

Peace cannot be forced on anyone, and true peace cannot be forcibly taken from anyone. Peace comes to those who are strong enough and wise enough to choose it, and with that peace comes an abundance of living that is otherwise impossible to know.

Choose peace. And with the strength of your choice, help it to grow.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, May 5, 2008
The power of responsibility
Responsibility is not a burden. It is the key that enables you to exercise control over your own destiny.
Only by taking responsibility are you able to move life in the direction of your own dreams and visions. Responsibility fully engages the best of who you are.

Responsibility can be difficult, time-consuming, unfair, inconvenient and uncomfortable. Yet it also brings you to a level of empowerment that cannot be reached in any other way.

At the heart of true achievement is responsibility. An essential element of meaningful fulfillment is responsibility.

Every great opportunity is an opportunity to take responsibility. Whatever the situation, the most successful way forward is to act with responsibility.

No matter what has happened, or who is to blame, or how it all came to be, choose to take full responsibility for your life. For that is the first step in making it great.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
What's now
Before you rush away from this moment, take a look around and see its beauty. Instead of worrying about what's next, see the immense value that's already yours in what's now.
Savor the time you're in and the place where you are. Appreciate all that you have instead of being obsessed with how to get more.

You are already wealthy beyond all measure. Open your eyes to now, open your heart to purpose, and experience in rich detail the miracle that is your life.

There's nothing to be gained by racing furiously away from this moment in search of more. Instead, put your energy into accepting all that is and you'll find it is more than enough.

Put your focus, care, love, attention, interest, curiosity, purpose and passion into where you are right now. This is your time and place to live, to achieve, to feel, to learn and to experience.

Everything you are, you are right now. Be here and live the richness.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, May 7, 2008
True wealth
Wealth is not a specific number or amount. It is an attitude.
There is more than enough abundance in the world. It is yours to the extent that you imagine it to be and then proceed to live and to genuinely act according to your expectations.

The less you need, the more you have. When you need nothing, you have it all.

What you grab from others will be of no use to you. It is the value you're able to provide to others that creates enduring wealth.

You can be wealthy this very moment. For when you sincerely see yourself as wealthy, you truly are.

Look within yourself and discover the true wealth that is unique to you. And find real joy in building upon that wealth, day after day.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, May 8, 2008
Meaningful effort
Seek not to avoid all effort, for that would curse you with unbearable emptiness. Seek instead to fill your life with meaningful efforts that resonate with your deepest purpose.
Your ability to make a difference is one of your greatest blessings. The more often you put that ability into practice, the more fulfilling your life will be.

You have your own special gifts to give to all of life. The intense longing within you is a longing to make a positive difference in your own unique way.

The universe in which you live is so wonderfully diverse and abundant that there are countless ways for you to create new value. You know each time you find one of those ways because it feels so right.

Don't settle for the meaningless trinkets that will soon rust and fade away. Build your life upon those efforts and resulting accomplishments that express the true beauty of who you are.

The time you invest in meaningful effort will produce rewards that continue to grow more valuable. And you'll fill your life with a richness that can never be taken away.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, May 9, 2008
Freedom from anger
Acknowledge your anger, feel it fully, allow it to be, and then quickly move beyond it. Instead of fighting against your anger or letting it control you, choose to experience it and then let it go.
When you hold on to anger, it drags you down. By allowing and then quickly dropping the anger, you put yourself in a powerful position to deal with whatever brought about that anger.

Anger can get your attention and get you going. Yet if you hold it for long it will surely hold you back.

Sometimes your anger may be valid and other times it may not. Whether it is valid or not, anger almost always makes you much less effective and hinders your ability to move forward.

Anger often perpetuates and strengthens those very things at which it is directed. So the best strategy is to first let it be and then let it go.

Decide to be strong and effective, to put your energy into moving forward. Drop the anger and raise yourself to a higher level of positive control and effectiveness.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, May 10, 2008
The life that is you
You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be miserable. Which would you rather be?
You can choose to make productive and purposeful use of the moments in this day. Or you can choose to let the time slip away and be left with nothing but regret.

Life is what you decide you are going to make of it. What have you decided to make of the possibility-filled moment that is right now?

You can complain that it's all so very unfair, but all that will accomplish is to bring you down even more. Or, you can fully accept life as it is and then experience the genuine satisfaction of making your way forward in spite of the obstacles.

You can choose to hide behind excuses or you can open yourself up to the richness of life. You can decide to make the most of whatever comes your way, and know how great it feels to be fully alive and engaged in your world.

No matter what has come before, life in this moment is what you decide to make it. Consider all the possibilities, and then choose the life that is you.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, May 12, 2008
Your great wealth
The things you want are not really what you want. What you want is to be the person who creates, expresses or experiences those things.
And that is something that's available to you at any time and under any circumstance. Nothing can hold you back when you're committed to moving your life forward.

Your most treasured dream is just one moment away. For in one moment, you can be well on your way to making it real.

Life's overflowing abundance surrounds you on this very day. By connecting with just a small fraction of what's available to you, a lifetime of true richness is yours.

Say yes to the wonder and value that is your unique life. Say yes to the possibilities that ignite a passion in your very soul.

You are already wealthy beyond all measure when it comes to what's truly important. Put that great wealth to great use, on this day and every day of your life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, May 13, 2008
A reflection of what you think
The world you see is a reflection of what you think of it. The values by which you live are continually coming back to you.
Your life embodies those ideas to which you give your complete and persistent attention. A life sincerely focused upon peace and happiness is a life filled with peace and happiness.

Whatever you support with your actions and thoughts, you experience in the moments and days of your life. Whether desire or fear, curiosity or obsession, your thoughts pull you steadfastly toward your reality.

You are, right now, busy becoming the person you think you will become. Today, already and always, you are living the life you most authentically expect to live.

The simple act of intentionally deciding upon a destination will point you solidly in that direction. A small adjustment in your attitude can make a major difference in your world.

Anything is possible. What actually happens in your life is an accurate reflection of how you see yourself living it.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Genuinely enjoy
There is more to enjoying life than just collecting objects or experiences that will impress others. The most sublime enjoyment is enjoyment for its own sake.
Are you constantly concerned with what advantage you'll gain from life's experiences? Then you'll end up with a lot of advantages but not any real enjoyment.

Pleasure can be nice; yet pleasure does not equal enjoyment, and the pursuit of mere pleasure can end up enslaving you because pleasure chains you to some specific object or condition. If pleasure is your primary objective, as time goes by you'll need more and more of it but enjoy it less and less.

There is just as much enjoyment to be found in the small, simple, subtle things as in the big, noisy impressive things. Let go of the need to impress or to pile pleasure on top of pleasure, and allow yourself to genuinely enjoy.

You can find enjoyment in just about anything, with no conditions, prerequisites or limitations. Even in the midst of extreme difficulty, the possibility for real enjoyment is always present.

Choose to genuinely enjoy this day, with all its ups and downs and challenges and surprises. You'll find that enjoyment strengthens all that you do.

-- Ralph Marston

[Kymberly]

I sure enjoy Ralph Marston. Thank you.

[janbear]

I do too Kymberly. Good Morning :D

[janbear]

Thursday, May 15, 2008
Overflowing with opportunities
Does it seem to you that all the best opportunities have already been claimed? Actually, nothing could be further from the truth.
There are more valuable opportunities available to you today than there have ever been before. And they grow more numerous with each passing moment.

Each opportunity that is followed and fulfilled gives birth to even more opportunities. Not only are the best opportunities not running out, they are indeed growing in number and value.

Opportunities arise from disappointment as well as from success. As knowledge and wisdom and experience grow, so too do opportunities grow.

Great challenges bring about great opportunities. Each breakthrough sets the stage for even greater breakthroughs, leaving a trail of opportunities in their wake.

Life is truly overflowing with opportunities of all different kinds that apply to every aspect of life. Open up to the very best opportunities, and joyfully work to reap the value that can be yours.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, May 16, 2008
Rise to the challenge
If everything was free and required no effort, nothing would have any value. If there were no challenges in life, there would be no place in which to create achievement.
The very factors that push against you provide a fertile ground from which you can raise yourself up. From your most burdensome limitations can come your greatest triumphs.

Can you identify what's holding you back? Then you've also determined exactly what must be done to take the next step forward.

