All of who you are
You are the living embodiment of every joy you've ever experienced. You are the accumulated wisdom gained from every difficult challenge you've ever faced.
You are the child who danced gleefully in the bright morning sunshine. You are the wonder, the curiosity, the thrill of each new discovery.

You are so much more than just the circumstances of the moment. You are all the life you've known, all the days you've experienced.

You carry with you the joys from the good times and the strength that the difficult times have forged. You've gained confidence when things have gone your way and determination when things have not.

The positive value in your life right now is more than can be measured. And all of it is yours to use as you move forward.

Remember all of who you are. Make from it the very best of who you now can be.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, October 25, 2004

When you imagine
There is no limit to what you can imagine. And the moment you imagine anything, it begins to come to life.
When you imagine, you plant a seed. The more detailed and specific your imagination becomes, the more that seed will grow.

Imagine the place you would most like to be. Then imagine how you could get there.

Continue to imagine, in greater and greater detail, and at some point an amazing transformation occurs. The object of your imagination crosses over into reality.

When you imagine, you focus your mind on the possibilities. And your mind goes to work to make those possibilities happen.

When you imagine, be sure to imagine the very best. For what you can imagine sets the stage for where you'll go.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, October 28, 2004
Your dream
Somewhere in you is a dream. It's probably buried deeply under all the day-to-day concerns, yet somewhere in you it lives.
It's not at all practical, and it's probably a little outrageous. Even so, it energizes your spirit like nothing else can.

It rises to the surface every now and then. And when it does, for a short while, the years melt away and you touch that place where everything seems possible.

Then it usually sinks back down under the surface of your awareness. And there it waits, patiently, never losing its hope or its luster.

Your dream, as crazy and impractical as it may seem, is trying to tell you something. Your dream, with its promise that you all too quickly, all too often dismiss, wants to tell you who you are.

Isn't it time you truly listen to what it has to say? Perhaps it is time to begin following that dream, and live the purpose with which you're blessed.

-- Ralph Marston

 

Friday, October 29, 2004
In perspective
If you look at a problem all by itself, it can seem to be massive and overpowering. Yet when you look at it within the context of your entire life and all the good, valuable things you have, the picture quickly improves.
In the midst of a disappointing experience, it can seem like nothing will ever be right again. Yet when you get a little distance from it, and take into account all your many blessings, a sense of hope begins to return.

When you've stumbled, the quickest way to get back up is to put things in perspective. Sure, the last five minutes, or the last five days, have been lousy, but there's much more to consider.

Think for a moment about all the positive things in your life. Then start moving confidently and deliberately toward them again.

The disappointments of the moment begin to fade as soon as you decide to put them in their place. Defeat starts to become victory as soon as you do something positive about it.

Never lose sight of how good life can be. Putting the problems in perspective will get you moving past them.

-- Ralph Marston

Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Murky anxieties
There are no anxieties except the ones you create. And just as you created them, you can let those anxieties go.
What has happened has happened. What will come will come. You can make a difference. You can take positive action.

And your actions will be infinitely more effective when they're not burdened with anxiety. Your awareness will be remarkably more rich and clear when it is not clouded with worry.

Open your eyes to the possibilities of this moment. Put your considerable energy into living the best of those possibilities.

Free your mind, your body and your spirit to be productive, effective, and full of life. Let go of those murky anxieties and fully live.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, November 4, 2004
Venture out
When faced with a choice, choose the path that strengthens you. Choose to learn, choose to grow, choose to more fully become who you are.
Explore places where you have not been before. Look at ideas and concepts that you have not considered before.

If you stay hidden in the comfortable and familiar, your spirit can soon grow weary. Venture out and recharge the passion in your life.

Venture out there beyond what is comfortable, routine and expected. Venture out and discover the depth and the richness of who you are.

A life that is tested and challenged is a life that surely becomes filled with real purpose. The more briskly the wind blows against your face, the more fully alive you'll feel.

Venture out from where you've been, then from that new perspective venture out again. There's no end to what you can discover, and become.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, November 15, 2004
Brighten your world
In the next five minutes, you can be living in a brighter, more positive world. In the next five minutes, a dreary day can be transformed into a day filled with positive promise.
How can this happen? It can happen because of you.

It doesn't take much to brighten your world. Yet it can make a tremendous positive difference for you and for those around you.

A smile is a good way to start. A kind word, a helpful act, some real patience and understanding will add to the brightness.

Brighten your world just a little bit, and that brightness will be reflected more than you might imagine. Send out your own special goodness today, and it will come back in even greater measure.

You don't have to be stuck with a day that's going nowhere. Take a little time, make a little effort, brighten your world and see just how quickly things improve.

-- Ralph Marston




Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Cut problems down to size
The obstacles are almost never as big or imposing as you first imagine them to be. The moment you start to work past each one, it begins to diminish in size.
As long as you're merely contemplating them, challenges can take on seemingly infinite and insurmountable proportions. As soon as you begin to work on them, those same challenges suddenly become more manageable.

