Daily Motivator - August

[bluidkiti]

August 1

What reality demands

You cannot change reality by refusing to acknowledge it or by pushing others to deny it. All that accomplishes is to put you at a disadvantage.

Just because a particular truth is painful does not make it any less true. Rather than hiding from it, get it out in the open where you can begin to deal with it.

Accept the truth, accept the reality, especially when you don’t like it. That puts you in the best position to do something about it.

Put yourself on the side of truth, even when that truth is difficult for you. Operate in the realm of reality, where you can be effective, rather than in the realm of wishful thinking.

Look clearly and courageously at what is real, at what is true. Then with effort, with commitment, with discipline, you can improve upon it.

The real world is a difficult and demanding place to be. Acknowledge and face those difficulties, for that positions you to successfully deal with what reality demands.

— Ralph Marston

[willbe275]

Welcome to August! July has flown past and I hope you embrace the beauty and blessings this new month of August will bring. God bless you my daily recovery family. May God continue to bless you and your family as we Journey through this new month together, with His love and grace. In Jesus name. Amen.

[bluidkiti]

August 2

In between the extremes

A pendulum can only swing so far in one direction. At some point its upward momentum will no longer overcome the force of gravity pulling it down.

In a similar way, the worse any situation becomes, the more pressure there is to end the negative momentum. Eventually that pressure results in real and powerful improvements.

Then, after a while, the reverse happens. Things get good, people become complacent, and troubles begin to eat away at the positive momentum.

When a particular fashion becomes too popular, too commonplace, it begins to lose its fashionable appeal. If something has been out of style so long no one remembers it, suddenly it arises as the latest thing.

What now seems like an overwhelming force will eventually turn into a distant, fuzzy memory. What’s not even on the radar today could be the main thing people are talking about a year from now.

In between the extremes, there’s a whole lot of good you can do. And if you’re not there right now, you very soon will be.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 3

Find meaning

Where to find meaning? Find meaning in doing something well, in doing what’s challenging.

Find meaning in offering kindness. Find meaning in accepting and fulfilling responsibilities.

Find meaning in opening yourself to new experiences. Find meaning in working to create value that’s never existed before.

Find meaning in a purpose that’s bigger than you. Find meaning in living with faith, with hope, with love.

Find meaning in learning, and in respectfully sharing what you learn. Find meaning in thinking through what you’ve experienced and in acting on all you can be.

Find meaning in the big events, in the small moments, in the unique and beautiful lives of those around you. Find meaning in gratitude for all that is.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 4

From the heart

Speak from the heart, and even when your facts are not completely accurate, you’ll speak the truth. Live from the heart, and no matter what kind of world you encounter, you’ll find your way forward.

In your heart is wisdom you cannot fully articulate but you wouldn’t ever want to be without. In your heart are constant reminders of who you are and all you care about.

Your mind is superb at figuring out how to get there. It’s your heart, however, that knows where to go.

As the years go on, memories become faded and confused. Yet what has reached into your heart remains undiminished by the passage of time.

Watch life with your eyes, and see with your heart. Listen with your ears, and understand with your heart.

Fashion your moments from the perspective of your richest, most enduring treasures. Live life from the heart.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 5

Act accordingly

Why have you attained success? Because you’ve been willing to take responsibility for the consequences of your actions.

How do you create more success, more positive value? By continuing to exercise responsibility.

Each action generates a result of some kind. For every result you desire, there is a specific set of actions that will bring about that result.

The same is true of results you do not desire. For every unwanted result, you must avoid certain actions.

Over time you’ve learned which behaviors push your life forward and which ones set you back. You’ve learned not only from your own experience, but also from the experience of many others.

Right now you have another opportunity to put all that accumulated knowledge to good use. Remind yourself of what you want, of what you don’t, and use every moment, every situation, to act accordingly.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 6

Your potential

There was a time when you had great potential. You still do.

Much of your potential has gone unrealized. Of course it has, but that’s okay.

Just because you cannot do everything is no reason to avoid doing something. Just because you have not fully lived up to your potential is no reason to turn your back on it.

Your potential is eager to forgive you for any time you’ve spent ignoring it, whether that has been weeks or decades. Even more so, your potential is eager for you to put it to use.

There are many things in this life you’ve always cared about. You have plenty of possible ways, right now, to put that care, that love, that fascination, curiosity and ambition into action.

You have great potential, and there’s a great reason for it. By fulfilling your highest potential you make life good, for yourself, for everyone.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 8

Adventure

Adventure is a story that never gets old. When you make your way out beyond where you belong, you discover a whole new dimension to life.

Whether you experience it directly or vicariously, adventure puts you in touch with your vulnerability. That’s actually a very good thing.

The experience of vulnerability brought on by adventure brings a renewed sense of humility. That opens you up to gain new wisdom, to develop new capabilities, to grow stronger in the truth of who you are.

Adventure is rich in risk and reward, and that’s precisely its point. When you crave adventure what you are craving is life in its most meaningful state.

You have the power of purpose, the power to prevail through challenge in service of that purpose. Adventure makes that abundantly clear.