When the side of the mountain is steep and treacherous, the view from the top is spectacular. By steadily working through the difficulties and challenges, you can reach the summit of increased strength and value.

It is by working toward a goal that you make the goal worth reaching. The difficulties you encounter along the way serve as opportunities to add value to the achievement.

Life is worth living precisely because it requires effort and challenges you to be your best. Rise to the challenge each day and add your own special gifts to life's treasure.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, May 17, 2008
Allow abundance
Life's richness fills your world to the degree that you allow it. Choose to allow it fully.
Your doubts and anxieties only serve to separate you from the abundance that could be yours. Can you find a way to drop those doubts and let go of the anxieties?

Your efforts will yield success when you're able to allow that success to be. Live every moment as if the success already exists, and it will surely come to life.

Achievement is more than just going through the motions. Achievement comes from the person you most consistently allow yourself to be.

How does it feel to be living your dream? Feel that way all the time, and the dream comes bursting forth into the reality of life.

Allow yourself to be a unique expression of life's limitless abundance. And fill your world with real joy and meaning.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, May 19, 2008
The right thing right now
Let go of your concerns about what you could have done or should have done. Look instead at your many opportunities for doing the right thing right now.
If your regrets about the past are painful, then allow those regrets to teach and to motivate you. In this moment you can take the valuable lessons you've learned and move forward with them.

You've learned that every action, as well as every failure to act, has consequences. Now is your chance to make those consequences work in your favor.

Though the past may indeed hold some regrets, you have something much more powerful. You have today.

And you have a future that will be shaped by what you do today. You can choose, right now, from a large set of valuable and desirable possibilities.

Based on your past experience, you are well qualified to be your own best advisor. Learn from what you've come through, and you'll find a way to go wherever you choose to go.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Wants and needs
You do not get what you want, or even what you need. You get what you are.
When you want this or need that, you are supporting the reality that you do not have it. Instead of putting your energy into wanting or needing, put it into being.

By your thoughts and actions, with your words and feelings, you can choose how to be. Use that powerful choice to give energy, attention and the substance of your life to those things you value most.

Instead of working to convince the world that you need some particular thing, put your effort into expressing it through your own life. Give up the habit of wanting more, and put your energy into living exactly as you choose to live.

Through the miracle of your life in this moment right now, you already have access to all that is. Your challenge is not one of want or need, but of appreciating and making full use of all that is available to you.

Instead of pushing life's abundance away with your wants and needs, let that abundance freely flow through you. Always live according to the best you can envision, and know all the joyful treasures of life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

A job well done
Even when all you can do is just a little bit, go ahead and do it, with all the care and commitment you can give to it. Even the smallest effort accomplishes much more than nothing.
Though it may take you a long time to finish, go ahead and get started. For if you delay, the work will take even longer.

Be willing to do the tedious and time-consuming jobs. For they are often what give substance and lasting value to the accomplishment.

A job well done is a job completed with enthusiasm, gratitude, focus and persistence. A job well done can add great value to your life and your world.

Putting forth effort toward a clear and meaningful goal brings a kind of satisfaction that cannot be reached in any other way. True fulfillment is yours when you've done the work to make it so.

A job well done brings your mind, body and spirit completely to life. And it provides the opportunity for another, even more fulfilling, job well done.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, May 22, 2008
Make your choice
Often you are called upon to make decisions both big and small. Sometimes it is not clear which choice will bring the most positive value to your life.
Give care and thoughtful consideration to your decisions. But don't obsess over those decisions so much that you fail to make them.

Though it can at times be impossible to know which choice is best for you, it is usually very easy to know what the worst choice is. Almost always, the worst choice is to avoid making a choice.

Life offers many attractive choices. And yet you cannot choose all of them at once.

Make your choice, and then put your commitment behind it. Even if it doesn't work out as you expected, at the very least you will have gained valuable knowledge and experience for making the next choice.

Each choice leads to other choices, and with every choice you improve your ability to wisely choose. Be consistently decisive, and the choices you make will bring real value into your world.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

Friday, May 23, 2008
Hope fulfilled
It is wonderful to live with hope in your heart. Yet by itself, hope will not accomplish anything.

By all means, hope for the very best. Then put that hope into action.

It is positive, productive, effective action that will bring about those things for which you hope. Let hope be your reason to act, and not a substitute for action.

Hope will put your mind and your spirit in a positive place. Hope can strengthen your will for doing whatever is necessary to move forward.

Keep hope alive within you. Treasure it, nurture it, and allow its warm, enriching glow to fill your world.

With your skills, your resources, your commitment and persistence, bring that hope to life. Through your own efforts, be the living fulfillment of the best of your hopes.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

Saturday, May 24, 2008
Prepare yourself
What is the best opportunity? It's the one for which you're the most fully prepared.

An opportunity is of value to you only when you're ready to make the most of it. Nothing is more frustrating than seeing the opportunity of a lifetime right in front of you and not being able to do anything with it.

Opportunity, when it arrives, does not wait for you to get ready, for that is not its nature. So prepare yourself for the opportunity you seek before that opportunity comes.

Your preparation will not only enable you to seize the opportunity. By preparing for the opportunity, you actually help to make that opportunity real in your life.

The actions you take to prepare yourself for an opportunity clearly signal your expectation that the opportunity will indeed arrive. And what you sincerely expect, will be.

Prepare yourself, and the opportunity begins to come toward you. Prepare yourself, and you'll be able to make the very most of it when it arrives.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, May 26, 2008
Never quit
The only way to lose is to quit. As long as you continue to make the effort, you have not lost.

Everyone experiences setbacks. However, those who achieve the most experience the most setbacks because they persist as long as it takes to reach each goal.

Does it ever seem that you are blocked in every direction? That's the time to get creative, become more flexible, and open yourself to the possibilities that are most certainly there.

Sometimes when you get stuck in a rut, the rut can suddenly and unexpectedly run out. What a great opportunity that can be for you to climb out of that rut, look around, and see all the valuable things you've been missing.

Never quit. Use each setback, each disappointment, and each success, as a cue to push on ahead with more determination than ever before.

Never quit, and you will create the life you choose.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, May 28, 2008
In good time
Are you looking for instant results? Then you'll likely put forth great effort and expense while encountering much frustration, with no guarantee that you'll reach your goal.
There is a much more reliable and easily accessible way to achieve the results you seek. It is with patience.

Instead of fighting against time and making time your enemy, use time as your friend. Instead of being resentful that you can't have it all now, be thankful that you can savor the process of working your way toward a meaningful goal.

To obtain anything of great value, you must provide great value and exert great effort. Spreading that effort over a reasonable amount of time is a key to dependable success.

Rushing through life is neither enjoyable nor effective. Slow down, spend your time and resources wisely and thoughtfully, and enjoy the journey.

With your efforts steady and consistent, have the patience to let life unfold at a sustainable pace. And the results you seek will surely come to you in good time.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Mystery
There is much you can learn from what you don't know. The questions that have no answers will add great value and wisdom to your life.
Some things in this world are shrouded in mystery. Some things will always be.

The fact that you don't know it all compels you to think. And thinking can be a very productive and enlightening exercise.

Those things that are unknown cause you to wonder. And wonder is the source of much richness in life.

In what you know and understand, there are many valuable possibilities. In the realm of what you don't yet know, are even more possibilities waiting to be discovered.

Look toward what you cannot see, and listen for what you cannot hear. In so doing, you'll find great truth.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

There is
There is something new you can learn today. Learn the lesson well and carry the wisdom with you.
There is some improvement you can make today. Make that improvement and your efforts to do so will continue to reward you for a long time to come.

There is someone who would dearly appreciate a kind word from you today. Offer your kindness sincerely and often, and you'll find your world growing ever brighter.

There is a purpose within you today. Express that purpose through your actions and commitments, and you'll know the sweet taste of true fulfillment.

There is a way for you to make a positive difference today. Change the world in your own special way, and you'll find it to be an even more beautiful place to live.

This day is filled with many possibilities, and you are here now to live them. There is so much you can do today, and now is the moment to begin.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

THE TITANIC

“Men at some time are masters of their fates.”
William Shakespeare



Our early days in OA can be compared to being a passenger on the Titanic. As we took our beloved and wonderfully-powerful first three steps, we were taking a voyage. In Step One we realized we were on the Titanic and that we were doomed. In Step Two we spotted a lifeboat. And in Step Three we took our seats in the lifeboat.