Simply by taking the first step to solve a problem, you can dramatically change the nature of that problem. You transform it from a force that is holding you back into a path that can move you forward.

As you continue to work your way through the problem, you continue to change its negative influence into positive value. It increasingly becomes an opportunity for you to make a positive difference.

The way to cut a big problem down to size is to get busy working through it. Each step you take brings you closer to the point where you are completely beyond the difficult challenge.

The biggest problems can often lead to the most valuable opportunities. And your effort is what will make that happen.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, January 22, 2005
Another choice
Stress is only what you allow it to be. When you choose not to let it affect you, it is now longer there.
There are no situations that are stressful on their own. There are only situations in which you choose to respond with a stressful attitude.

When you choose to focus on the negative aspects of a situation, you choose to fill your experience with stress. Yet there are other choices.

You can, for example, choose to respond with love. You can choose to respond with positive action and enthusiastic determination.

You can look at challenges and see in them the opportunity for positive progress. You can look at the disappointments and see in them the opportunity for real joy.

When stress begins to fill you, stop and remember that it is only one of many possible responses. Then smile and make another choice.

-- Ralph Marston

Friday, February 4, 2005
Room for everything
Where there is nothing, there is room for everything. When all is lost, there is no limit to what can be gained.
When little is known, there is much that can be learned. When nothing has been done, there is much that can be accomplished.

Emptiness is an opportunity to be filled. Limitation is an opportunity to grow stronger and more capable.

Where there is overwhelming despair, there is also enormous space for love to abound. Where there is darkness, there is also the potential to be filled with light.

When you are down as low as you can go, you have the opportunity to be the best that you can be. When you're surrounded by emptiness, there is unlimited space available for real fulfillment.

When the world seems dark, cold, and empty, there is plenty for which to be thankful. For you can fill it with warmth, with light, with meaning, and with life.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, February 5, 2005
It's possible
When you imagine it, it's possible. When you visualize it in every detail, it's possible.
When you expect it to happen, it's possible. When you develop a workable, realistic plan, it's possible.

When you put forth sustained, effective effort, it's possible. When you make a solid commitment, it's possible.

When you're willing to work through whatever challenges and obstacles may come your way, it's possible. When you persist through all the ups and downs while always looking forward, it's possible.

When you can learn from the mistakes and gain strength from the disappointments, it's possible. When you put your creativity, passion and enthusiasm to work, it's possible.

When you imagine and visualize, expect and plan for it, when you work and commit and persist, passionately facing every challenge, it is not merely possible. It is certain to happen.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, March 3, 2005
When plans go awry
What do you do when nothing has gone as you had planned? Adjust your plans and get going again.
What can be done when problems and interruptions have drained away most of the time in your day? Step back and smile, knowing that you're wiser and more determined than ever to move forward.

For you've just experienced how precious your time can be, and realized how quickly it can slip by. Allow that realization to sharpen your focus, and then aim that focus on where you intend to go.

What's done is done. You are where you are.

The worst thing you can do is to fret about the time that's been wasted, for that will only add to the loss. The best thing you can do is to get up and get going again, with a fresh determination to make real progress.

Move beyond the time you've lost, and make use of the time you have. You'll soon be so far ahead that your little setback will quickly be forgotten.

-- Ralph Marston

Friday, March 4, 2005
A little improvement
Achievement comes when you improve on a situation. Greatness comes when you improve on the improvements.
What a shame it would be to achieve something truly valuable and then stop there. One of the best things about achievement is that it serves as the starting point for even more achievement.

When you invest your money it earns interest, and then the interest earns interest, and then that interest earns interest, and so on. When you invest your time and effort in achievement, it can undergo compound growth in the same way.

Just a slight improvement each day, repeated day after day, can lead to spectacular results. While everyone else is competing with each other to hit it big, put your focus on hitting it small, day after day after day.

Is there something you can do today just a little bit better than yesterday? Of course there is.

Challenge yourself to make a little improvement, and then improve on that a little bit more, and more, and more. Keep on going, and you will surely go far.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, March 5, 2005
Unavoidable success
You cannot avoid being successful. The things you have fully committed yourself to achieving, you have achieved.
The things you have truly expected of yourself have become real. The life you lead is exactly what your thoughts and actions up to now have succeeded at creating.

Yes, you are successful, for it is your very nature. The question is -- successful at what?

Have your thoughts, commitments, expectations, and actions succeeded at creating the life you desire, or have they succeeded at avoiding it? If the success that you've already achieved has not brought you to where you want to be, then you can adjust your approach.

You have successfully brought yourself to this point. And you can successfully go from here to any place you choose.

What you truly expect of yourself will come to be, and what you fully commit to achieving will happen, just as it always has. So always remember to choose the very best, and you can make it so.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, March 7, 2005
Avoid the urgency
Most things that end up being urgent didn't start out that way. Most urgent matters, had they been addressed when they first came up, would not have to be rushed.
Putting off a difficult task until later only makes it more difficult. To truly make your life easier, go ahead and take care of the hard stuff as early as you can.

