Daily Motivator - January

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January 15

Patience multiplies your efforts

You’re eager to get it now, finish it now, know it now. Yet there’s a very good chance you could benefit from a little patience.

It’s great you’re so enthusiastic, and have such a powerful sense of urgency. Just remember though, that good things can take time.

Give the good things in your life the time they deserve. Allow for the time that will make those good things far better than anything you could achieve in an instant.

Take a breath, slow your racing mind and hyped-up expectations. Savor what you’re doing, sink peacefully into the moment that is, and avoid speeding ahead too fast.

Don’t compromise the quality of your entire future just to get what you want right now. Give the goodness you seek the time it needs to be the best it can be.

Patience multiplies your efforts far beyond what they could otherwise achieve. Give yourself, and your patience, plenty of time and space to bring new richness to life.

— Ralph Marston

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January 16

Choose your best thoughts

It’s a thought that gets you going. It’s a thought that holds you back.

Confidence, doubt, curiosity, ambition, all are directly connected to what you think. So what do you think?

Are your thoughts scattered and wandering or focused and purposeful? That makes a big difference in where your life goes.

Your thoughts are yours to choose, to use, to build upon, or to discard if necessary. Take responsibility for them, work to make them beneficial and empowering, and the better your life will be.

A whole lot of people want to influence what you think because they think it gives them great advantage. Yet the person best positioned to choose your thoughts is you.

So use that power in the best way you can. Choose your thoughts as if the quality of your life depends on them, because it does.

— Ralph Marston

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January 17

Misunderstood

Often you will not be fully understood. Don’t let that stop you from doing the useful things you can do.

No one will ever understand you as completely as you would like to be understood. Yet even when you’re a little misunderstood, or a lot, you can do plenty of good.

It’s great to work with people who understand you well. It’s also possible, though, to make progress with those who misunderstand you to varying degrees.

Be clear with yourself about your standards, set them high, and live up to them. Rather than feeling you must explain those standards, let your valuable results be sufficient explanation.

Seek to understand, to be understood, and step forward with confidence in your purpose. Never let your creativity or ambition be stifled by the fear of being misunderstood.

Do your best, and let others do with it what they will. Give your best, and let others make of it what they make of it.

— Ralph Marston

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January 18

Get it done

If you can get it perfect, that’s great. If you can’t get it perfect, or even close to perfect, go ahead anyway and get it done.

When others support your efforts, that’s great. Yet even if you have no assistance or encouragement, go ahead and get it done.

Whether you have all the time in the world or just a few minutes available here and there, get it done. Whether you have all the resources you need or you have to improvise, get it done.

Start with what you have, from where you are, and get it done. The only opportunity you’ll ever have for action is the moment you’re in.

Once you have the idea, the intention, the plan, put it into action. Otherwise it’s just an empty wish that will eventually turn into a bitter regret.

You have the desire, you have this moment, you have knowledge, experience, and capability. Put it all to good use right now and get it done.

— Ralph Marston

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January 19

What matters

It’s helpful to develop a workable plan. What truly matters, though, is putting that plan into action.

Beginning with a big, noisy splash can look very impressive. What actually matters is steadily putting one foot in front of another, long after others have stopped watching.

It’s nice to have access to plenty of resources. Yet what matters more is making the most effective use of whatever resources are available.

Big promises mean very little if they continue to be nothing but promises. What matters is reliably following through on the promises.

Whatever has happened before is significant, and good to keep in mind. Yet what really matters now is what you do with now.

Now is when you take action, make good use of what you have, and fulfill the promises you have made. Now is when you can do what matters, and continue to create a life of richness and meaning.

— Ralph Marston

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January 20

Look deeper, with purpose

Love, but do not become blinded by love. Be wary, but do not become consumed with disdain.

The reality of life, of any circumstance or moment, is composed of countless shades. If you look at everything as black or white, you’ll miss seeing most of what’s there.

The difficulties appear to be obvious, yet they are filled with layers of rich detail. Unique and valuable opportunities hide themselves within all those nuanced details.

Clearly see what you see, but don’t let yourself think for a moment you’re seeing all that’s there. Look deeper, with humility, with curiosity, with purpose.

Life is so complex, interconnected, and dynamic that whatever you look for you’ll find, no matter where you’re looking. Your purpose illuminates and even activates the specific aspects of reality that serve and support that purpose.

Live in the moment while also living true to what’s most meaningful to you. And in every moment, every turn of events and twist of fate, you’ll be able to find the most positive way forward.

— Ralph Marston

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January 21

Many different sources

Excellence in one endeavor benefits from familiarity with many endeavors. A narrow focus is essential, yet a wide perspective is just as important.

If you push too hard toward one objective, you can lose sight of why you are doing it in the first place. If you forgo all joy and variety in pursuit of excellence, you end up with neither excellence nor enjoyment.

To continue caring about anything in life, step away and see the benefit of that caring from a different viewpoint. The path to excellence is one that includes surprising and joyful detours.

If the last few hours, or weeks, did not go according to plan, use that to your advantage. Your experience has just been broadened, and there’s much you can take from that.

Your life is influenced by a larger variety of forces than you can imagine. The more of them you recognize, appreciate, respect, and perhaps even understand, the better.

A diversity of experience gives strength and valuable context to whatever specific experience you wish to pursue. Every form of excellence gains from having many different sources.

— Ralph Marston

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January 22

Power to change the world

You do not know everything about anyone, including yourself. Keep that in mind whenever you’re tempted to render any kind of judgment.

