Daily Motivator - December

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December 14

Novelty and repetition

Novelty has its place. And so does repetition.

You’ll find excitement, intrigue, and inspiration in new things. You’ll find strength, endurance, and a sense of belonging in repeating the stories you already know so well.

Without repetition, novelty loses its meaning and its anchor. Without novelty, repetition becomes flat, stale, and meaningless as well.

Seek out what’s new, what challenges you, what pushes your curiosity in directions it has never known. At the same time, keep alive the goodness that has well proven itself over the many years.

The world can change quickly, and accelerate in that change. Yet amidst such an explosion of newness, there’s great value in being firmly cognizant of where you came from, of where it all was not so long ago.

A life well lived is one of great ambition and desire for novelty, tempered with context and perspective. Treasure, honor, and serve well in your role as the essential connection between the wisdom of the past and the promise of the future.

— Ralph Marston

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December 15

Value for your time

There’s no time to waste, so what do you do? You hurry, and while all that hurrying can create much activity, it often produces poor results.

Rarely is it a good tactic to put yourself into such a rush. In the effort to hurry because time is short, you can easily end up wasting even more time.

Consider a couple of things. First, if you really don’t have time to focus and do a good job right now, could you wait until later, when there’s more time?

Second, is that urgent next activity you’re rushing off to actually urgent, actually important? Or is it something that could be delayed, maybe even canceled altogether?

If you regularly find yourself pressed for time, there’s an excellent chance you can benefit from a re-evaluation of your priorities and procedures. Rather than assuming that rushing is inevitable, challenge yourself to make your time more intentional and focused.

Instead of convincing yourself you’re making progress by rushing around, look for a better way. Give respect and value to your time, and it will return great value to you.

— Ralph Marston

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December 16

The time it takes

Value is built over time, with sustained effort and commitment. Don’t cheat yourself out of that value by chasing instant results.

In order to turn a corner, you must first get to it. When you seek to create a breakthrough, you have to lay the groundwork for it.

Get yourself moving in a positive direction, then enjoy the ride and give it the time it takes. Even though the fulfillment is not yet complete, you can already begin to experience it.

Don’t be afraid of the time it will take to make real progress. Be thankful for the opportunity to continue giving your best effort as time goes on.

You’ll find great joy in meaningful effort. The longer and more committed the effort is, the more fulfillment you experience.

Give yourself and your work the time it takes. Choose a worthy destination, and treasure every step of the journey.

— Ralph Marston

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December 17

Wins and losses

You win some and you lose some. Both are valuable.

Victories and achievements bring their rewards, yet they also can bring complacency. While losses and disappointments are painful, their pain can teach you and engender great determination.

Difficult times give you the opportunity to transform weakness into strength. Good times provide the opportunity to transform strength into treasure.

Sometimes your troubles are due mainly to your own choices, and other times those troubles come in spite of your best efforts. Sometimes your good fortune is mostly your own doing, and sometimes you just encounter a streak of good luck.

Whatever the case, be thankful for the opportunity to make the best of it. With a steady purpose, move forward from wherever you find yourself.

The pains and the pleasures, the wins and losses, all add substance and value to your life. Embrace each season as it comes, and find true goodness in it all.

— Ralph Marston

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December 18

Do it again

You’ve done it before. You can do it again.

You’ve focused on a specific objective and achieved it. What result would you now like to bring about?

You’ve identified a meaningful path of action and drawn energy from your purpose to keep you moving on that path. Reach again into that authentic purpose, decide on what to do, and do it.

The clock is running forward right now, no matter what you choose. Choose to make meaningful and productive use of each day as it comes your way.

Similar choices in the past have brought you much in the life you now have. Once again you’re confronted with the opportunity to make a positive difference for your world, for yourself.

You’ve proven that you’re capable, resourceful, purposeful. Continue putting it all to good use.

— Ralph Marston

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December 19

Better things

Don’t let your attention get drawn into trivial issues that don’t matter. You have better things to do.

Yes, sometimes the drama of those trivialities can be intoxicating. But is your life really made better by such intoxication?

The universe is bursting with energy, wonder, and value. At any given moment you have plenty of opportunities to fill your awareness with substantive, meaningful things.

Sure, you might find some momentary pleasure in merely observing and casting judgments. Yet you’ll experience far greater fulfillment in participating and making a difference.

Rather than wasting your attention on cheap thrills, utilize it to identify and embrace opportunities for real, lasting value. Where you repeatedly focus your attention determines the direction your life proceeds.

There are so many good ways to go. Continue to point your attention and yourself in a direction that benefits your life, and all of life.

— Ralph Marston

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December 20

Helpful habits

A strong, positive character comes from strong, positive habits. Actions you repeat so often you don’t even have to think about, become a solid part of who you are.

Habits can be a retreat from reality and responsibility, slowly but surely wearing you down. Or they can enable you to steadily advance to higher and higher levels of richness and fulfillment.

It all depends on the particular habits you develop and maintain. You can stack your life with helpful habits and prosper, or give in to the harmful habits and falter.

Although your habits exercise powerful control over you, that control is not absolute. You can always add new habits and discard or change existing ones.

From time to time it’s a good idea to honestly examine all the actions you habitually take. Think about every little thing you do through each day, and shine a self-reflective light on it all.

Then continue to build up the habits that serve you well and step away from those that don’t. Life always improves when you get all your habits working in your favor.

— Ralph Marston

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December 21

The journey

The reward is not the reward. The reward is in what you do to reach your objective.

Fulfillment is not a final destination. Fulfillment is everything that accumulates throughout the journey.

Every day, you are on the way. Every day offers opportunities to taste the richness you have always envisioned.

Every day gives you challenges that enable you to feel your strength and to know the depth of your character. Every day brings situations from which you can take insight and experience wonder.

Today is one of those days. So is tomorrow and the day after that.

Let life be all it is, let yourself be the complete, authentic person you are. The journey is the point, and it is now, and every day.

— Ralph Marston

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December 22

Who do you imitate?

Much of what you do comes from the influence and examples of others. Ask yourself, who are those others?

Who are the people whose desires, habits, values and perspectives you respect and seek to emulate? Even more significantly, how well have those people done in living lives of quality and fulfillment?

When so much of the information you consume comes from anonymous sources, do you even have a good grasp on all the people you’re imitating? It’s all too easy to be inspired by glittery images pouring out from people whose lives you know nothing about.

What appears compelling on the surface often has little depth. When seeking someone to follow, to look up to and admire, to guide your actions, it’s in your best interest to know that person as deeply as possible.

That takes time and effort, thought and commitment. Many other people have many great perspectives, but there also exist a whole lot of false promises.

From time to time it’s good to consider, who do you imitate and why? Pay particular attention to the why, and find your way to those who can influence you in the most positive and fulfilling manner.

— Ralph Marston

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December 23

Tomorrow is too late

Tomorrow is too late. Today is when you can make choices, take action, and get results.

Tomorrow is a useful concept to keep in mind. Today, however, is rock-solid reality, when you are connected to everything that exists.

Tomorrow will always be out of reach. Today you have skills, resources, knowledge, people and time immediately available.

Tomorrow might end up being one way, or it could turn out differently. Today you know exactly what the situation is, and you can find good ways to work with it.

If you continue putting it off until tomorrow it will never happen. When you do it today it will get done.

Think about tomorrow, but not for too long. Then turn your attention to the time you have right now, and make good things happen today.

— Ralph Marston