My voyage began with Step One when I realized the connection between the weight I was carrying and some health issues I had last year. I had developed "pitting edema" in both ankles. That was a sign of congestive heart failure. I was on the Titanic! In addition to my physical health condition, I discovered that my inner-health was also challenged. I had lived my life filled with resentments and negative thinking which ate at my very being. I had lost much of my spiritual strength and was in need of spiritual renewal. I was indeed a passenger on my own personal Titanic.

My voyage continued with Step Two. I can't even remember how I found The Recovery Group online, but I know that my Higher Power must have brought me here. Though I didn't believe at that time what the fellowship said in the meetings, I "acted as if" I believed my Higher Power could relieve me of these horrible compulsions to overeat and to live in resentment and negativity. That was all it took. I had spotted the lifeboat and was "acting as if" I believed it had come for me.

I was being changed. My early days of abstinence were difficult, but achievable. I had gotten into the lifeboat. I will always remember where I was when I suddenly realized that God had relieved me of the compulsion to eat between meals and at night. That realization had a huge impact on me. That day I took my seat on the lifeboat. I have been blessed with so much recovery. The ride I am on in this lifeboat isn't a free ride; it requires that I work this program on a daily basis. But when I consider the alternative, I love the ride I am on and I truly cherish the passengers with whom I am sharing this boat!

One day at a time...
I will cherish the lifeboat that this program has given me.


~ Karen A.

[janbear]

Monday, June 2, 2008
Think for yourself
If you expect to be told what or how without taking the time to understand why, then you can also expect to often be deceived. When you are unwilling to think for yourself, there are plenty of people eagerly waiting to take advantage of you.
You have an extraordinarily powerful and capable mind. Go to the trouble and make the effort to make full use of it, particularly when it concerns your own affairs.

Life is increasingly complex, and you can't be expected to know every little detail about every little thing. But you will be vastly more effective when you take the time to learn the fundamental principles of what you're doing and utilize good, solid reasoning.

When it's your health, your money, your career, your property, your family or your future that's at stake, it's your responsibility to understand the situation. The person best suited to act in your best interest is you.

Certainly it is wise to seek the advice of experts. But stay away from anyone who promises to do your thinking for you.

Make the effort to be informed and then put that information to good, positive use. Think for yourself, and successfully live life on your own terms.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Lighten your load
If you are feeling tired and weary, perhaps now would be a good time to lighten your load. There are many burdens you can get rid of that you'll easily be able to do without.
Start by abandoning all your resentments. Each resentment costs an enormous amount of time and energy, and provides absolutely nothing of value in return.

Next, you can walk away from your anxiety. All the anxiety in the world cannot add a single positive moment to your life.

Pick up the pace by letting go of the need to prove that you're right. Instead, use the time and energy to more effectively listen and understand.

While you're at it, go ahead and leave behind your envy, anger, impatience and frustration. After all, what have they ever done for you?

Dropping the burdensome negativity from your life is ridiculously easy once you realize how much it's all holding you back. Lighten your load, and move quickly to where you truly wish to be.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
What you do with now
It is not your fault. But it is your responsibility.
The choices you have made have brought you to where you are now. And so have other factors that are completely beyond your control.

There's nothing to be gained by blaming yourself for the way your life has unfolded. There's everything to be gained by actively taking full responsibility for the way your life proceeds.

The route you traveled to this point no longer matters, for nothing can be done to change it. What truly matters is what you do with now.

Life is always unpredictable, yet there's something you can count on. The more sincerely and diligently you give yourself to the living of it, the more life will go your way.

In this moment is every possibility. Take responsibility for it all, and bring the best of those possibilities to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, June 5, 2008
Life's surprises
Sometimes it is useful, and even joyous, to find what you are not looking for. Seek with diligence, yet do not become so singularly focused on the objective that you miss out on all the other goodness that surrounds you and comes your way.
Plan carefully, and then be willing to occasionally diverge from those plans. There can be great value in what you were not expecting.

Give priority and effort to building knowledge and wisdom. At the same time, appreciate the positive value that resides in uncertainty and in those things you cannot know.

Much of the essence of beauty is in the way it surprises you. Life is continually renewed and made fresh precisely because you do not know when the next gust of wind will arrive.

Open yourself to life's surprises. Though a few will bring pain, others will bring joys you never knew you were missing.

You are never too old to find delight in something new and unexpected. And with each dawning day a fresh supply arrives.

-- Ralph Marston

[sandan63]

ednesday, June 4, 2008
What you do with now
It is not your fault. But it is your responsibility.
The choices you have made have brought you to where you are now. And so have other factors that are completely beyond your control.

There's nothing to be gained by blaming yourself for the way your life has unfolded. There's everything to be gained by actively taking full responsibility for the way your life proceeds.

The route you traveled to this point no longer matters, for nothing can be done to change it. What truly matters is what you do with now.

Life is always unpredictable, yet there's something you can count on. The more sincerely and diligently you give yourself to the living of it, the more life will go your way.

In this moment is every possibility. Take responsibility for it all, and bring the best of those possibilities to life.

-- Ralph Marston
__________________
And this above all, to thine own self be true. And it must follow as night the day, thou canst not be false to any man. -Shakespeare

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7

[sandan63]

See the bright future

What has happened before has brought you to where you are. Yet the past has no control over where you can go from here.

Your past history does not create your future. The choices you make right now are what create the substance of that future.

Learn from your mistakes, but do not agonize over them. There is nothing you can do to change the fact that they happened, yet there is much you can do to move positively beyond them.

When you dwell on the past it holds you prisoner. When you let it go, that allows you to go anywhere you now choose.

People change, circumstances change, and you can change too. With each moment comes the opportunity to shake off the old assumptions and limitations, to give new purpose and meaning to life.

Give new energy, new effort, new commitment and determination to this day that you have the good fortune to be living. See the bright future that can be, and you will make it so.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, June 6, 2008
Convince yourself
The most challenging part of any achievement is continually convincing yourself to keep working on it. When you are truly convinced to do it, you will take the necessary actions to make it happen.
Give yourself a compelling reason to achieve, stay connected to that reason, and you will indeed achieve. You can be magnificently effective when you choose to be.

If there are things you must know, you can learn them. If there are resources you must have, you can locate them.

Convince yourself to achieve, and you will find a way. Life unfolds in accordance with your most powerful and meaningful commitments.

It is helpful to be able to persuade others, yet the most important person you must convince is you. Unless you sincerely convince yourself, no amount of persuasion of other people will be able to move you forward.

Convince yourself that what you are doing is right and worthwhile. Then delight in the fulfilling journey of making it happen.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, June 7, 2008
A positive difference
You can make a positive difference right now. It may be small, it may not seem to matter, but it does matter very much.
Even if the only thing you improve is your attitude, you've done a great deal. For once you have a positive outlook and a positive momentum, you'll find even more ways to make your world a better place.

No matter what your history or your situation may be, you can make a positive difference. Start with something in your own life, and you'll soon see how you can spread the value to others.

It's easy to become mired in the constant pronouncements and predictions of doom and gloom. But the fact is, you can point your life in whatever direction you choose.

A small positive act is enough to get you started. Keep going, and there's no limit to the richness you can create.

This moment will quickly pass whether you make use of it or not. Use it to make a positive difference, and see for yourself how many great possibilities suddenly appear.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, June 9, 2008
Enjoy the successes
When the successes come, regularly take time to enjoy the rewards they bring. Your enjoyment sets the stage for even greater successes.
When the achievement is completed, allow yourself a well-deserved feeling of satisfaction. It will motivate you to work toward that same kind of satisfied feeling again and again.

Enjoy the fruits of your efforts. Be thankful that you chose to create new value and that you persisted in doing so.

Each success brings new and greater possibilities. Sincerely enjoying that success is a perfect way to open your eyes to those possibilities.

Remind yourself, in a pleasant and unforgettable way, why you worked your way through all the difficult challenges. Let the joy of fulfillment empower you to reach even higher.

