Daily Motivator - December

[bluidkiti]

December 15

Wonder of existence

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 16

Stop and start

Stop caring so much about things that don’t matter. Invest your time, effort, energy in the things that do.

Stop pretending to yourself and others that you’re perfect. Your shortcomings make you real, authentic, and besides, nobody believes you’re perfect anyway.

Stop obsessing over who is to blame for the problem. Start working to create a great solution.

Stop putting things off until conditions are ideal. Start to work from where you are, with what you have, doing all you can do with the situation as it is.

Stop complaining that there’s not enough time. Start making full use of the time you have, right now.

Stop cheating yourself with excuses, procrastination, doubt and fear, out of the great life you deserve to live. Start giving all you have to joyfully lift up all there is.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 17

What you remember

Your memory of what happened is not what happened. Your memory is your impression, your interpretation of what happened, and what it means to you.

Each memory can and does change, each time you remember it. It never was fully objective to begin with, and becomes less so as time goes on.

Your memory is not an unalterable police car dash cam recording. It is a dynamic tool with which your past guides your future.

You cannot change the objective reality of what happened to you, or by you, or around you. Yet you can choose precisely how you remember it, what it now means, what you learn from it, what you do with it.

The story of your life is yours to write, now, to make sense of, to pull together into an inspiring, empowering narrative. Whatever your past has been, you can project it through the lens of now into a positive, fulfilling future.

Today is the turning point in the story of your life. Today, let everything you remember push you toward the brightest, most meaningful life you can imagine.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 18

Step up

You’re at the bottom of a deep hole, in a foreign country, where you don’t speak the language. A man comes along and starts shoveling dirt into the hole.

You yell up to him, asking what he’s doing, but he doesn’t understand you and you don’t understand him. He just keeps on shoveling.

So what do you do? You step up.

As each fresh mound of dirt lands at the bottom of the hole, you step up on top of it. Dirt is continually shoveled in, the bottom of the hole rises, and by stepping up you rise along with it, until finally you’re able to step out of the hole.

It doesn’t really matter whether that dirt was intended to bury you or to save you. What matters is your response, your choice to step up, to take action and successfully deal with the situation at hand.

What situation in your life is throwing dirt on you at the moment? Step up, take whatever’s coming at you, and put it to positive use.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 19

Possibility into reality

Can you write one sentence, and another, and another? Then you can write a book.

Can you take one step, and a step after that, and another step? Then you can travel a thousand miles.

What you can do right now may not seem like much. Yet once you do it, you can do it again, and again, and soon you’re making significant progress.

What you can accomplish today may not be perfect. Yet tomorrow you’ll have the opportunity to improve upon it and add to it.

Don’t let yourself discount, disparage, or talk yourself out of what you can do right now. Just go ahead and get it done.

Every time you have the chance, make the effort, do what you can do. Let your own actions show you, again and again, how to make possibility into reality.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 20

Better input

Every action has a consequence. By choosing your actions, you can choose your consequences.

Often you don’t know exactly what the consequence of a specific action will be. Most of the time, though, you have a pretty good idea.

Sometimes random, outside events beyond your control will come along to lift you up or push you down. For the most part, however, the life you live is a function of the actions you take.

If your life is going so great you can’t imagine how it could be any better, then keep doing what you’ve been doing, and enjoy. When the consequences you’ve created could stand some improvement, you’re in luck, because there’s a sure way to change them.

Don’t waste your time trying to get new consequences from the same old actions. When you’re motivated to get a better result, let that motivation push you to create a better input.

Live with respect for the powerful connection between action and consequence. Give yourself the life you desire by consistently taking the actions that are sure to bring it about.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 21

Celebrate the goodness

Though your life is not perfect, in a whole lot of ways you have it very good. Celebrate that goodness, nurture it, build upon it, and keep it going.

You can recognize problems and take action to solve them. You can spot opportunities and focus your efforts, your skills, your innovation and resources on transforming those opportunities into achievements.

You can live each day and make every choice according to a strong, deeply entrenched set of positive, time-tested values. You can live with a generous spirit and sincerely enjoy adding richness to the lives of those around you.

