Daily Motivator - April

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April 16

Start now and keep going

Whatever must be done, you can do. Just start, and keep going.

Difficult problems are not pleasant, so don't make them worse by prolonging them. Confront each problem, take action, and get it behind you.

Looking ahead to the work you must do, it can seem overwhelming. Yet as soon as you take action, you begin to realize that yes, you can get it done.

Take the first step, and suddenly you're looking at the situation from a perspective of power. You can instantly switch from the self-pity of a victim to the effectiveness of a problem solver.

Take the second step, and you begin to put momentum on your side. With each successive action, your doubts melt away, your confidence and commitment grow stronger.

Whatever goal you wish to reach, whatever problem you wish to solve, you are a specific number of steps away from doing so. Start now, keep going, and get it done.

Ralph Marston

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April 17

Wishes and actions

Do you wish you had done certain things differently in the past? Going forward, you have the power to make those wishes come true.

There are times when you wish you had been more diligent, more disciplined, more considerate, or any number of things. Though there is nothing you can do about what has already happened, there is everything you can do about what will now take place.

Whatever you’ve wished you had done, this is your chance to do it. This is your opportunity to turn regrets into action.

You don’t have to create any more painful wishes about how life might have been. You can take the actions that will create the life you wish to live.

Take all those wishes about the past and transfer their energy into purposeful actions in the present. Enjoy making life happen the way you choose.

This is your day, filled with great possibilities. This is your moment to stop wishing and start living.

— Ralph Marston

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April 18

Feel each moment

Think, but don't let your thoughts about the situation distance you from the situation. Experience where you are, who you're with, what you're doing without overanalyzing it into triviality.

Your life in this universe is not just some abstract concept. It is a real, living, unique adventure, so treat it as such.

Release the temptation to outthink the moment, and find richness in living the moment. Take in that richness not by mentally outlining its benefits, but by participating in its substance.

Sunshine warms your back and a rain-cooled breeze cools your face. Treasure life as you live it because it feels so good.

Thinking is a powerful, useful pursuit. Yet there is more to life than just thinking your way through.

Feel each moment and experience its rich sensations. Be where you are in person as well as in thought.

Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 19

Focus and commitment

You have plenty of good possibilities on this day, in this situation. Pick one at a time, commit to it, and go with it, no looking back, no holding back.

If you fill your mind with worry about missing out on other things, you miss out on everything. Focus on what you've chosen, find satisfaction in it, and leave the other things for other times and places.

Your attention is at its most powerful when undivided. Your work is most effective when it is focused.

Doing two, three, four or more tasks at once means you're not doing any task as well as you could be. Give each effort, each experience the full attention it deserves.

Let go of the mistaken assumption that your work is merely something to be endured. Put all you have into each thing you do, and watch as you continually add new richness to life.

Honor every activity, every moment, every person and situation with your full attention and respect. And delight in the great rewards earned with focus and commitment.

Ralph Marston

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April 20

Sincere goodness

When you run into carelessness, don't let it get you down. Instead, let it motivate you to be more caring and intentional.

If you encounter arrogance, don't fight against it or complain about it. Deal with it by finding new ways to live with humility, respect and appreciation.

You can't eliminate the negativity of the world with more negativity. What you can do is overwhelm it with positive living.

Let the ill-mannered behavior of others be their problem. Let the lifting of life to a higher, kinder level be your mission.

Living well, with purpose, compassion and understanding, is your best response to whatever comes your way. Instead of being frustrated by fighting against crudeness, be inspired by all the good things you can do.

Rather than despairing, lecturing, giving up or giving in, be strong in your gentle living of sincere goodness. Life has much more potential for that goodness than you might guess, if you will simply and consistently encourage it to be.

Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 21

The attitude you choose

Your attitude is too powerful to be left to chance. Make it a choice, not a reaction.

You're perfectly able to be positive when there is no apparent reason to be positive. And in fact, that's when your positive attitude will empower you to achieve the most.

You can be hopeful, energetic, enthusiastic, even when outside factors do not warrant such. With the power of that positive perspective you can change those outside factors for the better.

You can utilize any and every circumstance as raw material for moving forward. It all comes from the attitude you choose.

Whatever challenge you face at the moment can be an excuse to give up, or an opportunity to excel. What you make of it depends entirely on what you choose.

Your choice of attitude colors all your other choices and thereby impacts every part of your life. Make it consistently positive, back it up with focused effort, and choose to live the great life you deserve.

Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 22

Achievable reality

Don't let yourself be overwhelmed by all you must do. Let yourself be energized by the progress you can make.

Sure, the task looks daunting before you start. The only way to stop feeling so overwhelmed is to begin.

Begin the task, and you transform it from an intimidating concept into an achievable reality. Make the first phone call, write the first sentence, pull the first weed, walk the first fifty yards, and suddenly you're doing it.

Even if you're not sure exactly what that step should be, take the first step. Establish momentum, and soon that momentum is a wind at your back, pushing you forward, adding its own power to your intention.

In an instant, you can go from feeling it can't be done to discovering how you can get it done. You can go from zero progress to continually accelerating progress.

The road to achievement is just one positive action away. Take that action, get on that road, and follow it all the way to your most treasured dreams.

Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 23

Energy to keep going

How do you keep going when everything seems to keep going against you? How do you push forward when it feels like the whole world is pushing back at you?

The way to keep going is to remind yourself why. There is a reason you've chosen this path, and connecting with that reason will keep you on the path.

When you started, that reason was clear, visible and present, fresh in your awareness. It gave you the energy, enthusiasm, drive and determination to get started.

Go back now and revisit that reason. Claim that enthusiasm and energy again, recharging yourself with it all in the present moment.