Enjoy the good things you have done. And more will soon be on the way.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Changing conditions
When conditions change for the worse, there is no need to despair. For you have the ability to respond.
With every new problem there are plenty of new opportunities. Every setback represents a new starting point from which you can raise yourself to higher levels of purposeful achievement.

Just because things have changed is no reason to give up. In fact, that makes your worthwhile goal even more valuable.

There is always a way to get where you have chosen to go. Each challenge gives you new ways to add value to your dream.

Always, life is overwhelmingly abundant. When conditions change, you have the chance to see aspects of that abundance that you did not previously know were there.

Pause for a moment, take a deep breath, assess the situation, and re-focus yourself on the path you have chosen. Then step boldly and enthusiastically forward with more positive determination than ever.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, June 11, 2008
No excuses
Every day offers you plenty of reasons to make excuses. But excuses bring you nothing of real value.
Sure, a plausible excuse may enable you to save face, to appear more diligent and disciplined than you know you are. But do you merely want to appear successful, or would you prefer to actually be successful?

Excuses hold you back because they enable you to avoid responsibility and the achievement it brings. You deserve more than just a life filled with useless excuses.

Instead of making excuses, choose to make some honest, authentic progress. Even a tiny effort is infinitely more productive than a big, impressive excuse.

Don't settle for a growing list of reasons for failure. You can just as easily give yourself real, compelling reasons to succeed.

Free yourself from the shackles of useless excuses. And see this day as the grand opportunity that it is.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, June 12, 2008
Get moving
Get up and get going. If you feel lousy, it will make you feel much better, and if you already feel good, it will make you feel great.
You know all those things you've been meaning to get done for the past six months? Pick one right now and make it happen today.

Life is much more rewarding when you actively participate in it. This very moment there are good times in your life just waiting to be created.

Do you feel the need to be more positive about life and about the world in which you live? Then get moving and get yourself positively engaged in it all.

The moment you take positive action, your outlook begins to change. When you're making a difference, the world is suddenly a much better place.

Get hot, get cold, get tired, get informed, get out of your comfort zone and get involved in this magnificent life. Drink in the delightful richness of a life fully lived.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, June 13, 2008
The life you choose
Life is the way you see it. Life is the way you perceive it to be.
If you constantly focus on all the things that could go wrong, things will indeed go wrong. Turn your focus to the positive possibilities, and those possibilities begin to become real.

Expect to find the resources you seek, and they will be there. Know that life's abundance is available to you, and more of it flows through your life.

From your perspective, everything is subject to your own interpretation of it. Much more important than what happens is what you make of it, and you can make of it anything you choose.

You are never at the mercy of random events unless you allow yourself to be. No matter what may come your way, you can decide what it means to you and how you will integrate it into your life.

The life you live is the life you choose to see and to experience. Choose, in this moment and every moment, to fill it with joy, meaningful purpose and fulfillment.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, June 14, 2008
Free from frustration
You choose your frustrations. And you can just as easily choose to be free of frustration.
What is it that makes you frustrated? What kinds of things bring on so much frustration that you can't get anything accomplished?

Actually, nothing makes you frustrated. Frustration is just the way you respond to certain situations.

Frustration is useful when you first feel it, because it calls your attention to the conflict between your inner values and your outer situation. But once it has your attention, frustration has done its job, and it is then time to let it go.

As soon as you feel frustration, ask yourself what that frustration is attempting to tell you, and listen carefully to the answer. Once you truly get the message, the frustration has done its job and it falls naturally and easily away.

By immediately understanding and appreciating what your frustration has to say, you can quickly get beyond it. Then, with a new sense of purpose and positive direction, you'll be even more effective than before.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, June 16, 2008
Curiosity
Curiosity will take you to wonderful places you never would have otherwise known you could go. Curiosity is, at its heart, a love for life and everything in it.
Those who are the most authentically and persistently curious are the best informed. Simple, sincere curiosity brings a richness of wisdom and unique experience into your life.

The biggest impediment to curiosity is arrogance. For in order to be truly curious, you must first admit that you do not know.

Keep in mind that intelligence is more than a measure of what you already know. Intelligence depends on always being open to learning new things, some of which will contradict and supersede what you already thought you knew.

Though curiosity will often compel you to undertake great effort, curiosity itself requires no effort. Drop your pretenses, allow yourself to be curious, and you are.

There is no end to the wonder that you can discover, wherever you are, whatever you do. Be curious, and be fully alive.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Decisions
Small decisions are vitally important. Because they're the ones that keep you on track.
The big, momentous decisions set the direction for your life. And the small, everyday decisions are what enable you to maintain that direction.

Small decisions are easy to make. Unfortunately, they are just as easy to ignore.

Pay attention and take active, intentional control of the small decisions. You'll quickly experience great power in their cumulative influence.

The big decisions are expressions of your commitments. The small, moment-by-moment decisions give life and substance to those commitments.

Give careful thought and consideration to the big decisions. Then use the hundreds of small decisions you make each day to bring those big decisions to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Positive goals
What you passionately and purposefully seek to have, you will have. What you passionately and purposefully seek to avoid, you will also have.
When you intensely focus your energy upon anything, that thing grows more real and influential in your life. That holds true whether it is something you strongly desire or something you strongly detest.

If you put your effort into fighting against something, you end up giving more strength and consequence to whatever you're fighting against. Instead, find a desirable alternative and put your energy into working toward that alternative.

What you hold most firmly and consistently in your mind, you create and become. So keep your thoughts focused on moving toward the desirable, enjoyable and fulfilling things.

The most effective way to move away from what you don't want is to actively move toward what you do want. Rather than defining your life by what you oppose, challenge yourself to develop positive goals that you can enthusiastically embrace and follow.

Your life naturally and persistently flows in the direction where your attention is focused. So choose to focus on the best you can imagine.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, June 19, 2008
Run toward the challenges
Of course it's difficult. That's what makes it so valuable.
The time, effort and commitment you put into reaching the goal have their own rewards, over and above the achievement itself. They make you stronger, more disciplined, and more effective.

When great effort is called for, great opportunities abound. When challenges and difficulties surround you, there is much value to be created.

Instead of cursing the need for sustained and focused effort, be genuinely thankful for the chance. For you are designed and equipped to get things done, and life is superbly rewarding when you do.

When difficult work is called for, step quickly forward with enthusiasm. It is truly your moment to shine, to grow, and to create according to your best expectations.

Run toward the challenges. It is in those challenges that you will fulfill your greatest dreams.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

June 20, 2008
A moment of presence
Who you are now is enough. What you have now is plenty.

Here in this moment all is well. Allow yourself to be fully present in what is now.

Gently relax into the endless depth of life's rich and magnificent abundance. There is plenty, and it is now yours to live.

Feel the perfect peace of simply being as you are. Need nothing, and have everything.

Watch the wonder of all that is as it dances in front of your eyes. Feel the lightness and the limitless nature of who you truly are.

Know the immense joy that is in every little thing. For it is now and you are fully here.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

June 21, 2008
Expectations and reality
Reality will not always live up to your expectations. Yet your expectations always have an influence on the way you live your reality.

Your expectations do not magically transport you to the destination of your choice. However, those expectations can indeed provide you with a clear and realistic path to travel.

Expectations do not change the world around you. Rather, they illuminate certain specific and highly useful portions of your world.

Positive expectations enable you to see the way forward. And they keep you motivated as you do the work necessary to travel that path.

Reality is what it is, and conditions are what they are. What you expect of yourself and what you expect for yourself will strongly influence what you make of your reality.

Carry the very best of expectations with you at all times. And you'll be showing yourself how to make life truly great.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

As it comes
Enjoy life as it comes, in the precious moments of each day. Live your success and fulfillment here and now, not in some distant, imagined future.
Do not set yourself up as a hostage to your circumstances or your inventory of possessions. Choose right now to live richly and fully no matter what.

Make joyful and thankful use of whatever you have, wherever you are. There is so very much you have going for you.

Pay no attention to those who scream that you must have this thing or that experience in order to be happy. Ignore them, and simply choose to be happy by creating your own interpretation of happiness all around you.

Keep in mind that most of the people who tell you how bad things are, seek to gain their own power or profit from your dismay. Life is good, life is rich, life is joyful and fulfilling to the extent you choose to make it so.