When you put off something that needs to be done, you don't get rid of it. You merely make it more burdensome than it otherwise would have been.

Each time you procrastinate you deny yourself the opportunity to get the work done calmly and carefully, at a comfortable pace. Instead, you push the work to a time and place where it must be hurried.

That ends up creating needness anxiety and reducing your effectiveness. The far better choice is to go ahead and get it done before the need for urgency sets in.

What could you take care of today that would prevent you from having to deal with an urgent matter later? Go ahead, get it done, and bring more peace and positive purpose to your life.

-- Ralph Marston

Tuesday, March 8, 2005
Early regrets
Regret would be a wonderful thing if it came earlier. If you could feel the bitter sting of regret before making the choices that would cause that regret, you'd be powerfully persuaded to make better choices.
The biggest regrets usually result from missed opportunities. Feeling those particular regrets early would encourage you to make the most of your possibilities.

Yet in the real world, regret is experienced only after it's too late to avoid. Even so, there is something you can do to make regret a positive and powerful influence in your life.

You can use your mind to imagine regret in advance. By doing so, you can benefit from regret's lessons without suffering from its pain.

Before taking action, or before passing up an opportunity, travel in your mind into the future. Find the choice that would cause no regret, and then make that choice.

By imagining your regrets far enough in advance, you can avoid them completely. And that's a strategy you'll never regret.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, March 16, 2005
What you do with it
When the day is gray and gloomy, smile. And you have just made the world a brighter place.
When faced with choosing between what is easiest and what is best, choose what is best. And you have just raised the power of your focus to a new, more effective level.

When your efforts bring disappointing results, learn from what went wrong, then give it another shot. And you have just set yourself up to come back even stronger.

When others criticize and oppose what you have done, thank them for their helpful feedback. And you have just seen your efforts from a valuable new perspective.

When nothing seems to be going your way, recommit yourself to positive, productive thoughts and actions. And you have just taken control of your own destiny.

What matters most is not what life sends you. What truly matters is what you do with it all.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, March 17, 2005
Those who achieve
Those who achieve great things are not any smarter or more capable than others. They have simply decided to make use of what's available to them.
Those who achieve great things encounter challenges, obstacles and problems, just as everyone else does. Achievers have simply chosen to work their way through the difficult challenges, rather than be stopped by them.

Those who achieve great things experience plenty of setbacks and disappointments. They have simply decided to take renewed determination, instead of discouragement, from those disappointments.

Those who achieve great things have exactly the same amount of time available in each day as does everyone else. They have simply committed to making the most of each moment.

Those who achieve great things are not any different than anyone else except for this. They decide to do it, and then follow through with persistent, consistent action.

In this way, very ordinary people realize quite extraordinary levels of achievement. In this way, you can do it too.

-- Ralph Marston

Friday, March 18, 2005
Achievement machine
Imagine for a moment that you could go to your local appliance store and purchase an achievement machine. How would such a device work?
First, you would need to supply it with a clear, specific, detailed description and image of what you wanted it to achieve. After all, you wouldn't want your achievement machine engaged in work that had no meaning to you.

Next, you would need to provide your achievement machine with plenty of good, quality fuel so it could do its work. You would also have to keep it properly maintained so it would stay in top working condition.

And in return, your amazing achievement machine would use its considerable power and flexibility to bring you the things you desire. As long as you were clear about what you wanted and supplied your goal achievement machine with care and nourishment, it would perform truly amazing feats.

Alas, you cannot purchase such a machine. But the good news is that you don't need one.

For you already have a spectacularly effective achievement machine at your disposal, in the form of your mind and body. The fact is, within you is the best achievement machine that could ever be imagined.

Give that achievement machine clear, detailed instructions along with plenty of quality fuel and careful maintenance. And it will surely find a way to reach any goal you set before it.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, March 19, 2005 - Sunday, March 20, 2005
Past your limitations
When you push yourself a little bit past your limitations, you're not merely pushing yourself forward. You're also pushing your limitations back.
When you give your best to the effort, and then give just a little more, it moves you squarely to a higher level of performance. Over time, those little extra efforts add up to make a big difference.

What were once peaks, soon become valleys. What was once unimaginable, soon comes within reach.

Can you find a way to be just one percent more effective today than yesterday? It's really not that much, and probably well within your reach, yet consider what an astonishing difference it can make.

If you start today, and add just one percent to your efforts each day, after only seventy days your effectiveness will be fully double what it is now. Imagine that.

Imagine that, and then put it to work for you. Nudge a little past your limitations, again and again, and soon those limitations will be a thing of the past.

-- Ralph Marston

I wish I was like you.
"You can if you will".
The problem is I have no motivation to do anything.
Full stop.

Well, Birdmaster listen up, sweetie:

Monday, March 21, 2005
Get busy
You can wait and wish and hope for everything in life to be perfect. Or you can get busy making things better and better.
You can complain that life is unfair, and lament that the best in life has passed you by. Or you can get busy and make the very best of your life.