Adventure is when you know how it feels to be fully alive. And that’s an essential thing to know.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 8

In the flow

A job well done has value in its own right. Even when no one else ever admires the painting, or reads the essay, or strolls through the garden, the creation is well worth the effort.

What do you get in return for your time, your attention to detail, your dedication to excellence? At the very least you’re guaranteed the experience of putting forth all that goodness.

And that’s not nothing. Indeed, it is something that brings genuine richness to life.

At what times in your life are you most alive? At those times when you’re in the flow of creativity and productivity, when you’re focused, disciplined, purposeful.

The richest people are not rich because they have money, they have money because they focus on fulfilling and expressing life’s richness. Material wealth is a fortunate side effect of spending time in a purposeful and productive flow.

That flow is its own reward, and more often than not it spawns many other rewards. You’ll always treasure the time you spend in sustained focused effort, in deep conversation, in long concentration, in the flow.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 9

Limited time

There’s a limit to what you can do in one day. And that’s an excellent reason to do all you can do.

Because when you make full use of each day as it comes, the next day you begin from an improved position. Rather than being limited in what you could do, you benefit from all you have done.

Time moves steadily forward, and nothing you can do will stop that. What you can do is move forward with it.

When there’s not much time to work with, it’s easy to rationalize doing nothing. Yet even a small amount of time can make a difference.

Make good use of the time you have now and you’ll expand the options available later. Ten minutes of extra effort over the course of each day puts you more than an hour ahead by the end of the week.

If there’s no time to do a lot, then by all means do a little. Now is a great time to get yourself ahead.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 10

Contemplate

Give each thought more than just a brief encounter. Contemplate, and provide your mind with a healthy workout.

Follow along as one thought leads to another. Journey into the deep recesses of your thinking.

Enable your thoughts to gain new power as they interact with other thoughts. Discover new ways to combine, assimilate, and to think about what you already know.

Your ability to concentrate has the potential to change the world. Give it the time it deserves, and give yourself the benefits that come from quality thoughts.

On a regular basis, do the work that transforms knowledge into wisdom. Engage your amazing ability to think, and provide your mind with ample time to do its valuable work.

Your life is driven forward by your actions, and those actions gain immense power when you put quality thought into them. Contemplate, and enable life to benefit from all the mental connections you create.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 11

Build confidence

On the surface, confidence and arrogance can be difficult to distinguish from each other. So how do you tell them apart?

If you’ve earned it, it’s confidence. If you haven’t, it’s arrogance.

When someone has years of experience with a particular skill, that skill is applied with confidence. If someone has merely watched a video on how to do it, then it’s more likely arrogance.

To gain confidence, you do have to be bold enough to take action, and perhaps a little arrogant. But if arrogance is all you ever have to depend on, you’ll fall short.

Of course confidence is no guarantee that you’ll always get it right. Yet even when you initially fail, confidence can keep you going until you do get it right.

Depend on your knowledge and experience, not on your ego. Put in the time and do the work to build true confidence.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 12

Do the little things well

Driving a nail with a hammer is a mundane and relatively unsophisticated task. Yet it must be done with skill and precision, again and again, to build a magnificent house.

It’s tedious to learn spelling, grammar, and proper usage of language. Yet you need those key components if you wish to communicate exciting, sophisticated concepts.

The little things matter. Because every big thing is composed of lots of little things.

It’s tempting to neglect the little things, to take shortcuts with them, to seek out the cheapest, easiest ones. But when you compromise on the details, those compromises are multiplied in the final result.

Purchase good quality nails, hammer them straight and true in the places they need to be. Then you’ll have a structure that’s strong, durable, valuable, useful.

Every moment is an opportunity to do the little things well. Remember to embrace each and every one of those opportunities, and you can make the big things amazing.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 13

The value of hope

Hope alone will not bring what you hope for. But that doesn’t mean it lacks value.

Hope focuses your attention on the positive possibilities. And where your attention is focused is where your energy is directed.

Hope infects your expectations, points them toward a positive outcome. Those expectations drive your perceptions, your behavior, and affect your results.

Hope for the best but don’t stop there. Hope for the best, then let hope push you into action and sustain that action for as long as necessary.

Have so much hope that you get up and do something useful and effective with it, again and again. Do the work that hope demands rather than expecting hope to do all the work.

Hope has great value, but it’s not an easy way out. At its best, hope points you in the most challenging and fulfilling way forward, and that’s a very good way to be headed.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

August 14

Untapped potential

Be inspired by your successes. Be even more inspired by your failures.

Find great value in the good things you’ve done. Find even more value in all the good you have not yet brought yourself to do.

Challenge yourself in ways no one else can challenge you. Remind yourself that no matter what you’ve achieved, there is always more you can do.

Feel your untapped potential. Feel it so deeply you cannot avoid working to fulfill that potential.

See the great opportunity in everything you’ve left undone. Take hold of that opportunity with a renewed sense of energy and purposeful passion.

Think of all you’ve ever cared about and let it remind you how much you still do care. In that feeling is your potential, and in this moment is your chance to do something about it.

— Ralph Marston