Open your eyes, look around, and see how truly beautiful your world can be. Real success is yours the moment you begin to make it.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Always something
Do what you can do, with what you have, every chance you get. Moving just one step forward will give you a positive foothold upon which to build.
Often it is easy to choose to see yourself and treat yourself as a victim. Yet by making such a choice, you quickly surrender control over your own life.

Instead of giving up and becoming a victim, know that there is always something positive you can do. There is always some action with which you can move yourself forward.

Life's greatest triumphs often have their origins in times of great difficulty. In each challenge there is fertile ground for building great value.

Do you feel overwhelmed by your circumstances? The best way to get away from that feeling is to step forward and do something positive and productive.

With every positive action, your power increases. Step by step, moment by moment, move your life exactly where you choose to go.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Conviction
Commitment depends upon conviction. And conviction is something you can create from what you already have.
Within you there is a powerful and undeniable sense of purpose. Conviction comes from making a solid and persistent connection to that unique purpose.

When your intentions are supported by a strong enough reason why, you will find a way to bring them to life. Getting anything done is a matter of continuing to remember why you have chosen to do it.

It's no secret that focused and persistent effort brings achievement. With a strong sense of conviction, you can keep that effort going for as long as the achievement requires.

Harness the power that flows from your most authentic desires. Build your convictions based on who you truly are.

When your actions resonate with those convictions, they produce profound and valuable results. Each moment you live with purpose is a moment that adds real richness to your world.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, June 26, 2008
Imagine it
Imagine that you're full of energy and enthusiasm, excited and positive about the day ahead. Imagine that you're highly effective, able to achieve whatever you set out to do with confidence and ease.
In your mind's eye, see yourself working with discipline and focus, quickly and easily making the decisions that move your world forward. Visualize yourself as always knowing what to say and do in every situation.

Imagine yourself being the person you've always wanted to be. Imagine living the life you've always dreamed of living.

See it all in rich and colorful detail. Allow yourself to dream, and know, with absolute certainty, that you can have it, you can do it and you can be it.

Make your image of yourself and your life a positive one, and you'll program yourself for real, sustained success. Imagine yourself at your very best, and hold that image firmly in your mind, day after day, moment by moment.

What you're able to imagine, you're able to create and experience. Dare to imagine, and then put your precious time to good use by bringing your imagination to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, June 27, 2008
The power of discipline
Adding a little more self-discipline to your life can be somewhat painful at first. Yet it can quickly make you feel a lot better about yourself and your situation.
Putting a lot more discipline in your life requires vigilance and commitment. And it also guarantees long-term success.

What area of your life could benefit from a little more self-discipline? What magnificent dream could you achieve through focused, disciplined effort?

Discipline is not complicated or out of reach. It is really nothing more than actually doing what you know must be done in a timely and consistent manner.

The power of self-discipline is yours when you decide to use it. It is always one of your most effective options.

Choose to exercise the discipline of which you're surely and already capable. And break through the limits that previously held you back.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, June 28, 2008
If you want
If you want to be interesting, be interested. If you want to be heard, listen.
If you wish to truly learn, teach. If you would like to be wealthy, be generous.

If you desire to be understood, take the time to understand. If you want to have many friends, be friendly.

If you want the world to change for the better, make a positive change in yourself. If you long for peace, be peaceful.

What you give to life is what life becomes for you. The treasures you accumulate all come from the good things you do.

Every day is your opportunity to raise your life to a higher level by giving the best that you have. Whatever it is you desire, give it, be it, support it, and you will enjoy it in great abundance.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, June 30, 2008
Run joyfully toward life
Run joyfully toward life and embrace it with open arms. Each day brings its own treasure in the flavors, aromas, sights, sounds, situations, experiences and interactions that come your way.
Don't get bogged down attempting to resist or deny what has already happened. Put your energy into using what you have to make life better than ever.

Embrace the beauty, the joy, the wonder and the abundance of life. At the same time, embrace the challenges, the setbacks, the disappointments and the difficulties.

Be genuinely thankful for every moment, whatever it may contain. For in each moment is your opportunity to fully live, to grow, to learn, to experience, to share and to create unique, lasting value.

Welcome the ever-changing richness of life as it dances before your eyes in ways you've never seen before. Join passionately in that dance and be a part of the richness.

Follow the winding path as it moves up, down, over and around through the steadily increasing abundance and fulfillment of your life. Know more fully, as each moment passes, the profound joy of being.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Fresh opportunities to be
Appreciate your shortcomings for where they have brought you. Then release them and be free to rise above the limitations.
Savor the disappointments one last time and remember all you have learned from them. Then let them go and eagerly look forward to new and fruitful experiences.

Sincerely and completely forgive those who have brought you pain, including yourself. And feel the healing that immediately takes hold.

Be truly thankful for having been through so much. Then get busy creating the best of what can be.

Let go of the useless drama that is already over. Hold on to the positive value that you've gained from it all.

Always there are new possibilities to explore, new ways to grow, and new worlds to experience. With each new now, the world is filled with fresh opportunities to be.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Think and do
You could spend years and years figuring out how to take three steps at once. Or you could simply take one step, and then the next, and then the next.
Being able to think things through is a tremendously valuable skill. But don't let all that thinking prevent you from doing.

Sometimes it pays to think of a more efficient or effective or faster way to complete the task. Other times you're better off when you just go ahead and do it.

Analyzing what you must do can be helpful. Yet analysis by itself won't get the job completed.

After you think it through, go ahead and get it done. Put your clever thinking into action, and you'll have something of tangible value to show for it.

Put your mind to work and you'll create great ideas. Then put those ideas to work with your efforts, and bring them successfully to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, July 3, 2008
You are worth it
You are worth the trouble and effort required to make your life the best it can possibly be. There is so very much you have to express, to give, to experience and to contribute to the magnificent fabric of life.
You are worth the discomfort and frustration that you'll regularly need to get through. You are worth the pain that the world will sometimes offer.

For within you is the capacity for great joy and astounding achievement. Within you are beautiful and worthy dreams that long to be fulfilled.

You are one of a kind and you are filled with a driving purpose. You are worth whatever it takes to give that special purpose a lasting and meaningful expression.

Yes, the disappointments, inconveniences, pains, problems and annoyances will surely and steadily come. Yet they are indeed quite trivial compared to the precious possibilities that live within you.

Make whatever efforts necessary, endure whatever setbacks you must, move forward through whatever challenges may come along. For there is no question that you are worth it.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, August 18, 2008
Choose discipline
Discipline is a decision you make, over and over again. Discipline is choosing to do what you know must be done, as often and as long as necessary.
With discipline, you can make smart and advantageous use of the time and resources available to you. With discipline, you can create great value for yourself and your world.

The most powerful way to put discipline into your life is to understand and remind yourself of what it can do for you. Once you truly decide to live with it, the power of discipline is yours.

If you do not choose to discipline yourself, you will eventually be subject to the harsh, inescapable discipline imposed upon you by life's realities. It is far more desirable to choose your own discipline and to deal with those realities on your own terms.

Self discipline opens up a world of choices and opportunities which otherwise would not be available to you. Whatever goal you set your sights upon, discipline is the most reliable way to reach it.

Choose, early and often, to use the powerful tool of discipline. And always achieve maximum results from your time and your actions.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, August 19, 2008
In every experience
Every choice is an opportunity to make the best choice. Every difficult decision serves as an occasion to firmly reinforce, with your actions, your most deeply held values.
From every mistake, there is much you can learn. In every setback, there are seeds of a more determined, purposeful and effective life.

Every disagreement is an opportunity to more fully understand. Every disappointment helps to shine a light on what you truly value most.

Whatever this day holds, somewhere in it there is positive value. Each moment is filled with possibilities for adding to the richness of life.

If you're determined to make negative judgments and criticisms, you'll find plenty of ways to do so. But what will that accomplish?

Instead, let your life and your awareness resonate with the magnificent abundance that is present in each moment. And you'll find real, useful, enriching value in every experience.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Destined to achieve
You are a natural-born achiever. That's why focused effort feels so good and so right.
Trees grow toward the sky because that's what trees are meant to do. Storm clouds drop rain across the land because that's what clouds do.

You create new value and solve problems because that is what you are born to do. You make valuable use of opportunities to achieve because achievement is part of who you are.