You can compile a big list of all the things you don't have. Or you can get busy and make full use of the good and valuable things you do have.

You can worry that there's not enough time to get everything done. Or you can get busy doing what you can with the time you have available.

You can let the setbacks and disappointments get you down. Or you can get busy filling your efforts with enthusiasm and positive determination.

You can sit and watch as life happens around you. Or you can get busy and make your life into something great.

-- Ralph Marston

:;):

Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Experience life
You put a lot of energy and effort into living. So on a regular basis, take time to fully experience your life and the world in which you live.
Spend some time that has no purpose other than to take in all the richness of which you're a part. Let go, for a while, of the need to analyze, to criticize, to judge and react.

Allow your thoughts to be still. Feel the wonder, the goodness, the beauty of simply being, and knowing that you are.

Experience life, not in order to gain any advantage or to impress someone. Experience life because the depth of its richness has no limit.

The more fully you experience and appreciate life, the more you'll find yourself needing less and having more. Experience life, and you'll clearly see how truly rich you already are.

Life is a gift so precious that it has no equal. Experience life, and give that gift to yourself and others.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Reflecting back
This day will reflect back to you the thoughts and feelings you have about how it is going. The world will reflect back to you the expectations you have of how it will be.
The people you encounter will reflect your attitude back to you. The situations you come across will reflect your own perspective back to you.

The shortcomings you notice in others are reflecting similar things within yourself. The beauty you see around you is a reflection of the beauty that is a part of you.

The problems you encounter out there can be most effectively addressed by first considering what they reflect within you. The opportunities out there can best be grasped by first connecting with the part of you that they reflect.

Be your best, and life will be too. Live with integrity, a generous spirit, a positive enthusiasm, and the world will reflect it all back to you.

What you experience is a reflection of who you are. Nurture the value and goodness inside you, and the reflection will be magnificent indeed.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, March 24, 2005
Have the humility
If you think you already know all the answers, you're not likely to learn much of anything new. Yet when you have the humility to admit you don't know something, there is a world of knowledge to be gained.
If the only point of view you ever consider is your own, you'll be continually held back by a narrow, limited, stagnant perspective. Yet when you have the humility to consider the opinions of others, your eyes will be opened to a world of new opportunities.

When you put all your thoughts and energy into your own concerns, the world will seem a cold and heartless place to you. Yet when you have the humility to give of yourself to others, life becomes infinitely more warm, joyful and fulfilling.

Snobbishness, disrespect, rudeness and self importance are desperate and pathetic expressions of inner weakness. Humility, on the other hand, is a sure sign of real, abiding strength and confidence.

True greatness does not grow from arrogance, selfishness or rude, inconsiderate behavior. True greatness is firmly rooted in humility.

Practice real, sincere humility as you go through each of life's moments. And your own unique greatness will come shining through.

-- Ralph Marston

Friday, March 25, 2005
A day to make it so
The moment that's yours right now is the link between intention and reality. You know what it is that you want to accomplish, and today is when you can actually make it so.
You might well wish that you had done it sooner. But all the wishing in the world will not change what is in the past.

You might think you can put it off until later. But the only time that's currently available to you is the moment that you're in.

Now is when you can actually make a difference. Now is when you can act to make it so.

Now is a golden moment, filled to the brim with valuable possibilities and rich opportunities. Yet all the wealth in this moment, in this day, will be lost forever if you fail to act.

Seize this moment that you're in, and fill it with purposeful, powerful action. See life in the best light you can imagine, then take this day and make it so.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, March 26, 2005
Go one better
What's a great way to get beyond a bad experience? Create a good experience of equal or greater significance.
When something bad happens to you, it can continue to take its toll even long after the original damage is done. In the absence of anything else to focus on, you're likely to continue to dwell on it and allow it to put a negative spin on everything in your life.

And what happens when you try not to think about it? The very effort involved in trying not to think about the bad experience will probably make you think about it even more.

There is, however, a very effective way out. And that is to create a new experience so overwhelmingly positive and memorable that it takes over the primary focus of your thoughts.

Put your imagination and creativity to work. Think of how you can be especially good to yourself, to those around you, and to the world in which you live.

Respond quickly to the negative experiences by creating even greater positive experiences. It's a habit that will add extraordinary richness and serenity to life.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, March 28, 2005
Where you are
Where you are right now is a very good place to be. For you are alive, aware, and able to make a difference.
Certainly things are not perfect. You may face uncomfortable situations, painful choices and difficult challenges.

Even so, where you are right now is a good place to be. For you have the opportunity to take whatever you have and make it into a life of value, meaning and fulfillment.

You have the extreme good fortune to be right here, right now. The more you see your life as the immense opportunity that it is, the more true richness you will uncover.

There is a path that leads to the best in life that you can possibly imagine. And the starting point of that path is where you are right now.

Pause for a moment and consider your many blessings. Then move forward and fulfill all the rich promise of where you are right now.

