Daily Motivator - August

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August 1

Reality of the day

You don’t have to like what happens in order to make good use of it. You do, however, have to accept it.

You don’t have to like the way things are. Yet to be successful you must deal with the way things are.

Thinking about what should be and what should not be is a powerful way to formulate goals. But don’t use that thinking to come up with excuses and resentments.

You cannot be effective trying to deal with the world as you wish it would be. You must operate in the world that is, as it is.

Aim high, seek to make a positive difference, go forward with the best of expectations. Yes, you absolutely can change things, and to do so you must start with the way things actually are.

See real, get real, be real, accept the reality of the day. Then you can do the work to effectively push reality in the direction you choose.

— Ralph Marston

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August 2

On a mission

If you’re not sure what you want to do, you won’t get anything useful done. If you fail to set a direction, all the energy, effort and skill in the world won’t get you anywhere.

Decide right now in specific detail what you will do with this day. You have the opportunity, so take it and make it into meaningful achievement.

Don’t agonize over constructing the perfect goal. Yes, make it mean something, make it desirable, make it realistic, but the important thing is, make it.

You’re highly experienced at doing what you’ve decided to do, at fulfilling your intentions. So give all that well-honed capability something good to do.

Don’t just stand around wondering what to do, or waiting for the next distraction. Put yourself on a mission.

Ask now, what exactly would you like to have accomplished by the end of the day? Envision it, commit to it, then enjoy the great feeling of using this day to get it done.

— Ralph Marston

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August 3

Appreciate all you have

How often do you remember to appreciate what you have? As difficult as things might be, they could be a lot worse, so you always have cause to be thankful.

If you feel tempted to complain or feel sorry for yourself, stop it. And start figuring out how to best utilize the goodness that’s right in front of you.

When you obsess over what you don’t have, you’re injecting thoughts of lack and limitation into your awareness. That’s not going to end well.

Instead, appreciate all that you do have. Your appreciation informs, enables and empowers you to make much better use of existing resources and abilities.

Allow yourself to see the great value that’s already yours. Encourage yourself to expand on that value.

Appreciate all you have. And discover again in every moment how much good you can do with it all.

— Ralph Marston

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August 4

Go ahead and get it done

Nothing is gained by fighting against the effort. Nothing is gained by considering any task to be beneath you.

Go ahead and do what must be done. You can do it and it’s really not so bad.

You’re here, you’re in position, you have the opportunity, so get the work done. Solve the problem, resolve the dispute, create the value, do the thing you’re here to do.

Judging, agonizing, avoiding, procrastinating will just make it harder. Make it instead more enjoyable, satisfying, fulfilling by going ahead and getting it done.

Many may assume that effort is to be avoided, but you know better. You know from experience that making a difference is where true fulfillment lives.

So put some more of that special goodness in your life right now. Go ahead and get it done.

— Ralph Marston

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August 5

Cheerful about it

When you don’t get your way, be cheerful about it. There’s no good reason to be any other way.

Being angry, spiteful, resentful, despondent, destroys you’re effectiveness and repels other people. That’s not going to accomplish anything good.

You can’t change the past by being angry about it. What you can do is dramatically improve the present and the future by being cheerful.

Be cheerful and you do better work, attract positive people, improve your relationships and interactions. Be cheerful, and see opportunities that you’d otherwise never notice.

Be cheerful, and escape being sizzled by stress and paralyzed by anxiety. Be cheerful, and reap all the benefits of truly enjoying the moment you’re in.

Yes, by all means be realistic. At the same time, be cheerful, and position yourself to make the very best of reality.

— Ralph Marston

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August 5

Persistent effort

Achievement is not a matter of getting it perfect on the first try. Achievement is a matter of persistence.

If you wish to succeed, be prepared to fail, and to get right back to work after you do. To achieve the desired result, you must learn and grow with each less than desirable result.

Learn from the failures, and keep going. Learn from the successes, and keep going.

If you give up after suffering a setback, your effort has been wasted. Yet when you persist for as long as it takes, every effort, whatever the result, eventually leads to success.

Those challenging times when you feel like quitting are the times you've learned the most. Keep going, and make use of the strength and experience you've just gained.

Make every effort count by being persistent in making those efforts. Keep going, through the ups and downs, and work your way steadily there.

-Ralph Marston

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August 7

Feel great

The news is troubling, the weather is unpleasant, people are rude and uncooperative. Even so, especially so, feel great about today.

Feel great that you can be a beacon of hope, of encouragement, of competence, to a world that badly needs it. Feel great about the opportunity you have to make a positive difference.

Feel great that the value of your life does not depend on random circumstance. Feel great because you can decide to do so.

Feel great about what you can get done, right now. Feel great as you experience yourself doing it.

Feel great, and do all you can to make your great feeling highly contagious. Feel great, and be pleasantly surprised at how many other positive people you encounter.

Feel great, and let the positive energy flow into every action you take. Feel great, and discover how much your positive feeling can improve the world around you.

— Ralph Marston

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August 8

All the way

Don’t waste your previous efforts by giving up now. Go all the way to the finish, to the achievement, to the reward.

If what you’ve done is not working, be thankful for the priceless lesson. Then take what you’ve paid so dearly to learn, upgrade your efforts, and keep going.

Fulfill the promise you made to yourself when you made the commitment to achieve. Do what you must to go all the way and bring the achievement to life.

