Re: Daily Motivation

• Ladychipper 22,684 Posts

  Mon, Jan 11 2021 9:07 AM

  Monday, January 11, 2021

  Steer clear of conflict

  It’s almost impossible for people to get angry with you if you refuse to get angry back at them. No one is going to bother insulting you if their insults fail to produce any kind of response.

  Kindness and respect exist and flourish not merely because they have moral value. It’s because they have strategic value and the powerful potential to persuade.

  If you seek to change someone’s mind, you’re not going to do it by hurling insults. The most viable pathway involves understanding, respect, and kindness.

  Do you want to make it difficult for someone to argue against you? Then find a way to agree with what they’re saying.

  That doesn’t mean you have to contradict your own point of view. Dig deep enough to reach a common point of view, and go from there.

  Before you work on proving your point, put in the time, thought, and effort to improve rapport and connection. Steer clear of needless conflict and make way for real cooperation and progress.

   

  — Ralph Marston

• Ladychipper 22,684 Posts

  Tue, Jan 12 2021 9:27 AM

  Tuesday, January 12, 2021

  Life’s magnificent bargain

  Don’t shy away from life’s challenges. Those challenges are precisely where you will find new richness.

  The more difficult something is to accomplish or acquire, the greater value it has. The more trouble you must endure and the more resources you must expend, the more you will treasure the results.

  Difficult times are the times when you grow strong. Challenging efforts are the ones that force you to become more capable.

  By its very nature, adventure is not easy. And you certainly deserve a life of adventure.

  So accept the challenges and agree to the terms of life’s magnificent bargain. Go to the trouble, put up with the inconveniences, deal with the difficulties, and claim your greatest rewards.

  Even life’s worst moments provide you the opportunity to give your best. Take that opportunity every time.

   

  — Ralph Marston

• Ladychipper 22,684 Posts

  Wed, Jan 13 2021 11:45 AM

  Wednesday, January 13, 2021

  Make a little progress

  Even a small amount of progress feels good. Even a small amount of progress is better than no progress.

  What good thing can you do that will make life just a little bit better? Give it priority, give it attention, give it action, get it done.

  Do you wish you had more confidence in yourself, or in the future? Make a little progress and you’ll discover a lot more of that confidence you seek.

  Remind yourself of your abilities in a way you won’t soon forget, in a way you cannot deny. Deposit a little bit of new value into life where it did not exist before.

  That is the real life magic of which you’re capable. And when you perform a little of that magic, you’ll be inspired and encouraged by yourself and others to do more.

  A little progress is yours to be had within the hour, at any hour. It’s a powerful way to successfully deal with whatever confronts you right now.

   

  — Ralph Marston

• Ladychipper 22,684 Posts

  Thu, Jan 14 2021 9:16 AM

  Thursday, January 14, 2021

  Continue your choices

  A single positive choice is one step in the right direction. For that one step to have any lasting consequence, you must continue to add to it.

  Whatever success you seek will not magically spring from just one choice. Success is built upon many, many choices that all support and enable each other.

  Choose a healthy, nutritious breakfast, and follow that choice with a nutritious lunch and dinner. Then continue your healthy choices the next day, and the next, and make those choices a continuing part of your life.

  Choose to show up on time and do more than is asked of you, then make that choice again, week after week, month after month. Give power to each positive choice by carrying it with you as you move steadily into the future.

  As you follow through with each choice, feel its immediate benefits and envision its long-term value. Right then and there, inspire yourself, commit yourself to making that choice again.

  Continue to link your positive choices, another upon another. What you’ve chosen before, you can choose again, giving your choices the power to bear magnificent fruit.

   

  — Ralph Marston

• Ladychipper 22,684 Posts

  Fri, Jan 15 2021 8:58 AM

  Friday, January 15, 2021

  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

• Ladychipper 22,684 Posts

  Sat, Jan 16 2021 10:06 AM

  Saturday, January 16, 2021

  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

• Ladychipper 22,684 Posts

  Mon, Jan 18 2021 8:12 AM

  Monday, January 18, 2021

  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

• Ladychipper 22,684 Posts

  Tue, Jan 19 2021 8:19 AM

  Tuesday, January 19, 2021

  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

• Ladychipper 22,684 Posts

  Wed, Jan 20 2021 9:13 AM

  Wednesday, January 20, 2021

  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

• Ladychipper 22,684 Posts

  Thu, Jan 21 2021 7:59 AM

  Thursday, January 21, 2021

  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