You can get out in front of things that are changing, and make sure those changes play out for the better. You can give your time, your thoughtfulness, your curiosity, love, and creativity to make life better in all sorts of different situations.

You can fill the hours with honest, caring work and be genuinely satisfied at the end of the day by the positive difference you have made. You can offer kindness where there is too little of it and give understanding to those who desperately seek it.

In every moment, in every direction, are ample opportunities to live with meaning and fulfillment. Remind yourself how good you have it, and live up to the great potential that is your life.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 22

Happy with who you are

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 23

Follow through

Follow through on your possibilities. Follow through on your dreams, no matter how old they are, or how long they’ve been dormant.

You had the idea, you had the inspiration, and you have the potential to make it happen. Now, follow through.

Something caused you to put it off. Now, pick it back up.

The desire has grown stronger, and your ability has grown even more. Take out your dream, dust it off, and do it.

Fulfill the potential you know you have, and make good on the promise you made to yourself. You had a good reason to make that promise, and now you have an even better reason to see it through.

Life may have gotten in the way, yet now is a new opportunity. Get it done, follow through, and make it happen.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 24

At peace with now

With peace, with gratitude, with patience, let this moment be the way it is. Live the richness, the beauty, the possibilities of now.

You have always been, and you always are, more than enough. There is real goodness in your life, in your world, and more to come.

Treasure this place, this time, this feeling, this experience. Recognize the opportunity to give more of yourself to all you love.

Allow everything that happens to remind you of what’s truly important. Feel the strength of your purpose, thankful for the opportunity to act with that strength.

You don’t have to let the stressful influences make you stressful inside. You can choose your feelings, so choose joy, choose laughter, choose love.

Be at peace with now. And live according to the terms of your own highest hopes and values.

— Ralph Marston

[willbe275]

Happy holidays to all, from the Franklin family in good old Brooklyn New York.

[bluidkiti]

December 25

Make a miracle

Make life a little less lonely for someone today. Give the people who are with you in this place, in this moment, a fresh experience of kindness.

Breathe in the beauty, the wonder, of all that exists. Fill your heart with enthusiasm for the goodness that is now possible.

You have traveled a long and difficult way to arrive at this remarkable day. Take the opportunity to offer your love more fully and sincerely than ever before.

Consider that you are here to make a miracle, in your own unique way. You have the desire, the experience, the generosity to improve the lives around you.

Open yourself to the possibilities for doing so, and you’ll see them in abundance. Set your intention, and treasure your ability, to make a difference.

Look for those spots where the world has grown dim, and see if you can add some brightness. Let your love make a miracle, and nudge life a little higher.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 26

Say what you want

To get what you want, from yourself or others, you have to say what you want. You must be clear and specific.

Do you resent others because they don’t treat you the way you wish to be treated? There’s a good chance they don’t completely understand how you prefer to be treated.

That understanding requires more than just assumptions, complaints, and insinuations. Be clear, detailed, unambiguous about what you want, and most people are quite willing to oblige.

Do you have trouble getting yourself to take the actions that will achieve the goals you desire? Then articulate those goals in a more compelling and specific way.

When you’re clear and certain about what you intend to achieve, you will find a way to get it done. Instead of wishing for a vague idea of something nice, you’re able to work toward something specific.

Ask specifically, and you will receive specifically, whether from yourself or someone else. Say what you want, and you’re much more likely to get it.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

December 27

Active role

Are the same old habits and routines imprisoning you in mediocrity and leaving you uninspired? You can change that, but it’s up to you, and it requires effort on your part.

There is no magic bullet that will make you enthusiastic. Yet there are plenty of actions you can take to ignite your enthusiasm.

Don’t wait for circumstances or other people to get you up and get you going. Take the initiative, now, and breathe some fresh energy into your life.

The world will look a whole lot better when you look at it from a purposeful, active viewpoint. What seemed to be problems and obstacles transform into challenging, exhilarating opportunities.

Rather than waiting for time to pass, get out in front of it, make it unfold in a positive, fulfilling way. Minimize the influence of random, undesired events by intentionally creating your experiences.

Do the work, put in the time and commitment to play a highly active role in your life, in your world. You’ll have no shortage of energy and enthusiasm.

— Ralph Marston

[willbe275]

Happy 3nd day of Christmas.