-- Ralph Marston

Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Quality effort
If you're spending your time doing it, then it's important enough to do it right. A quality life is built through quality effort.
Put yourself fully in to every effort, whatever that effort may be. Even the seemingly trivial chores can set the stage for greatness when you put your love, attention and commitment into them.

Put yourself fully into every moment, whatever you may be doing. For each moment comes with its own unique opportunities.

Success depends just as much on the quality of your efforts as it does on the quantity and nature of those efforts. When you consistently put quality and commitment into what you do, then whatever you do will create real, lasting value.

Every moment, then, is a chance to move forward. Every effort, no matter how mundane or tedious it may first appear, can be a crucial step on the path to greatness.

Put your best into every effort. And all those efforts, the big ones and the small ones, will lift your life ever higher.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Balance
If leisure is the only thing you know, then you cannot ever fully enjoy it. If effort is all you know, then you cannot ever fully experience the fruits of your labors.
Leisure has meaning only when it is balanced with effort. Effort has meaningful results only when it is balanced with leisure and relaxation.

A full day's work will enable you to get a good night's sleep. A good night's sleep will enable you to perform a full day's work.

When life is in balance, it is powerful and effective. When life gets out of balance, it cannot continue that way for very long.

When you balance one thing with another, you're able to achieve maximum value from both. So balance effort with rest, excitement with serenity, fellowship with solitude, and expression with observation.

When the load is balanced, you can carry it a long way. Keep your life in balance, and you will surely go far.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, March 31, 2005
You have the power
You have the power to surprise someone with a sincere act of kindness that's totally unexpected and completely delightful. You have the power to give a helping hand and an encouraging word to those who need it most.
You have the power to set your sights on a goal and then do what is necessary to reach it. You have the power to take an ordinary moment and give it extraordinary value.

You have the power to forgive. You have the power to appreciate.

You have the power to express yourself and you have the power to listen. You have the power to teach and you have the power to learn.

You have the power to look at a problem and to find within it a positive opportunity. You have the power to see what's wrong with a situation and to take the steps that will make it right.

At the end of this day, your world will not be the same place that it was when the day began. For you always have the power to make a positive difference.

-- Ralph Marston

Friday- April 1, 2005


Lighten your load
Be firm about what matters and flexible about what doesn't. Your time, your energy, and the moments of your life are far too precious to waste.
There is nothing to be gained, and much to be lost, by fighting and agonizing over trivial matters. In such cases, even when you win, you lose.

If something truly makes a difference to you and your world, then put the best of yourself into it. If it doesn't really matter, then quietly and calmly let it go.

Choose not to let the little, meaningless things get to you. And you'll free up enormous resources for successfully dealing with the truly important things.

Imagine how it would be if fully half of your frustrations were to suddenly disappear. Know that you can easily and naturally make that happen.

Decide today to let all the silly, trivial matters just float right on by. With a greatly lightened load, you'll then move faster ahead than ever before.

-- Ralph Marston


_

Saturday/Sunday, April 2-3, 2005


You did
There have been situations in your life that you thought you would never get through. And yet, you did.
There have been challenges you faced that you thought you would never overcome. And yet, you did.

There have been losses you've suffered that you thought you would never be able to get beyond. And yet, you did.

For you are here today, stronger, wiser, more experienced and more knowledgeable as a result of it all. Though the road has had its rough spots, you've successfully made your way along it.

There will certainly be more rough spots ahead, and there may even be some particularly difficult ones right now. So it pays, every now and then, to look back and remember that even though you thought you wouldn't get through, you did.

And perhaps, if you think about it, you'll see that there's really never any reason to doubt yourself. For when life challenged you to make your way through, you did.

And now, even more importantly, you will.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, April 7, 2005
Always remember
Don't become so caught up in the effort itself that you lose sight of the reason for it. Always remember that there is a living, feeling, knowing person inside of you.
Don't become so overwhelmed by the consequences of your mistakes that you fail to learn their valuable lessons. Always remember that there are plenty of positive aspects to any living experience.

Don't become so angry or bitter or resentful that you bring darkness to the world in which you live. Always remember that you are connected to all you see and know.

Don't be too quick to pass judgment on the people and situations that come your way. Always remember that they are more than they first appear.

Don't use anything that has happened as an excuse to give up. Always remember that you can make a difference in this moment, and move positively forward from any setback.

Always remember that life is magical, miraculous, with possibilities that have no limit. And you are here now to live it fully.

-- Ralph Marston

Thankful actions
Being thankful in your thoughts and words is a good starting point. Yet the real power of gratitude comes when you put it into action.
How do you put gratitude into action? By making the most of the good things you have.

When you hoard and hide away your blessings, they soon wither and die. When, on the other hand, you put them to use, the good things in your life grow and multiply.

There is no better way to show your thankfulness and appreciation for something than by using it for a positive, productive, creative purpose. Do that, and the value you already have grows even more valuable.

Whatever you have is not really yours unless you are truly thankful for it. To be truly and effectively thankful for it, make full and fruitful use of it.