Don’t get caught up in whether it’s hard or easy, simple or complicated, convenient or frustrating. Point your eyes toward the goal, take the next step forward, and the next and the next, all the way there.

The hours of this day will pass quickly, and now is your chance to fill them with real progress. You have what it takes to complete the next task, and to take yourself all the way.

Soon you’ll reap the reward in which you’ve invested so much of yourself. Persist now in your efforts, and get yourself all the way there.

— Ralph Marston

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August 9

Time to do it

Today is your day for action. Now is the time to do it.

Circumstances will never be ideal, so stop waiting for perfection. Go ahead and make the best of the way things are right now.

This moment will be lost forever if you don’t use it now. Use it, get something good done, and the positive difference will remain long after the moment is gone.

Life is amazing, and much too precious to waste on procrastination. Do yourself a favor, and fill your life right now with meaningful effort.

There’s so very much you can do, if you will. Show yourself how much you love and value the opportunity, and seize it now.

The urge to do nothing may be strong, yet you are stronger. You are strong enough to start the work right now.

— Ralph Marston

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August 10

Somewhere within

Somewhere within you is the strength to love when love doesn’t seem to do any good. Find that strength, use it, do it.

Somewhere within is the confidence to let go of all that does not lift up life. Somewhere is the patience to understand, to respect, the wisdom to forgive.

Discipline, perseverance, tolerance, kindness, commitment, acceptance are all there too. You’ve earned this great store of treasure through every experience you’ve ever had.

Though bright shiny things in the world outside can be compelling, don’t ever let yourself forget. Inside is where value lives, and you can call on that value in any situation.

Everything that matters to you, matters because of the way you feel about it, inside. Within that reality is power to do just about anything you can imagine.

Somewhere within is the will to get up, get started, to keep going and to prevail against all odds. It’s as close as your next thought and as powerful as you choose to be.

— Ralph Marston

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August 11

Clarity and enigma

What happens, happens for a reason. But some of the reasons you will never know.

Some things you can make sense of, and some things you can’t. What you can always do is choose to accept, embrace and make good use of it all.

The wind blows, the rain falls, the clouds part and the stars glitter. Through it all, you’ll find a way to make new goodness, new richness, new meaning.

Sometimes the mystery can be solved. Other times it can only be looked at with awe, reverence, and respect.

Seek to understand all you can, and to accept there are some things you cannot understand. Celebrate those things that make perfect sense as well as the things that make no sense at all.

Let each day arrive with its fresh bright clarity and its new enigma. Learn to love it all.

— Ralph Marston

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August 12

Care in action

Care, even if nobody is looking. Care, even when there’s no possibility anyone will ever know.

Care, because it is the right thing to do, not because it looks good. Care, without caring so much about who gets credit.

Care, by doing more than just clicking a button in support of a cause. Care by taking action, not merely by saying you care.

Caring can be painful, burdensome, inconvenient, frustrating, and at the same time, fulfilling. Genuine caring feels good, and right.

Care, make a positive connection to all that is, and gain a new sense of purpose. Care, and be a conduit through which life supports, heals, nourishes, encourages, renews and rewards itself.

Care, and let it bring out your best. Care, and learn how vital and loving you can be.

— Ralph Marston

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August 13

If you fail to get your way

If you fail to get your way, don’t let it get you down. Take what is, what has happened, what you have, and make the choice to move forward.

It’s great to set positive intentions and to make them happen. Yet if a particular intention does not happen, it’s not the end of the world.

Disappointment reminds you of what you care about, and helps you learn from what went wrong. Feel the disappointment, absorb its benefits, then let it go.

There’s nothing to be gained by extending your disappointment. There’s nothing to be gained by feeling sorry for yourself or seeking the sympathy of others.

Instead, transform disappointment into determination. Use the energy of that determination to be more effective at bringing your next intention to life.

Disappointment is a powerful feeling. Whenever it comes along, choose to use its power in a positive way.

-Ralph S. Marston

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August 14

From here to there

See the reality of the situation, then see beyond that reality. See what is present, what is happening, then see what is possible.

Being positive about the future is not a matter of denying the difficult realities of the present. Rather, you must envision your path to a more desirable future and then have the courage to follow that path.

Be careful you don’t get lost in empty fantasies about what might happen. Be just as careful to avoid getting mired in dejection about your current difficulties.

Instead, get to work. See clearly where you are, choose specifically where you wish to go, and do what must be done to get you from here to there.

Don’t waste your energy wishing for reality to come to your rescue, or cursing reality as your enemy. Understand that reality is your workplace, and know that from any reality you can craft a beautiful and fulfilling life.

Accept and embrace the reality of what is, here, now, today. In that acceptance feel your own power, and engage that power to push your reality in whatever direction you choose.

— Ralph Marston

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August 15

Really not so bad

Is it really so bad when you’re inconvenienced or delayed? Is it really so bad when someone says something you disagree with?

Is it really so bad? Or are you just in the habit of assuming it is?

Is it really so bad when things don’t go exactly the way you wanted? Is it really a good use of your time and energy to be offended, put out, anxious, angry, resentful?

Take a deep breath and be thankful. Smile, relax, look around at the beautiful, unique moment in which you’re immersed.

Many things are not nearly as bad as you assume them to be. Step back from those assumptions, from the stress and anxiety they induce.

Deal with the difficulties, but don’t add to them. Remind yourself it’s really not so bad, and get on with living a positive and joyful life.

— Ralph Marston