Your love and your purpose are stronger by far than any challenge you face. Do what you must do to remind yourself of that, as often as possible.

You have what it takes to keep going, and it's been there right from the start. Remember, reconnect, feel the love, feel the purpose, and engage the positive energy to push through whatever may come.

Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 24

Where to start

Are you not sure where to start? The place to start is where you are.

Are you having trouble deciding on the first step to take? Just pick a step, take it, and you’ll suddenly be in a much better position to know what must be done next.

Instead of waiting and wondering, speculating and procrastinating, worrying and making excuses, just go ahead and start. Put your time and energy into moving forward.

You may not get it exactly right at first, in fact you probably won’t. Yet even if you make some initial mistakes, that’s a whole lot better than doing nothing.

Start where you are, and go from there. Start where you are, and discover how much you enjoy the effort.

The best way to know what to do next is by doing what you can do now. This is where to start, so do.

— Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 25

Success demands specifics

Success demands specifics. You can be immensely successful but you cannot be ambiguously successful.

You always possess great potential. To be realized and manifested, that potential must have a precise target.

Whatever your personal limitations and shortcomings may be, life's greatness can flow through you in limitless measure. For that to happen, you must give it somewhere to flow.

When you set your mind upon a purpose, and commit yourself to fulfill that purpose, positive energy suddenly floods into your life. Every action, every thought, every moment, every circumstance brings opportunity to make progress.

It doesn't really matter if your purpose seems silly or trivial, unsophisticated or incomprehensible to others. What matters is that it matters to you, and that you focus on it with all you have.

You are filled in every moment with life's miraculous energy, eager to be put to use. Direct that energy in a specific, meaningful way and the results will be nothing short of amazing.

Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 26

Benefits of discomfort

The discomfort of strenuous exercise makes your body stronger, and your spirit as well. The discomfort of an unfamiliar place heightens your senses, and soon results in greater confidence.

Your life benefits from your willingness to do what is uncomfortable. Go beyond where you are comfortable, and you grow in your capabilities, your relationships, your knowledge, your confidence and more.

If an opportunity or an idea is completely comfortable to you, it's probably not of much value to you. If a person, a task or a situation never challenges you, there's little chance for growth.

There's nothing wrong with taking refuge in what is dependably comfortable. But don't imprison yourself by refusing to ever leave those comfortable spaces.

Hone your best capabilities by reaching beyond what you already know you can do. For the sake of your own possibilities, seek out new people, places, responsibilities and concepts that make you a bit uncomfortable.

Discomfort strengthens you, teaches you, sharpens your senses and illuminates new, valuable possibilities. By making yourself a little vulnerable, a little uncomfortable, you can make your life a lot better.

Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 27

Give good time

Give yourself the time necessary to make the best of what you do. Your life has great value, so respect that value by investing the time to get it right.

Don't settle for a cheap, superficial imitation of whatever you seek to experience. Take the time, put in the effort to get it right, to do it well, to give it a depth of meaning.

The world offers many flashy distractions, yet behind their flash is mostly nothing. Rather than rushing through empty diversions, seek the substance that comes from extended, focused attention.

The latest thing is always overshadowed quickly by an even newer latest thing. Instead of striving to keep up with what's hot, give quality time and attention to what's important and fulfilling.

The richness you accumulate, whether from friendships, experiences or accomplishments, is a function of the time you invest. Remind yourself of what really matters, and make plenty of time in your life for it.

Time is worth more than money, so don't let shallow, fleeting concerns steal that valuable time. Give good time to all you love, and make the goodness grow.

Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 28

Perfect days

If every day were perfect, no day would be special. What makes life so good is the fact that you can take whatever you have and make it better.

The bulk of your life is lived on days that are far from perfect. A less than perfect day is no reason to hold yourself back.

On the contrary, the difficult days are when you can make the biggest positive difference. Go ahead, whatever the circumstance, and live true to the highest of your abilities and desires.

Don't postpone the joy in your life just because conditions are not ideal. Live the joy now, and your living of it will make everything better.

Use each day to create achievements and experiences, not to collect excuses or resentments. Do your best work, live your highest vision of life, free of the need to judge how things are.

Every day, every moment, is beautiful and valuable in its own way. Live the beauty as it comes, always, no matter what.

Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 29

Dance of possibilities

Now, allow peace to permeate your awareness. With no need for judgment, free from every worry and concern, join in the dance of possibilities.

Feel waves of positive energy as they cascade into this time and place. Let visions of all the goodness, love and fulfillment you can create gently glide through your awareness.

Envelop every thought, every feeling in a soft blanket of love. Observe and be endlessly thankful for all you see from your empowered perspective.

Joyfully let your every action be worthy of the positive, creative person you are. Delight at how effective those actions can be when they are guided by loving intention.

Embrace and appreciate the beauty that's always right in front of you. Feel a sense of clarity and purpose as your spirit is refreshed.

Your new, empowered moment is born. Give yourself over to the dance of possibilities and live the wonder you love so much.

Ralph Marston

[bluidkiti]

April 30

Energy of emotion

Anger, regret, fear, desire and determination are all powerful emotions, and there are plenty more. When they arise within you, let their power push you to take positive action.

Emotions can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to stay overwhelmed. You can quickly choose to let those emotions empower you.

Your emotions connect you directly to what's most important to you. That can be a very good thing.

Powerful emotions remind you of what really matters, in a way you can't ignore. Use those compelling reminders to give positive purpose to your thoughts, words and actions.

In each emotion, you feel the miraculous energy of life. Direct that energy in ways that make a beneficial difference in your world.

You cannot change whatever past event caused the emotion, yet you can control what you do with it. Choose to do good, and use its power in your own way to lovingly lift up life.

Ralph Marston