i believe all that lindsay. i hope someday to be that strong again.

Saturday, July 17, 2004 / Sunday, July 18th, 2004
One step away
If you were just one step away from reaching your goal, would you take that step? How do you know, right now, that you're not?
What a shame it would be to stop making the effort, when just a little bit more would make it all worthwhile. What a shame it would be to have taken all those steps, only to miss the very last one.

The next step you take may very well be the one that makes all the others count. You owe it to yourself, and the efforts you've made, to keep going.

No, the next step may not get you there. Yet what about the one after that? If you keep moving ahead, a little at a time, you will indeed arrive. When you take that final, triumphant step, you'll be so very thankful you persevered.

At some point success is just one step away. Keep going and you'll be there.

-- Ralph Marston

Great quotes guys I love them.

Monday, July 19, 2004
Let yourself be
Unburden yourself from the limitations you've borrowed from others. And let yourself be. Empty your mind of the fears, doubts, worries and distractions that have built upon each other. And let yourself be.
This moment is filled with every possibility. All that you need to live it fully is already yours.

Look past the noise and turmoil of your thoughts. Be at peace with what is now, and see that peace as it spreads far beyond you.

Let any resentment, anger or disappointment from the past dissolve into nothingness, never to return. Let any anxiety or worry about the future melt away.

Now is where you can make a positive difference. Now is when you can let yourself be.

-- Ralph Marston



Thanks guppy!
~Lindsay

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Outdated assumptions
It can be useful and efficient to rely on assumptions. Remember, though, that most assumptions do not remain valid forever.
How many of the assumptions that you rely on have long since ceased to be true? It can be truly liberating to discard some of the old assumptions that do nothing now but hold you back.

Many of your assumptions have become so thoroughly ingrained in your thinking that you no longer realize they are even there. Each moment they influence what you see, think and do.

The net result is that the person you were ten, fifteen, twenty years ago is controlling the actions you take today. Though you have grown immensely in that time, much of that growth goes unrealized because you labor under outdated assumptions.

There's no need to throw out all your old assumptions. Yet it can be extremely worthwhile to question them, and to seek to go beyond them, on a regular basis.

Watch what you think, what you say, what you do, and regularly ask why. Free yourself from outdated assumptions, and you'll be amazed at the possibilities that open up to you.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Joys remain
There is a place where the joys remain. There is a place where the golden days, the precious moments, live on and on.
No one can tell you how to get to that place. Yet you know exactly where it is and when you are there.

When you are truly in that place you know that the joys exist beyond all circumstances, impervious to harm or decay. You do not merely believe or hope, you know.

The fleeting moments, the shallow artifacts of the world, will come and go. And through it all, the joys remain, always with you, somewhere.

Give your energy not to the anger, not to the frustration, not to the petty disputes, not to the empty pleasures, for these all quickly fade. Give your energy to the joys, for they remain.

In your heart you know what they are and from whence they come. And in your heart, the joys remain.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Give it time
Some of your blessings you instantly recognize as such. Most of them, though, take some time to become fully apparent.
Often, a great blessing can come from what may at first seem to be a heavy burden. Reflect back on your experience and you'll see this is true.

Perhaps a relationship that got off to a rocky start ended up becoming a treasured friendship. Or perhaps a difficult challenge brought to the surface a valuable skill you didn't know you had.

Maybe you needed to solve a thorny problem and in doing so, discovered a golden opportunity. Or perhaps living through a time of immense frustration made you stronger, more confident, patient and resilient.

When life takes a distressing turn, give it time. And during that time, be on the lookout for the valuable and positive aspects of your situation.

Keep your eyes open for blessings in disguise. They are often the most profound and enduring ones.

-- Ralph Marston

Friday, July 23, 2004
Must do
In each task that must be done, there is opportunity. See the task not as a burden, but as an encouragement to be fully alive and effective.
The real burden would be the inability to do anything. No task is a burden, but is instead the chance to express your own aliveness.

Does the work seem dreary, unimaginative, tedious or boring? That's mainly because your attitude makes it so.