Whatever else you may possess, you also have a diverse and powerful set of tools for achievement. You can observe, interpret, adjust, respond, prioritize, and imagine.

You can learn valuable lessons in one situation and put them to effective use in another, completely different arena. You can build and teach and cooperate and integrate the best of what has been into a vision of what can be.

In short, you are destined to achieve. Get your excuses, fears and doubts out of the way and allow that destiny to fully unfold.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, August 22, 2008
Breathing room
Look back on your life up to this point and you'll quickly see that many of your worries and concerns were completely unfounded. So why do you still insist on cranking out those worries at every turn of events?
How many times have you looked back on an occasion with the regret that you didn't simply enjoy yourself? There's nothing you can do about those past regrets, but there's plenty you can do about right now.

It's ridiculously easy to enjoy life, no matter what the situation. It's just a matter of letting go.

Let go of the worry and anxiety, of the anger and envy, of the need to be right and the need to control everyone else. Let go of the need to have everything your way.

Underneath all those layers of need and worry and negativity, there is pure joy. When you simply accept what is, and choose to enjoy the goodness in it, life can be wonderfully rich and beautiful.

Stop worrying and fighting so much, and start enjoying a little more. Give joy some breathing room and it will flourish in your life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, August 23, 2008
Life is now
No matter how much joy you've known, there is always more joy to be experienced. Each moment brings new possibilities for adding richness to life.
The best days of your life are never behind you, unless you choose to see them as such. For no matter how life has been, there will always be opportunities to experience more goodness.

Everything you know about has already happened, so it can be very easy to view life as nothing more than what is receding into the past. Yet life is infinitely more, because life is now.

By all means, hold firmly to the goodness you've already known and carry it forever in your heart. At the same time, open yourself fully to the positive possibilities that are yours right now.

Now is the moment to live. Now is the time for all that can be.

The sun is just now rising on the bright golden possibilities of this day. Life's great and beautiful promise is now.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, August 25, 2008
What you say
Truth has little need of elaborate explanation. The fewer words you can use, the more meaning they have.
Speak what you know to be true. And there will be no need to hide your thoughts behind your words.

Words have little meaning if there is no conviction to support them. When your words come directly from who you most sincerely are, they carry with them great power.

Do not make the mistake of attempting to deceive others with what you say. For once your words are found to be insincere, you will have great difficulty being taken seriously again.

Words are easy to say. Yet for those words to have any meaning or power, they must closely match the reality of your actions and your being.

Speak clearly, truthfully, with respect and humility. From the truth of who you are, comes the best of what you say.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, August 26, 2008
So very much good
Be slow to take offense if indeed you ever take offense at all. For being offended gains you nothing and can cost you much.
Have patience with the mistakes and follies of others. Instead of harsh criticism, offer genuinely helpful feedback so that everyone benefits.

Forgive early and forgive often. Set yourself free from the heavy burden of resentment, and move quickly beyond the pain.

Learn from your regrets, yet do not punish yourself with them. Today is a new day with more possibilities than ever before.

Be truly thankful for all that is, and for your opportunity to experience it. You'll discover great stores of goodness and value when you simply have faith that they're there.

Live beyond the petty, fleeting concerns, and focus on the profound and beautiful substance of your life. There is so very much good that you can always do with it.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Momentum
When you've gone a little ways, keep going a little ways more. When you've made some progress, use that progress to make some more.
Multiply the power of your actions with momentum. Once you get yourself going, follow through on the commitment and keep yourself going.

Often, the most difficult part of a task is the act of getting started. The fewer times you have to go through that process of starting yourself back up, the more you can get accomplished.

When you've enjoyed one success, that's the best time to start working on another success. Once you have momentum on your side, take full advantage of it.

One of the biggest benefits of achievement is that it opens up the door for greater achievement. Even a small success is a big deal, because of where it can lead.

Get yourself going and then keep yourself going. And from there, you can go anywhere.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

August 28, 2008
Step forward
A thousand disappointments in the past cannot equal the power of one positive action right now. Go ahead and go for it.

If you've previously told yourself that it can't be done, this is the moment to change your assumption. When you can dream it, imagine it and visualize it, you can do it.

Instead of making excuses, make some progress. Instead of looking back with regret, step forward with enthusiasm.

Choose to define yourself based on the person you know you can become. Choose to see your life in terms of the best of what is possible.

If you focus too much on the past, you'll be held back by limitations that may no longer even exist. Instead, look forward with positive expectation, and you'll find yourself quickly moving in a forward direction.

A new, fulfilling reality is calling to you. Step forward right now, and begin to make it happen.

-- Ralph Marston

[allaflutter]

Balancing comfort
Being comfortable can be nice and pleasant. Yet too much comfort can softly and steadily erode your sense of purpose and even your most treasured dreams.
Being too attached to comfort can prevent you from venturing forth and fulfilling your best possibilities. In order to maintain your level of comfort, you may well be tempted to compromise the values you hold dear.
Enjoy the comfort that you have attained, while being careful not to let that comfort become a prison. As nice as comfort can be, so much of life's richness lies outside the boundaries of your comfort zone.
As with most things in life, comfort is best when it is experienced in moderation and balance. Even comfort loses its desirability when it is the only thing you ever experience.
Enjoy and be truly thankful for the comforts in your life. At the same time, balance those comforts with real and demanding challenges.
Maintain a comfortable place in your world from which you can regularly emerge to take on the risks and challenges that will add so much richness to life. Outside your comfort zone, there are always new dreams waiting to be lived.
 Ralph Marston

[admin]

Saturday, August 30, 2008
Essence of beauty
There are so many different aspects of life that you cannot ever experience them all. And therein lies the beauty of being.

With each dawning day comes a fresh new set of possibilities. The more you choose to experience, the more there is remaining to experience.

As you contemplate all that you know, you create new avenues of contemplation. The more intensely you explore, the more new territory you open up for further exploration.

There is no end to that territory of experience. For each possibility leads surely to a whole new universe of possibilities.

Within you is life that ever yearns to know itself more fully. Every moment is an opportunity for new and unique expression.

The essence of beauty is that there is no limit to the way that beauty can be, no limit to the form that beauty can take. Now is the moment to experience beauty in a way that it has never been known before.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, September 2, 2008
The goal ahead
If you find it difficult to deal with where you are, look ahead toward where you're going. Keep yourself focused on the goal at the end of the road, and you'll find the strength to move steadily down that road.
When you continue looking ahead, even the difficult steps will seem lighter. The burdens of the moment become much more bearable when you know there is a purpose behind them.

Your dreams can pull you toward them if you'll give those dreams a prominent place in your heart and your mind. Look ahead toward where you intend to go, and you'll find that each challenge makes you stronger.

When your eye is on the goal, the distractions won't be nearly so distracting. Your efforts will gain the immense power of focus when you're always clearly aware of where you're headed.

Your time, your energy, and your resources will get used no matter which direction you are looking. By choosing to look ahead, you get the highest return for the efforts you invest in your life.

Look ahead, toward the place you most want to be. The more you look, the faster you'll move forward.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Thrive on challenge
Life will challenge you regularly. Embrace that challenge with a thankful heart and a creative, resourceful mind.
Each challenge has within it great strength. Go out to meet the challenge, work your way steadily through it, and that strength becomes yours.

Challenge can be painful, inconvenient, embarrassing, tedious and time consuming. And that same challenge also gives life much of its meaning, flavor and fulfillment.

One of the kindest things you can do for someone else is to offer a respectful, meaningful challenge to that person. One of the smartest things you can do for yourself is to take on higher and higher levels of challenge.

Challenge sharpens your priorities and magnifies your performance. Lives of greatness positively thrive on challenge.

Choose to see each challenge as the opportunity for growth, satisfaction and achievement that it is. The world is overflowing with challenges, and inside each challenge you'll find truly immense value.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, September 4, 2008
Yours to live
This day is yours to experience. This life is yours to live.
This world is a place in which you can act to make a positive, meaningful difference. This moment is one that's filled with possibilities.

It can often be difficult to make your way forward, and it is all too easy to lose sight of the unique and beautiful person you truly are. Take time to remember the best that is within you, and know that your authentic, miraculous life is stronger than any obstacle.