It’s easy to assume you know the thoughts or motivations of others. But of course you often don’t even fully understand your own thoughts and motivations.

Every person you encounter carries feelings and experiences of which you have no idea. That’s an excellent and compelling reason to err on the side of kindness and respect in every interaction.

Let go of any instinct you might have to render any kind of cosmic justice to others. Offer instead a sincere smile, an understanding heart, and a helpful attitude.

There is no lasting satisfaction to be gained by casting shadows on another person. You could, however, create a lasting friendship by sending a little kindness their way.

You have the power to change the world for the better, one interaction at a time. This world needs you to make good and frequent use of that power.

— Ralph Marston

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January 23

The good that is now

Do not be afraid of time. Be eager to put it to use.

Do not become frustrated by time. Allow yourself to be inspired by every day that’s been, motivated by every moment to come.

Time does not ever have to disappoint you. For you’re always able to give your best thoughts, efforts, gratitude and respect to the time you are in.

Relax into the time that is now. Embrace time as it arrives and eagerly put it to use.

There’s no need for you to linger behind or to rush ahead. Simply move forward just as steadily and relentlessly as time always does.

Put time on your side by celebrating and utilizing each new moment as it arrives. Honor and cherish all the good that is now, and time will be good to you.

— Ralph Marston

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January 24

Choose sincerity

Don’t hide yourself from yourself and others. Pretense provides nothing of value in the present, and nothing but regret in the future.

This day is too beautiful to spend it as someone you’re not. Allow your own true beauty the space to live and to flourish.

In all those choices you make, choose sincerity. Enjoy knowing and sharing the power of the real you.

You are so much more than a flat, boring, predictable image. You are the essence of life itself, complex, vulnerable, curious, loving, and passionate.

Forget about whether it will make you look good or not. Do what you care about, what makes a real difference, what resonates with all you love and value.

Be the real you and live the real richness. Nothing you could pretend is as valuable and precious as who you truly are.

— Ralph Marston

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January 25

Reality check

What must be done is what must be done. Stop avoiding, complaining, procrastinating, and just do it.

The way things are is the way things are. Find the opportunities, address the problems, hold true to your purpose, and do what you must do to move forward.

Wishing for a different set of circumstances won’t get you a different set of circumstances. Instead, transform your wishes into rock-solid intentions, then put forth the efforts to make them happen.

You can do this if you will. You’ve done it before and you can improve on that past performance right now.

Remind yourself of everyone and everything you care about. You’re doing it all not only for yourself, you’re doing it for them.

Feel your power and your possibilities as you make the good choice to clearly and confidently face reality. Now is when you can, and now is when you will.

— Ralph Marston

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January 26

Conceptual understanding

When you struggle to find an answer, you’ll understand it much better than if the answer is simply handed to you. When you debate with yourself or others about what to do, you’ll reach a more complete understanding of why you’re doing it.

Knowing what to do is valuable. Yet grasping the concept behind it will make you extraordinarily more creative and flexible.

You’ll spend a little more time upfront to learn the concept rather than just learning the procedure. Yet that investment in your own understanding will pay for itself many times over.

Know the concept, and you can transfer success in one situation to success in a radically different situation. Know the concept behind what you’re doing, and you can discover workable procedures that no one else has ever considered.

Why does one procedure succeed while others fail? What is the fundamental process at work, and how can its truth and effectiveness be applied in other arenas?

Dig a little deeper and give yourself the power of conceptual understanding. It’s a power you can continue to build upon and use to great advantage.

— Ralph Marston

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January 27

Connect imagination to reality

You are the link between imagination and material reality. Think of the power that exists in such a situation.

You can imagine walking through a forest. Then you can take the physical actions and make the arrangements that cause that to happen.

If whatever you imagine seems unrealistic, that’s because it is. And yet that’s precisely the definition of the magical opportunity you have.

By your very actions you can transform what’s unrealistic into what actually happens. You can deliver the best of what you imagine into undeniable physical existence and experience.

Imagination by itself won’t cause anything to happen. Yet when your imagination inspires you to work with persistence and positive purpose, you bring all kinds of great things to life.

Honor, appreciate, and make frequent use of your ability to connect imagination to reality. Imagine new goodness for life, again and again, and bring it into being.

— Ralph Marston

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January 28

Something you can love

There is something you can love about right now. Do you see it, can you feel it?

Somewhere within this moment is unique beauty. Somehow within this situation is positive potential.

Encourage yourself to resonate with the goodness that already exists. Challenge yourself to envision and create the value that can be.

Go beyond the obvious and look with eyes enlightened by love. Discover how very much there is to love, to care for, to build upon right here and right now.

Colors, sounds, feelings, motions and ideas swirl through your awareness. Connect them all together and give them a positive, useful direction with love.

This is the moment you have, this is the moment you are living. To find the very best in it give your very best to it, with love leading the way.

— Ralph Marston

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January 29

Give yourself time

Give yourself time to think. Give yourself time to let your feelings run their course.

Give yourself time to be thankful. Give yourself time to be thoughtful and considerate.

Living well is not the result of overloading each day with the maximum number of experiences. It is more a matter of making every experience a quality experience.

Anything of value that appears instantly in your life can disappear just as quickly. Seek instead to attain sustainable value in work, in play, in relationships, in every aspect of life.

Give yourself the time to live with the quality you deserve. Whatever you build over time has a greater chance to endure over time.

Find great joy in the time it takes to complete each journey you choose to make. Give yourself time, and claim the great rewards of having spent that time well.

— Ralph Marston