Re: Daily Motivation

• Ladychipper 23,108 Posts

  Fri, Sep 20 2024 9:06 AM

  Friday, September 20, 2024

  Insist on reality

  Give up your illusions. Go forward with your values, your strength, and with objective truth.

  It’s easy to pretend to yourself, and to go along with the pretenses of others. But that doesn’t take you anywhere worth going.

  Step away from what’s merely easy, from what just looks good on the surface. Go with what’s truly good at the deepest level, what’s useful, enduring, and real.

  Refuse to buy in to assertions that cannot stand rigorous scrutiny. Insist on reality, because when all is said and done, reality is what remains.

  Put your assumptions to the test, and discard those that fail. Seek to learn from every interaction, from every experience, what works and what doesn’t, what is true and what isn’t.

  Looks can be deceiving, as can narratives, expertise, feelings and impressions. Take it all into consideration, then do the difficult work to determine and to go with what is true, with what is real.

   

  — Ralph Marston

• Ladychipper 23,108 Posts

  Mon, Sep 23 2024 9:22 AM

  Monday, September 23, 2024

  Living in harmony

  Harmony does not mean everyone is in agreement. Harmony exists when no one is attempting to force his or her opinions on others.

  Harmony does not require everyone to be the same. Harmony thrives where people respect and tolerate the differences that give so much richness to life.

  Harmony cannot be achieved by brute force. Harmony prevails when every individual understands, on his or her own terms, that it is the most effective way to live.

  Harmony does not come about through intimidation or scolding or threats of punishment. Harmony is reached through understanding and cooperation.

  Harmony cannot exist where people are interested only in what they can take. Harmony is built through a willingness to give.

  Harmony comes not by being weak or by surrendering one’s most treasured principles, or by the cowardly attempt to control others. Harmony is the domain of those who are confident enough in their own lives to allow others to peacefully flourish.

   

  — Ralph Marston

   

• Ladychipper 23,108 Posts

  Tue, Sep 24 2024 12:32 PM

  Tuesday, September 24, 2024

  Right time

  Today has come at the right time for you. Be confident in living it well.

  There’s much you can do that you could not do before. And now are opportunities you will never have again.

  Hear what your own life is begging you to undertake, to say, to experience, to let go. Transform intuition into clear intention into effective action into enduring value.

  You’ve been given the right time, so now make the good effort. With this moment that’s like no other, discover and fulfill the best that you can do.

  It’s not too early, not too late. In this golden space you have life, and all the wonder, all the beauty, all the power and positive consequence your work can summon.

  Now, look far beyond all those shallow shiny trinkets that quickly tarnish. Bring your best possibilities sharply into focus, and act with love to make them real.

   

  — Ralph Marston

   

• Ladychipper 23,108 Posts

  Wed, Sep 25 2024 8:38 AM

  Wednesday, September 25, 2024

  Do it one better

  Accept what is, accept what comes. Then do it one better.

  You’re not going to fix all that’s wrong in the world. Yet you can constantly improve yourself and many of the things around you.

  If everything was already perfect you’d have nothing useful to do. Embrace the imperfection along with the good work it calls you to take on.

  Proceed under whatever conditions exist. Discover that each day offers plenty of opportunities to thrive, to experience fulfillment.

  Present yourself as a willing participant in each moment as it unfolds. Notice your eagerness to do the good you can do.

  Whether you encounter ups or downs, joys or disappointments, always be willing and able to respond in a positive manner. Take what is, and do it one better.

   

  — Ralph Marston

• Ladychipper 23,108 Posts

  Thu, Sep 26 2024 8:34 AM

  Thursday, September 26, 2024

  Take the win

  When you get up in the morning and your world is still intact, take the win. When you complete what you’ve set out to do, take the win.

  Take the win, thankful for your opportunity to have a positive influence. Take the win, and go forward with it.

  Certainly you’re smart to take your concerns and challenges into consideration. Yet it’s also important to balance those thoughts with appreciation for the good that exists around you.

  Rather than worrying about losing the ground you’ve just gained, take the win. Take the win and draw from it a calm inspiration to keep going.

  You haven’t done everything perfectly, yet you have made progress. Give yourself some credit for how far you’ve come, and you’ll set yourself up to continue moving forward.

  Take the win, not with arrogance but with gratitude, kindness, and the best of expectations. Take the win, and be generous in sharing your good fortune with all of life.

   

  — Ralph Marston

• Ladychipper 23,108 Posts

  Mon, Sep 30 2024 11:41 AM

  Monday, September 30, 2024

  Choose enrichment

  Life is good. Make it better.