Live with a thankfulness in your heart, in your thoughts and, most importantly, in your every action. All the good things you make use of will grow even better.



Live in peace
Peace is not something that happens to you. Peace is a part of who you are.
Peace is not something that can be taken away from you. Peace comes from the way you choose to be.

Though the world around you may be filled with confusion, noise and turmoil, you can choose to be peaceful in your own heart. Though life is filled with difficult challenges and setbacks that pop up out of nowhere, you can choose to move through each moment with a peaceful heart.

When you live only for the shallow, fleeting, frivolous things, then true peace will most certainly elude you. The way to choose peace is by investing yourself in real and lasting values.

No one can force your heart to be at peace. And no one can chase true peace away from you when it is there.

Imagine how powerful it would be to live each day with peace in your heart. And know that it is always there for you to choose.

What it takes
You have what it takes to make an ordinary day into a great one that will always be remembered. For what it takes is nothing more than the willingness to live every moment like it will never come again.
You have what it takes to transform small, easily performed actions into great accomplishments. For what it takes is nothing more than the persistence to make one small step, and then another, and another, until the job is done.

You have what it takes to make every moment better than the one before. For what it takes is nothing more than choosing to learn all you can from both the victories and the defeats.

You have what it takes to live a life of meaning and fulfillment. For what it takes is nothing more than committing yourself, in each moment, to what you know is right for you.

You have what it takes to move beyond your fears. For what it takes is the understanding that fear is not there to stop you, but to prepare you.

You have what it takes, right now, this very day. So choose to make it happen.

Thursday, April 14, 2005
The realm of success
The biggest successes come to those who are not afraid to fail. When you can accept and live with the possibility of failure, then you're ready to go forward into the realm of success.
Failure is failure only when you let it stop you. Yet when you fear failure, it will stop you even before you ever start.

Instead, simply accept the possibility of failure and go on ahead anyway. You may well have some setbacks, but you'll also have the ability to deal with them as they come along.

Each difficulty you encounter along the way will, after you get beyond it, eventually add value to whatever you're doing. Each so-called failure is only temporary when you are committed to reaching the goal.

Any effort that produces real value will also have some risk. To arrive at the value you must live through the risk.

Where there's a possibility of failure, there is also the real opportunity for success. The more you can accept the possibility of failure, the more success you will achieve.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, May 2, 2005
The thoughts you choose
Where your mind lives is where your life is headed. What you think about most willingly, when you have nothing else you must think about, will define the direction of your life.
No matter what may be happening in the world outside of you, you have the power to choose your own thoughts. And the thoughts you choose can have an enormous impact.

When all is quiet, when the necessities of the day have been tended to, when your mind is free of any constraints, what kinds of things do you think about? The thoughts you have at such times, the thoughts you choose to think, are the thoughts that will show you who you truly are.

Steer those thoughts away from anger, limitation, worry and envy. Direct your mind toward thoughts of love, possibility, confidence, abundance and generosity.

Whatever may be going on in the outside world, your mind can live precisely where you choose for it to live. Choose to let it live in an empowering, life-affirming, rich and creative place.

Choosing the life you want begins with choosing the thoughts that will direct you to it. Those thoughts are yours to choose this very moment.

-- Ralph Marston


Tuesday, May 3, 2005
One moment at a time
There is nothing about the reality of this moment that can overwhelm you. If you feel overwhelmed, it is because you have, in this moment, given life to your disappointments of the past, or to your anxieties about the future.
Just imagine how effective you could be right now, in this moment, if you could free yourself from those burdens. And know that, in fact, you can.

What has come before, as overwhelming as it may seem, is over. It exists only in your memory.

And what about the things that might or might not happen at some point in the future? They have no power in this moment other than the power you choose to give them.

Instead of fighting battles that are already over, use this moment to make the best of what is. Rather than struggling against some imagined future, use your energy to create real, lasting value from what is here and now.

Live one moment at a time, with fullness, richness, strength and purpose. And nothing will have the power to overwhelm you.

-- Ralph Marston

I have something that I keep to myself...an event, an incident that happened in which I cannot tell my family and friends.  I am ashamed of it.  So ashamed that I don't even have the courage to tell my best friend.  My parents are the most difficult to even think about telling.  Keeping this incident to myself is my only choice because I cannot bear to see the disappointment on their faces and the change that will occur.  I try very hard to put on a happy face in front of everyone...I think I'm very good at it to tell the truth.

This incident will negatively affect my profession and my life for years to come.  My psychiatrist and his assistant are the only ones who truly understand...but I cannot relate with them.

Lindsay, I know I'm not telling much about my situation but what do you suggest that I do?  I just want someone besides my psychiatrist for an opinion.

Tuesday, May 24, 2005
The smallest changes
The smallest changes can make the biggest difference. Because the smallest changes are the ones you can repeat over and over again.
The once-in-a-lifetime events are indeed impressive, and they certainly command your attention. Yet the routine, once-a-day actions can have a far greater impact because they are done again and again.