Choose to fill this day with your very own special expression of what it means to be alive. Right now is your opportunity to fulfill those yearnings that have always called to you.

You have the power to take any ordinary moment and put joy into it. Your happiness comes not from what you may seek to take away from life but from what you give, what you create, and what you share.

This is your moment to live with all the purpose and richness you can imagine. Realize that nothing is really holding you back, and make this the best day ever.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, September 5, 2008
Depth of gratitude
Abundance and gratitude are inextricably linked. By living with gratitude, you open yourself to life's immense abundance.
If you are a little bit thankful for this, and a little thankful for that, just every so often, you'll have glimpses of abundance. When you enable and allow yourself to be continuously thankful for every big and little thing, your life will be immersed in abundance all the time.

It may seem strange to feel thankful for those events in your life that appear to be negative. Yet it is precisely by being thankful that you can identify the opportunities for transforming the setbacks and obstacles into successes.

You may not think it's worth the time and effort to be thankful for all the little, seemingly insignificant things in your life. However, without the little things there would be no big things.

Seek to develop a depth of gratitude by seizing every opportunity to be thankful. Make genuine gratitude a constant companion to who you are, in all that you do.

As your gratitude grows deeper and more all-encompassing, life's abundance shines more brilliantly for you. Be truly, constantly thankful, and there is no end to the level of abundance that you will experience.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, September 6, 2008
Fulfillment now
A beautiful, fulfilled life requires nothing more than what you already have. Fulfillment depends solely on your decision to accept and experience it, in the moment where you are.
There are some achievements that may take a lifetime to reach. Yet at any point along the way, from the very moment you begin, you can know fulfillment.

Reaching any goal is a matter of commitment, discipline, intention and effort. Fulfillment itself is immediate, for it is a matter of knowing that you are living true to your highest purpose.

Do not become trapped by measuring success based on what you've already done or failed to do. Learn to see that success is entirely a function of how you are feeling and thinking and acting right now.

Your past cannot hold you back and your future cannot intimidate you, unless you allow it. This moment has every possibility of being the most fulfilling time you've ever known.

Your life is infinitely more wonderful than any possession or event or circumstance that you can imagine. And somewhere inside, you know it.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, September 8, 2008
Turn toward peace
Peace is not a circumstance. Peace is a feeling, a powerful, wonderful and desirable feeling.
Peace does not depend on any particular set of conditions. It can be any place, at any time.

Remember how peace feels. And by so remembering, you make yourself available to peace.

Peace is what remains when you've surrendered your ego and your fears. Peace is always there, patiently waiting for you to turn your awareness toward it.

The same part of you that longs for peace is the part of you that experiences peace. It is not complicated and is as close as your next thought.

Think lovingly of how peace feels to you. And truly be at peace.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Good and tired
Being tired from doing something feels a whole lot better than being tired of doing nothing. If you're going to be tired at the end of each day, then make it really count for something.
If you're weary, perhaps it's not because you're doing too much. Perhaps it's because you're not at all invested in what you're doing.

A difficult challenge that's aligned with your purpose will generate far more energy in you than an easy task that has no real meaning for you. You can accomplish much more when what you're accomplishing is what you care about.

When your body is tired, a good night's sleep will revive you. When you're spirit is weary, you'll need something more.

You have a unique voice and a unique purpose that are longing to be expressed. Start living that expression and you'll find an endless source of energy flowing through your life.

Get yourself good and tired with focused, disciplined work on a purpose that connects with who you truly are. And you'll find that each day you have even more energy than the day before.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, September 11, 2008
Authentic
There is great power in truth. There is great power in authenticity.
It can be comforting for a while to overlook or deny who you truly are, in order to go along with the crowd. Yet it is a false comfort that never does last.

There is no person you can pretend to be who is as powerful and effective as the person you really are. No identity you might try to manufacture will ever work as well as the identity that has always been a part of you.

With authenticity, no effort is needed to maintain your sense of self. It flows easily and naturally through everything you do, freeing you and enabling you to live life fully.

You are real and you are unique and you are of great value. It is in your best interest to mine the magnificent treasure of the authentic you.

Do not merely go along with life. Be authentic, and you will make it great.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, September 12, 2008
Purposeful determination
What is the difference between desperation and determination? The difference comes from having a positive, meaningful direction.
The energy of desperation is wasted on self-pity and negativity. That can lead to destructive behavior, which only makes the sense of desperation worse.

Yet by choosing a positive orientation, you can always transform the self-defeating energy of your desperation into solid, potent determination. By applying that energy toward a positive purpose, you can make great and valuable improvements in your world.

If you become dismayed, discouraged or even desperate, recognize that there's a positive opportunity. For it signals that you are ready and willing to be genuinely determined.

And when determination fuels your actions, those actions bring real results. Persistence, effectiveness and power flow naturally and solidly from purposeful determination.

Just one step away from desperation is the energy of determination. Take that step, and put all that energy to good use.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, September 13, 2008
The next step forward
Adversity is only adversity. Choose not to make it anything more.
Adversity will affect the circumstances in which you live and work. Yet you do not have to let it affect who you are, or where you're headed, or what you're able to do.

Take note of the setbacks and adjust to them. But don't expand on them by making them a part of you.

Instead, use each instance of adversity as a reminder of why you have chosen to move in the direction you are moving. Use each setback as an opportunity to redouble your positive, forward-looking efforts.

Every day brings new value and new possibilities. There is always a way to take the next step forward on the path you have chosen.

Find that step today and take it. No mere circumstance can stop you from moving steadily and joyfully forward in the direction of your dreams.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, September 15, 2008
Living purpose
Your purpose is not to fear or to frighten. Your purpose is not to control or to be controlled.
Your purpose is to live, to love and to experience life in a way that is uniquely yours. Your purpose is to be open to the newness and reality of every moment, giving joy a living expression.

Your purpose is to give the miracle of life a distinct voice. It is to know and to treasure moments of pure beauty for which there are no words.

The challenges may be profound, and yet they cannot challenge or diminish your purpose. On the contrary, those challenges help you to understand and express your purpose more clearly.

The world can at times distract you into caring about mere shadows of life that have no real meaning. Yet always, beneath the surface, your living purpose is there.

Remember that purpose, and let its value flow freely from you with each thought, feeling and action. Live from your purpose and be fully alive.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Offer real value
There is always much work to be done. There is always great value to be created.
Plenty of problems are waiting to be solved. And each problem represents opportunity.

All kinds of dreams are longing to be realized. Those dreams add incalculable positive power to life.

Choose to tackle the difficult problems with effectiveness and persistence, and you will gain great rewards. Learn to deliver the real value and substance that the world seeks, and your efforts will always be in demand.

Conditions are constantly changing, and yet some things will always be true. Those people who make themselves the most useful will enjoy life's richest treasures.

Choose to be creative, flexible, productive, effective, efficient and generous with the best that is within you. Offer real value to the world, and the world will surely return the favor in abundance.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Wednesday, September 17, 2008
A different angle
You can learn many things from those who agree with you. You can often learn even more from those with whom you disagree.
Your own perspective is important, for it enables you to make sense of the world. Always keep in mind, though, that yours is not the only perspective.

You can listen to others, learn from them, and successfully work with them even though you may not agree with them on all issues. If everyone held the exact same opinion on every subject, then knowledge and wisdom would become stagnant and outdated.

Your own perspective will grow stronger and more useful when you regularly allow it to be challenged. When people respectfully agree to disagree, everyone benefits from the diversity of opinion.

Living a life of success and fulfillment does not depend on always proving that you're right and that others are wrong. To make real progress you must let go of the assumption that you already have all the answers.

Stay true to the values you treasure, while thoughtfully considering the different perspectives of others. Look at life from a different angle, and you'll always find new richness.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, September 18, 2008
Always something
There is always something positive that you can do. On the best of days, or in the most challenging of circumstances, you can choose to move forward.
Conditions are not as bad as they seem, nor are conditions as good as they appear. Conditions are whatever you choose to make of them.

It's up to you to take the energy of this day and give it a specific direction. Though circumstances are constantly changing, you can always choose to move in the direction of your dreams.

Of course there are complications, challenges and obstacles. And you can use them all to create your own path forward.

You are in control of your thoughts and actions. That's a powerful place from which to operate, no matter what the outside circumstances may be.