See what happens when you start by being thankful for the opportunity to do it. Your genuine gratitude will help you to see the positive value.

When the things you must do become things you want to do, it can transform your life. Each moment takes on more meaning, each effort brings greater and greater reward.

Rather than fighting and forcing yourself to do what must be done, let go of your resistance and allow yourself to accomplish. Let what you must, become what you want, and watch yourself begin to soar.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, July 24, 2004
The need to judge
Your ability to make judgments can serve you well. It can also cause a lot of needless trouble, anxiety, and pain.
Stop making judgments about the things that don't matter. And you'll free yourself to focus on the things that do.

Imagine a world in which there was nothing to annoy you. When you let go of the constant need to judge, the annoyances drop quickly away.

Many times judgment can be replaced with understanding. And by truly seeking to understand others, you will yourself be far better understood.

Certainly there are times when a judgment is necessary and appropriate. Your judgment at such times can be much more powerful and effective when you haven't wasted it on things that don't matter.

Use your judgment wisely. And just as wisely, give it a rest.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, July 26, 2004

Encouraging others
When you're in need of encouragement, offer your own encouragement to someone else. Nothing can lift you more surely and genuinely than your own efforts to lift another.
Think back on the times you remember most fondly. And you'll see that the brightest days have been those days when you've given most generously of yourself.

When you focus only on your own problems and challenges, it puts you in a negative and helpless state of mind. Yet when you turn your attention to helping others with the challenges they face, you naturally become more positive and effective.

When you sense that you're feeling sorry for yourself, redirect that energy. Transform it into compassion for others. There is always something you can do to lift up those around you. And it's a reliable way to lift your spirits as well.

Give the encouragement you would like to receive. And you will indeed receive it in double measure.

-- Ralph Marston

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

The power of acceptance
Sometimes the best way to free yourself from a burden is to accept it. Much of the destructive essence of any burdensome situation comes from fighting against it. Once you stop fighting, you can start progressing.
Certainly if there is a threat you protect yourself against it. But there is no point in fighting against what already is. When you accept the situation, that is the starting point at which you begin to make the most of it. When you can go beyond acceptance into sincere gratitude, you take on a powerful positive momentum.

In short, accept what is, then find something positive about it. Even the most desperate situation has its positive aspects and possibilities. You'll uncover them only after you've accepted that the situation exists. Acceptance is not surrender. It is the recognition of reality. By clearly seeing what is, by acknowledging and even being grateful, you can move things forward toward the way you would like them to be.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, July 28, 2004
A higher level
When times are hectic, when your plans go awry, when frustrations mount and anxiety overtakes you, stop and remember. Remember who you are.
The troubles of the moment may seem big and imposing right now. Remember, though, that they are relatively minor when compared to the big picture.

You will get through the difficulties and frustrations. You'll get through them far more quickly and effectively when you can rise calmly and confidently above them.

Remember how very good life can be, and how very fortunate you are to be living it. Remember the things that truly matter, your most profound blessings, your most treasured dreams.

The frustrations and inconveniences, the disappointments and setbacks all exist on a certain level. And you can rise to a much higher level.

Remember that, when the world is hectic, noisy, and confusing. Put it in perspective, rise a little above it all, and move on ahead.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, July 29, 2004

Right for you
Is it really all that difficult to let go of your resentment, to calm your anger, to move beyond your disappointment? It's only as difficult as you think it is. Is it really so difficult to focus your thoughts and to act with discipline? It's only as difficult as you think it is.
Is it really so difficult to persist, even when the obstacles are powerful and the going is rough? Is it really so difficult to bring yourself to get back up when you've been solidly knocked down? It is only as difficult as you think it is.

The attitudes and efforts which lead to success and accomplishment are difficult only when you decide to make them so. Consider what would happen if you were to think of them as natural, desirable and easily within your reach.

Rather than fighting against a positive, productive life by imagining it to be difficult, move into that life by imagining it to be completely right for you. Success is not as difficult as you might imagine. It is yours to achieve as soon as you go ahead and accept that you can, and you will.