Every few seconds, for example, you take a breath of air, and rarely do you ever even think about doing it. Yet this small, regularly repeated action literally sustains your life and makes all your other activities possible.

When you want to make it big, think small. Find the small, easily accomplished actions that will steadily take you to your most ambitious goals.

The biggest problems will almost always yield to the smallest changes. Because the smallest changes can be overwhelmingly relentless, like tiny drops of rain wearing away the most massive boulder.

When you seek a big result, start with the small changes. They are the ones that will most reliably get you there.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Source of joy
This is a beautiful day, filled with tremendous positive possibilities. And you can make it even better.
Be a source of joy today, and you can make the world a better place. Be a source of joy today, and experience how great it feels.

Take those things that normally would annoy you, and simply laugh them off. Then overwhelm them with your own joyful smile, kind words and thoughtful actions.

Do something helpful just because it feels so good and so right. Put a smile on your face, in your voice and in your thoughts, and watch as your joyful expression spreads far beyond you.

Whatever you may be doing, make the decision to truly and fully enjoy it. You'll be amazed at how quickly others will pick up on your joy and return it to you in even greater measure.

Fill your heart with joy by filling the world with joy. Be a source of joy today, and experience life at its best.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, May 26, 2005
Think highly
You are only as skilled as you think you are. Yet you can always change your thoughts.
You'll be precisely as successful as you think you'll be. And you can always change your thoughts.

Your thoughts are yours to direct and control. And those thoughts will in turn direct and determine the reality of your life. For the results you attain depend on your actions. And your actions flow directly from your thoughts.

If your life is not what you'd like for it to be, then raise the level of your thinking. It takes no physical effort from you, just a willingness to think more highly of yourself and of what you can do.

Your thoughts alone will not make anything happen, and yet they will precisely determine what you make to happen. Think highly of your best possibilities, and you'll bring those possibilities to life.

-- Ralph Marston

Relax and enjoy
Diligent, focused effort will bring about great achievements. And that effort is infinitely more effective when regularly balanced with complete, total relaxation.
The more effectively you work, the more opportunities you'll have for relaxation. The more fully you relax on a regular basis, the more effective your work will become.

It is common to get stuck when you are working on something difficult and complex. One of the best ways to get moving forward again is to take some time off.

Get completely away from your difficult and demanding effort. Put it totally out of your mind, and replace it with something that's overwhelmingly enjoyable.

Then, when you come back, you'll be operating from a more powerful, more positive, more purposeful perspective. And the breakthrough you need will come.

On a regular basis, take time to relax, to enjoy, to savor life fully. And you'll find that it improves every corner of your world.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, May 28, 2005
Keep opportunity coming
Make the most of the opportunities that come your way. And they'll be followed by even better opportunities.
Say yes to the best of your possibilities. And even better possibilities will be drawn toward you.

Enjoy where you are, for it is a beautiful and valuable place. And also be ready and willing to move positively forward when the opportunities come.

The more you do with what you have, the more you'll have with which to work. Your blessings begin to multiply the moment you start to make use of them.

Certainly you can find plenty of reasons and excuses for ignoring the opportunities that come your way. Yet if you persist in avoiding them, those opportunities all start to pass you by.

Give life, time and effort to the opportunities you encounter. And the best of them will keep coming in your direction.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, June 2, 2005
What's right
Think about what's right with life. Think about the good and valuable things that you sometimes forget to even notice.
Think about the positive possibilities that are real and present in this very moment. Think about all the worthwhile things you can do with this day that is yours right now.

Think of how you can take action and cause good things to happen. Think of how you can set an ambitious goal and work with persistence to reach it.

Think of all the good people who quietly and reliably work to make this world a better place. Think of how great you feel when you give of yourself to others.

Think of the opportunities you have to live a life that is filled with richness. Think of how fortunate you are to be able to experience and appreciate the beauty in this world.

Think about what's right, what's good, what's valuable and fulfilling. For the more you focus your thoughts on the good things, the more abundant they will become.

-- Ralph Marston

Friday, June 3, 2005
Out of the rut
Just because you've always done it, doesn't mean you must continue. Be willing to change, and you'll open up a whole new universe of possibilities.
It can be easy to become stuck in a rut. And when you're in a rut, the only things you can see are the other things in that rut.

Yes, it takes a little effort and courage to climb out of that rut. Yet when you do, the view expands tremendously.

Go somewhere new, and countless opportunities suddenly appear. Do something differently, and all sorts of great new possibilities spring up.

If something is working out well for you, by all means stick with it. Yet also be open to new and different people, places, methods and things.

Energize your mind and your spirit on a continuing basis. Climb out of your rut, and take a look around at the big, wide, beautiful world.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, June 4, 2005
Be good to yourself
Do something nice for yourself today. Take time to give yourself a special treat.
In order to contribute to life and provide value to others, you must first connect to the value that is within you. To connect with and appreciate that unique inner value, be good to yourself.

Think of the things that feel good, and right, and fulfilling to you. Look past all the superficial things undertaken or acquired only to impress others, and focus on what is sincerely you.