There is always something positive, productive, enriching and fulfilling that you can do. Get up, get going, and make a difference in your own special way.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, September 19, 2008
Now is the time
It's time to get busy. It's time to make a difference, and just think of how great that will feel.
This day is a golden opportunity to bring your dreams to life. You're in a position to have a positive impact on your world.

Instead of complaining about what's wrong, build upon what is right. Instead of arguing over who is to blame, figure out what you can do to make things better.

There are ideas you've been meaning to pursue. Now is the time to get started on them.

There are projects you've been needing to finish. Now is your chance to bring those achievements to fruition.

Give the gift of your own smart, focused, enthusiastic action to the world today. There's immense value just waiting to be created, and now is the time to make it happen.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, September 20, 2008
All of now
The bright sun shines in the clear blue sky. Shimmering waves glisten on a restless sea.
Beauty fills the world. Possibility fills your life.

The problems are real. Yet in each one is the opportunity to move forward.

This sparkling moment is one of a kind. Take it in with love and with gratitude, and remember to live it fully.

This magical mystery that is your life knows only the limits you choose to give it. In the heart of your spirit you can experience anything you decide to experience.

Life is in all of now. See it, feel it and know it as it fills you with wonder and joy.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, September 22, 2008
Imagine your life
What can you imagine? What would you most like to imagine?
Your life flows out from your imagination. Whatever you choose to become, you have first chosen to imagine.

No, life does not come to pass exactly as you have imagined it. There are many surprises and distractions along the way.

And yet, your most persistent and consistent imaginings do indeed set the direction for your life. Though it is impossible to foresee every pebble in every road, you can certainly choose which roads to travel based on where you know they lead.

Let your imagination be the pioneer that explores exciting and fulfilling new worlds. From the best of those worlds, find the one for you.

Imagine a great and wonderful life for yourself, with passion and loving detail. As soon as you imagine it, you begin the process of truly living it.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Bring new value to life
It's natural to be negative. But that doesn't mean you have to let negativity control your life.
It's normal to worry. But worry accomplishes nothing, and you have much better ways to use your time and your energy.

The situation you're in could get a lot worse. And yet, it is just as likely to get a lot better.

You don't know what the future will bring. So your best strategy is to make full and positive use of the present.

The way to do that is by allowing your positive expectations to guide and to focus your positive actions. The best opportunities often arise when it seems that there won't ever be any more opportunities.

This is a day when you can make real progress. Turn toward the goal, let your expectations put a smile on your face, and bring new value to life right now.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, September 25, 2008
Learn and know
Knowledge is one of the greatest treasures you can ever have. Each day is filled with countless opportunities to obtain more of it and to make good use of it, and no one can ever take it away from you.
In fact, the more you share what you know the more valuable that knowledge becomes to you. In knowledge there is great and continuously growing power.

Do not be content to hear secondhand from others how the world works. Take the initiative and make the effort to learn for yourself, and gain real, useful knowledge.

The amount and quality of knowledge you have will determine to a large extent the quality of your life. When you know what you need to learn, and when you know how to find it, anything becomes possible.

You already have great knowledge and you have access to much, much more. Achievement comes from using your knowledge to drive your actions toward the goals you have chosen.

Every day, every situation, every experience is a learning opportunity. Make good, purposeful use of what you know and learn, and there is no limit to what you can achieve.

-- Ralph Marston

[admin]

September 26, 2008
Abundance awareness
Fulfillment is not a matter of acquiring something. Fulfillment is developing the awareness that you already have access to whatever you seek.

There is no need to ask or to beg for anything from life. Instead, you can lovingly accept and express what is already available to you.

Even now, there is a connection to whatever you may dream or desire. Know that connection, feel that connection, live that connection and the dream is real and present.

Though there are challenges and obstacles, they do not separate you from your dream. On the contrary, they connect you to it and give it value.

Achievement is the expression of what you already know to be true. Achievement is a state of awareness that you can enter whenever you choose.

All that you could ever imagine is available to you at all times. Open yourself to the possibilities, and joyfully accept the limitless abundance that is.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, September 27, 2008
Give yourself the power
Your power depends on your perspective. And your perspective is yours to choose.
If you convince yourself that you're having a bad day, you will indeed experience a frustrating and unproductive day. If you assume that circumstances are allied against you, then you'll encounter great trouble in getting anything done.

There is a much more powerful alternative. You can choose to adopt and embrace a perspective that will work for you rather than against you.

Think of how you would feel if conditions were perfect, if your actions were highly effective and if everything was going exactly your way. Then, once you imagine how it would feel, go ahead and allow yourself to actually feel that way.

How would you act today if you knew you were going to be completely successful? Go ahead and act that way, and the success will come.

Put yourself in a position of power by choosing to feel the positive influence and effectiveness that you know is yours. Adopt the thoughts, feelings and actions of success, and you will indeed bring success to life.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Monday, September 29, 2008
There is always a way
You are stronger than anything standing in your way. Because you have a purpose that cannot be denied.
Often that purpose is difficult and inconvenient to follow. Yet it is never impossible to follow.

There is always a way. If the path you're on is blocked, look for another route, because it is surely there.

You can be flexible, innovative, determined and persistent. You can imagine any possibility, and then work to make that possibility real.

Every moment, every circumstance, every turn of events presents you with an opportunity to act. Take those opportunities, make those actions come to life, and express the purpose that is uniquely you.

Step up and embrace the responsibility for moving your life forward. Whatever may come, there is always a way.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Wide open
Today is wide open. It does not have to be like yesterday, or any other day.
Today is opportunity. It is a canvas upon which your choices and your actions can create a valuable and unique masterpiece.

Paint vividly and passionately upon that canvas. Do something good and useful, valuable, exciting, inspiring and fulfilling with the magnificent possibilities that exist right now, on this very day.

Here you now are, with the knowledge, experience, resources and desire to make a difference. This is the time to act and to push your most profound purpose confidently forward.

All that you have ever thought, and felt, and experienced has brought you to this point. Now is when you can make something new, great and wonderful out of it all.

Today is real and today is now available for you. Bring it to life in your own special way.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Thursday, October 2, 2008
Do something about it
When something is troubling you, make the commitment to change it. Then begin to act on that decision right away.
Some of the influences in your life are under your control, and many of those influences are outside your control. Yet you can always decide upon and put into action a positive response to anything.

Don't sit around being amazed at how miserable you are and at how unfairly life is treating you. Instead, be amazed at how quickly and effectively you can do something about it.

Don't complain to others about how tough it is for you. Instead, inspire them with your positive and enthusiastic attitude and actions.

When the world feels all wrong, that's a valuable signal. It's your way of telling yourself to get going and make a difference.

You have plenty of good options if you'll simply make the effort to find them. Pick the best one, get busy putting it into action, and take positive control of your world.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Friday, October 3, 2008
Let your enthusiasm show
Enthusiasm costs you absolutely nothing and requires no special skills. It is yours the moment you choose to embrace it.
When you do, your world changes. The problems turn into opportunities and the challenges become fields upon which you can create new value.

Enthusiasm infuses you with a heightened sense of purpose. Enthusiasm provides you with a beneficial immunity against any setbacks that may come.

Enthusiasm is contagious and it draws other people to you. Because when you're wrapped up in enthusiasm, it feels great.

Somewhere inside you there is an authentic sense of enthusiasm, eager to come to life. Let it out and let it show.

Allow enthusiasm to infect your attitude, and spread it to those around you. Delight in the feeling as it pushes you forward.

-- Ralph Marston

[janbear]

Saturday, October 4, 2008
One small thing
One good thing naturally leads to another. So go ahead, right now, and do one good thing.
Just one simple positive step is enough to create some solid momentum. Go ahead and take that small step.

The challenges of life may seem overwhelming. Get yourself moving, just a little bit at first, in a positive direction, and those challenges will suddenly feel a lot smaller.

You don't get to the top of the mountain in one enormous leap. You get there one small step at a time, and from the moment you begin the view just keeps getting better and better.

What one small thing could you choose to set the tone for the rest of this day, or even for the rest of your life? There are so many possibilities available to you.

Move just a little bit in the direction that you know is good and right for you. Once you get going, you won't want to stop.

-- Ralph Marston