-- Ralph Marston

Friday, July 30, 2004

Every step
Even the most difficult challenge can be broken down into finite, easily accomplished steps. People who only take some of those steps will fall short of the goal. Those who are willing to take all the steps will enjoy success.
Some people will often take a few steps and then stop, complaining about how unfair life is. Others will take some steps in one direction, grow bored, and then start off in another direction, only to become disillusioned.

The only way to success is to go all the way to success. Take one step after another until you are there. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. It doesn't take exceptional strength to get it done. What it takes is desire and commitment. You have them if you choose to use them.

The path to any success is in front of you, and you are free to travel that path, one step at a time. Each step is within your reach. It's up to you to take them all, every one of them.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, July 31, 2004 - Sunday, August 1, 2004
Not so easy
Taking the easy way out usually ends up being not so easy. What is easiest in the short term can often turn out to be quite difficult and burdensome for a very long time.
For example, it can seem easy to spend money you don't have. Yet doing so can put you in debt for a long time, and you end up paying much, much more.

Instead of looking for the easy way, commit yourself to going with the best way. Though it may seem easy to complain, it is best to take positive action. Though it may seem easy to put tasks off until later, you'll be much more in control of your own time if you go ahead and get them done. Though it may seem easy to break the rules, whenever you do you're ultimately cheating yourself.

Doing only what is easy leads to a life that is hard. Doing what is best brings a life that is full.

Don't let yourself be deceived by what may seem easy. In every moment, do yourself a big favor, and do what is best.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, August 2, 2004

Transformation

There are many things that can hold you back. Yet there's always a way to turn them around, into forces that move you forward.
If you ever find yourself feeling envious, take that envy and turn it into inspiration. The envy will do nothing for you, but the inspiration can make an enormous positive difference.

When despair comes upon you, transform it into strength. When you've experienced a defeat, redirect its energy into commitment.

Take the pain of humiliation and let it spur you to build a real, lasting confidence. When you've experienced disappointment, turn it into wisdom.

Transform your most irritating frustrations into rock solid discipline. Change your negative anger into positive determination.

There's never any need to be tossed around by the fickle winds of fate. For you can take what life gives you, and turn it in your favor.

-- Ralph Marston

Tuesday, August 3, 2004

Someday you'll see
Someday, you keep telling yourself, you'll truly start to live. Someday you will take the very best of your possibilities and make them real.
Someday you'll escape from the meaningless distractions that only waste your moments. Someday you'll focus all your time and energy on what is really important.

Someday your longing to move vigorously forward will overcome the fears and insecurities that have caused you to hesitate. Someday you'll realize that you've always had the courage and the confidence to fully live, and wonder why you didn't start sooner.

Someday you'll laugh at the petty angers, frustrations, worries and annoyances that keep you from being all you can be. Someday you'll learn to let go and live.

Someday you'll decide that your life cannot wait any longer. Someday, you'll realize that living with richness and fulfillment is infinitely better than making endless excuses.

Someday you'll see that someday is here, that there's no reason to wait any longer. And there's every reason, here and now, to be fully alive.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, August 4, 2004
Effort is a joy
Life is filled with difficult work. Have you ever considered what a blessing that truly is?
The opportunity for effort never ends. Complete one task, and there are even more than before, ready to be undertaken.

If you see effort as a burden, then you might well become dismayed that there is no end to it. Yet effort is not a burden at all.

In fact, effort is a joy. Effort is a grand opportunity to express yourself and to express the magnificence of living, in a way that is solid and tangible.

The burden of effort is only in your imagination, only in your resistance to it. Let go of that imagined burden, and experience each effort as the truly liberating thing it is.

Think of how life would be if every moment brought more and more richness and fulfillment. Know effort as the joy that it is, and that's exactly how life will be.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, August 5, 2004

See the beauty

Beauty is not what you think of as beautiful. Beauty is what you experience as truth.
Beauty cannot be defined, limited or contained. Yet when you let go of the need to possess it, beauty is yours to behold.

The less you try to grasp it, the more beauty you'll know. For beauty speaks directly to your soul, without the need to pass through your mind.