Give yourself the gift of being totally and joyfully you. Let go of your concerns, your worries, your pretenses and anxieties, and truly enjoy the moment you're in.

By being good to yourself, you'll be much better equipped to deal with whatever difficult situations the world sends your way. By being good to yourself, you vastly increase the value you can provide to others.

On a regular basis, take the opportunity to be good to yourself. And it will spur you on to become the best that you can be.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, June 8, 2005
Live richly
Every day is filled with opportunities for richness. To see those opportunities, all you need to do is look around with an open heart and an open mind.
There are places you pass quickly by every day without even noticing. Take the time to stop and explore some of them, and you'll find them filled with wondrous treasures.

There are people in your life whom you see all the time but you've barely even met. Take the time to get to know them, and you'll find yourself with some fascinating friends.

There are things that interest you that you've never fully explored. Take the time, make the effort to discover and fulfill your passions, and life will take on a new level of meaning.

Living richly has very little to do with how much money you have. Living richly has everything to do with how deeply and sincerely you appreciate the precious blessing that is your life.

Rather than letting the little things get you down, allow the real and meaningful things to lift you up. Make the choice, in each moment, in every situation, to live with richness, because you can.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, June 11, 2005
Unpleasant surprises
Life sometimes unfolds in ways you never could have anticipated or imagined. Even the most carefully laid plans can be turned upside down by something totally unforeseen.
When that happens, you could moan, complain, yell, scream, throw things and dive into a fog of self pity. But none of that would bring you anything of value.

When one of life's unpleasant surprises comes along, you may be tempted to use it as an excuse for becoming depressed, despondent, and giving up. But do you really want to choose to be miserable and ineffective?

Instead, realize that a positive response is every bit as possible and realistic as a negative one, and a whole lot more beneficial. When events knock you off balance, use the occasion not as an excuse to give up, but rather as a reason to push forward with even more determination.

When a ship gets blown off course to the east, a good captain will steer the vessel back to the west. In the same way, when life pushes you in a negative direction, your best response is to push back even more positively than before.

When an unpleasant surprise comes along, that's a great time for you to create a surprise of your own. Surprise the world with how positive you can be, and everyone will quickly be moving forward again.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Adapt to what is
One of the most reliable ways to be miserable is to insist that everything around you always be a certain specific way. And one of the most reliable ways to make life continually enjoyable is to be flexible and willing to adapt to whatever comes along.
Real success is not a matter of being in absolute command of the world around you. The success that truly matters comes from being at peace with the world in which you live.

Being persistent will enable you to achieve great things. Yet being merely stubborn will keep you mired in perpetual disappointment.

By all means, set ambitious goals and reach for them. But don't trivialize the process by demanding or expecting that every little detail will go your way.

The more flexible you are about the stuff that doesn't really matter, the more able you'll be to accomplish the things that are important. The more willing you are to adapt, the more truly enjoyable and fulfilling life will be.

Adapt to what is. And you'll experience the very best of what can be.

-- Ralph Marston





Thursday, June 16, 2005
Be there
Wherever you are, be there fully. For where you are is where you can most effectively act and live.
If you're constantly wishing that you were somewhere else, you diminish the opportunities for where you are now. When your thoughts are in another place or time, your actions lose much of their effectiveness.

It's great to dream, to plan, to aspire, to reach for new and improved circumstances. And yet the way to successfully do that is by being the best you can be in the place where you now find yourself.

It's great to keep yourself focused on an ambitious goal. And that focus is the most effective when it is crafted from the perspective of where you are now.

To successfully travel the path from here to there, you must start with being fully here. The more you give your attention and your energy to making the most of where you are, the more quickly you'll move along that path.

There is much to be accomplished, much to be lived in every place and in every moment. Be there fully for all of them, and life will be rich indeed.

-- Ralph Marston

IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS....why some survived 911

As you might know, the head of the company got in LATE THAT DAY BECAUSE HIS SONE STARTED KINDERGARTEN.

Another fellow was alive because it was HIS TURN TO BRING DONUTS.

One woman was late because her ALARM CLOCK DIDN'T GO OFF IN TIME.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike BECAUSE OF AN AUTO ACCIDENT.

One of them  MISSED HIS BUS.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take TIME TO CHANGE.

One's CAR WOULDN'T START.

One went back to ANSWER THE TELEPHONE.

One had a CHILD THAT DAWDLED and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.

One couldn't GET A TAXI.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoues that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot.HE STOPPED AT A DRUGSTORE TO BUY A BAND-AID. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am STUCK IN TRAFFIC, MISS AN ELEVATOR, TURN BACK TO ANSWER A RINGING TELEPHONE...all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where GOD WANTS ME TO BE at this very moment.

Next time your morning seems to be "going wrong", "the children are slow getting dressed", "you can't seem to find the car keys", "you hit every traffic light", don't get mad or frustrated: GOD IS AT WORK WATCHING OVER YOU.

---Anon