August 29

Live the peace

Step away from the noise and the drama. Take a deep, refreshing breath, and allow peace to fill your awareness.

Much of what you’re normally forced to notice is not really worth your notice. Calmly consider the beautiful truth of who you are and the good things you can do.

Remind yourself of the people, the places, the ideas and pursuits you love. Resonate with the authentic goodness of the moment you’re in and the existence you inhabit.

Settle into a level of being where all is truly well. Give yourself the experience of being able to linger there, with no need to rush away.

Live the peace you’re always capable of experiencing. Let it strengthen you and inspire you to handle whatever may come your way.

Live the peace, and accept from it a refreshed perspective. Take all the truth you find there, and carry it bravely forward.

— Ralph Marston

August 30

Strength rises up

Cheap thrills cannot take the place of deep, abiding purpose. Discrete transactions are a poor substitute for enduring relationships.

The opportunities that matter come with a demand and an ability for you to invest something of yourself. When you leave behind your own blood, sweat, time and toil, it cannot help but be an enriching experience.

To be truly fulfilled is to participate intensely in the fulfillment. People can provide their sincere help in many ways, but no on can simply will a rich and meaningful life upon anyone else.

All too often, well-intentioned attempts to make things easier, for oneself or for others, end up causing needless misery and difficulty. Rather than seeking, offering, or promoting ease, look for ways to encourage and build strength.

For while ease is fragile and conditional, strength is enduring, independent, and self-perpetuating. Ease, comfort, and convenience can quickly crumble when conditions inevitably change, yet strength rises up.

Does it come free and quick and easy, or does it push you toward strength? Choose strength, for that’s what endures.

— Ralph Marston

August 31

Bring your best

Do you ever find yourself, while in the middle of an activity, wanting to get it over with as soon as possible? Do you then move on to whatever is next and find yourself longing to get that over with as well?

Envision a different approach. Think of how it would be if you could simply allow yourself to enjoy and find fulfillment in whatever you’re doing at the moment.

When you fight against your current situation, the situation tends to fight back. Efforts that could otherwise be pleasant and satisfying turn into exasperating struggles.

What you bring to each moment has a powerful influence on how you experience that moment. So it makes good sense to bring the best of yourself.

You cannot immediately change the fact that you are where you are, doing what you must do. What you can change is your attitude, and that will make all the difference.

Rather than seeking to get it over with, focus on getting it done well, on finding and optimizing the value of your experience. Bring your best to the moment, and you’re sure to gain good things from it.

— Ralph Marston