Today is a beautiful day, wherever you may be, whatever you are doing. For beauty depends not on outer circumstances, but is there when you are ready to see it.

Beauty is here and now, right among the seeming disappointments and imperfections. Beauty needs nothing and always says so much that can be said in no other way.

Let go of the need to decide whether any particular thing or time is beautiful or not. And see the beauty in it all.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, August 7, 2004

You can

There are many perfectly logical and understandable reasons why you can't. Yet even so, you can.
There are difficult obstacles standing in your way, and you do not now know how you'll get beyond them. Yet even so, you can.

Others may persuade and convince you that you can't. Yet even so, you can.

If you can dream it, if you can imagine it, then you can be it, you can do it. If it is meaningful enough, and you commit the energy of your passion, you will.

Many of the things you now take for granted were once considered impossible. Many of the things now considered impossible you'll one day take for granted.

Go ahead and dream, go ahead and imagine, then get busy bringing those dreams to life. You can, if only you will.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, August 11, 2004
Your choice
Do you want to be miserable today? If so, you'll find plenty of opportunities for making yourself so.
Or would you prefer to be joyful and effective throughout the entire day? If so, then you'll find an opportunity for such in each and every moment.

Being miserable is a choice. When you make that choice, all sorts of things will come your way to reinforce what you have chosen.

Being positive, joyful and effective is a better choice. And when you make that choice, events and circumstances will follow right along.

Your perspective and attitude are what give meaning to the moments of life that come your way. Choose, then, to give those moments a positive, purposeful meaning.

Choose joy, choose life, choose fulfillment, purpose and effective effort. And see how great it can make your day.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, August 12, 2004
Forgive
The more grudges you carry, the heavier your burden becomes. Forgive, and let them go.
When someone has wronged you, it hurts. There is certainly no sense in using your own time and energy to prolong that hurt. Forgive, and you can begin to move away from the pain. Forgive, and you can move forward with a much lighter load.

Forgiveness does not mean that you allow others to take advantage of you. On the contrary, forgiveness gives you positive power no matter what others may have done.

Anger and spite can eat away at life until there's almost nothing of value left. Forgive, and free yourself from the grips of that anger.

Forgive, and you'll be much better off. Forgive, and you'll be free to truly live.

-- Ralph Marston

Weekend Motivation, August 14, 2004

The value of challenge

Challenge is life's way of making sure that you truly desire the things you achieve. Challenge is an excellent tool for keeping you focused on the things that really matter to you.
Imagine for a moment what it would be like to live in a world with no challenge. In such a world, you could obtain anything and everything with no need for effort, discipline or commitment. Does that sound like a great setup, with your every wish fulfilled the moment you think of it? Well, it might be nice for 20 minutes or so, but it would soon grow extremely tiresome. For such a world would literally overwhelm you with meaningless triviality. Sure, every wish would be instantly granted, but it would all be painfully empty.

The value of achievement is in the achieving, in the overcoming of the challenges, in the person you become as a result of going through the process. To have the reward without the effort is to have no reward at all, nothing but an empty and meaningless token.

Challenge is difficult, often painful, always demanding, and as such, challenge is what makes true value, beauty and fulfillment possible. Challenge can be tough, yet indeed it brings about the richness and fullness of life.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, August 16, 2004
Each step
Don't put off joy until the end of the journey. Live it each step of the way.
Don't settle for just a fraction of fulfillment. You can choose to have it all.

Each step you take is not just a means to an end. Each step has a value and a joy all its own.

When you assume that the task will be tedious, it will be. And your negative attitude makes it that much harder to get the job done.

Instead, find joy and fulfillment in every step you take. Love and appreciate the life you have, and no matter what the task may be, you'll find a way to do it with joy.

Find joy in every step of the journey. And you'll arrive long before you get there.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Worthless worry
How many things do you worry about, that don't really matter at all? Imagine the positive energy boost if you could simply let them go.
Most of the things that annoy you do so only because you have chosen to be annoyed. Think of how life would be if you spent less time annoyed and more time truly living.

When something comes along that troubles you, ask yourself if it really matters. You'll discover that many things really don't.