  Some activities are truly enriching, while others are merely comfortable, habitual, or downright destructive. Take note of which is which, and choose enrichment as much as you can.

  The opportunities for enrichment are everywhere, in challenges as well as pleasures, in difficulties as well as joys. And every time life is enriched, more enriching possibilities emerge.

  Plus, when you act to enrich the lives of others your own life becomes richer as well. The more enrichment you spread around, the more everyone has, including you.

  Is your current direction providing meaningful enrichment in your world? If so, keep on going strong, and if not, look for how you can change course.

  Whatever your past, whatever your situation, today is a day for enrichment. Go ahead and make it happen.

   

  — Ralph Marston

• Ladychipper 23,108 Posts

  Tue, Oct 1 2024 9:06 AM

  Tuesday, October 1, 2024

  Be there

  Great value exists in the immediate physical presence of other people, places, and activities. Although remote, virtual experiences can be quite rich, they are never the same as being there.

  From thirty thousand feet the world looks one way, and at ground level it looks significantly different. It’s useful to see the big picture, and also good to get in close.

  High resolution video and clear, crisp audio connections enable you to quickly and easily reach across the world at negligible cost. As amazing as that can be, it can never replace the deep resonance of sharing the same space with another person.

  Even when you don’t have to be there, especially when you don’t have to be there, it can mean a great deal to be there nonetheless. You are an embodied creature, a social creature through and through, and many benefits accrue when you act on those truths.

  A photograph of the forest is nice, yet a walk through the forest is superior by orders of magnitude. As thoughtful as a phone call can be, a personal visit could end up being life changing.

  The time and trouble necessary to be there serve as powerful signals to yourself and others. Look for opportunities to actively express the truth that life is precious, and be there to live it in person.

   

  — Ralph Marston

   

• Ladychipper 23,108 Posts

  Wed, Oct 2 2024 11:42 AM

  Wednesday, October 2, 2024

  Ability to imagine

  Imagination is not a trivial thing. Give it the seriousness it deserves.

  When you imagine, put time and effort into it. Imagine in specific detail, with feeling, purpose and depth.

  What you create, what you accomplish, starts with what you imagine. To achieve excellence, begin by imagining all the particulars of the excellence you seek to reach.

  Your imagination can give you significant power over your thoughts, your perceptions, your actions, your life and your world. Employ it responsibly, respectfully, soberly, and with the highest of expectations.

  A whole lot of failures are primarily failures of imagination. And every success rests firmly on the ability to imagine.

  There are infinite possibilities you have not yet considered. Activate fully your imagination, and bring the best of them to life.

   

  — Ralph Marston

• Ladychipper 23,108 Posts

  Thu, Oct 3 2024 12:41 PM

  Thursday, October 3, 2024

  Going through the motions

  Going through the motions is not a good habit when you’re trying to avoid the work. Yet it can be very useful when you are learning to do the work.

  Athletes go through the motions over and over again, and by doing so learn to integrate those motions into competitive play. They call it muscle memory and it is a real thing.

  It’s an approach that works well to develop all sorts of genuine behaviors. By going through the motions often enough and long enough, you get good at what you seek to do, or to be.

  On the surface, pretending may appear to be disingenuous. On a deeper level it can serve as effective training.

  Whether it’s public speaking, pickle ball, leading a group, writing stories, playing an instrument, or just about anything, relentless practice pays off. It is by doing the work that you learn to do the work better and better.

  Before you master a skill or habit, get yourself to go through the motions. Keep it up, and improve your performance with every iteration.

   

  — Ralph Marston

   

• Ladychipper 23,108 Posts

  Fri, Oct 4 2024 11:30 AM

  Friday, October 4, 2024

  Challenges you choose

  There is no overwhelming need or financial incentive for people to climb mountains. Yet plenty of people do so, and often pay handsomely for the opportunity.

  That’s because challenge itself has value that’s independent of having the challenge met. There’s much more gained from ascending a mountain than just standing at the top.

  Challenges are enticing even when they’re not particularly daring or adventurous. For example, the worldwide market for puzzles and games of logic is valued at about twelve billion dollars.

  Life is filled with challenges you don’t choose. An excellent way to equip yourself for them is with challenges you do choose.

  Just the act of deciding to subject yourself to challenge will give you increased confidence. By working your way through that challenge, you boost your confidence even more.

  The challenges you choose will positively impact your skills, your sense of purpose, your resourcefulness, and many other qualities. Challenge yourself often, adding strength, effectiveness, resilience, and wisdom each time you do.

   

  — Ralph Marston