When something pops up to worry you, ask yourself if your worrying will make it better. Chances are, with most things, it won't.

Most worries and annoyances are completely worthless, and only serve to bring you down. Is that really what you want?

Practice diverting more of your time and energy to positive, useful, productive pursuits. Replace the worry and annoyance about things that don't matter with real, effective action for the things that do.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, September 16, 2004
Time to be
On a regular basis, take time to be. Experience the very real experience of life and awareness.
Every moment does not have to be planned or precisely programmed. There is as much value to be found in being as in doing.

Take time to process and absorb the activities and sensations you've collected. Take time to consider the things you've learned.

If you hurry through one thing just to get to the next, what have you really gained from it all? Give quality and substance to the things you do by being fully present while you do them.

Fulfillment is more than just working through the items on your list of things to do. Fulfillment comes when you put your real self into each of those things.

Whatever you do, you'll do better when you're fully there, engaged and aware. Take time to be, and be amazed at what it will do.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, September 18, 2004
Who you are
Do you really want what you think you want? Or are you just following a borrowed dream?
The world will suggest for you plenty of things to pursue. The trouble is, those things can't bring fulfillment.

When following a dream that isn't even yours, there's no passion to propel you forward. Even when you do somehow manage to reach it, the prize will be empty if you never really wanted it.

Stop listening to what the world says you should want. Start listening to who you are.

Let yourself discover what truly brings you joy. Let yourself live, not to impress others, but to follow the values you hold most dear.

Real success comes when you realize that the mere tokens of success have little meaning. Real success comes when you can be who you are.

-- Ralph Marston

Tuesday, September 21, 2004
Goal of the journey
When you're committed to a journey of a thousand miles, a few steps in the wrong direction can't possibly bring you down. But if you have no overall direction, each negative step can seem devastating.
If the little things are constantly bringing you down, that's a sign that the big things aren't compelling enough. If the minor annoyances seem like major setbacks, then work on looking beyond them.

There is some purpose that will lift you above whatever setbacks may come. There is some purpose that will compel you to positive action, even when the circumstances of the moment work against you.

There is some reason you want what you want. There is some desire that drives all your desires.

Look beneath the surface of your day-to-day life and ask why. Dig deeply and discover the rich, special purpose that makes you who you are.

Focus your attention on the goal of the journey. And you'll hardly even notice the detours along the way.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, September 23, 2004
Reasons to grow
If you had no problems, you would have no life. Seek not to be free of the problems, but to be free of their grip on your spirit.
Problems are only a problem when you're down on their level. The more you rise above them, the less they'll hold you back.

In fact, when you rise far enough above a problem, it becomes an opportunity. Look back on your experience, and you'll see that this is true.

If you run from the problems, they'll chase you, and will always, eventually, catch up. Instead of seeing a problem as a reason to run, see it as a reason to grow.

Then, not only do you grow stronger, the problem also shrinks in comparison. The higher you raise yourself above it, the more effectively you can deal with it.

Life will always have problems. The stronger those problems make you, the better life will be.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, September 27, 2004
This beautiful moment
There is no rush, there is no hurry. For this beautiful moment is already here.
There is no lack, there is no limit. For the possibilities of now stretch out in all directions.

There is no worry, there is no regret. For this is the time to live and to act.

Open your eyes to the rich depth of this moment's golden treasures. Breathe in deeply, filling your senses with the fresh, cool sweetness.

Being here now is a remarkable blessing. The more of its value you take time to live, the better it will become.

Right here and right now life overflows with richness. What a beautiful moment to live.

-- Ralph Marston

Start the journey
When you know that you can do it, you can do it. But how do you get to that point?
How do you know, without a doubt, that you can achieve what you set out to achieve? The only way to truly know is by doing it.

The first step of any journey is always taken on faith. The next step, though, is taken with more certainty and confidence, knowing that the first step has succeeded.

So take that first step, small though as it may be. Once you've started moving, you'll know you can keep going.

Once you know you can do it, success is a matter of taking the time and making the effort. Once you know you can do it, you'll have access to what you need to complete the journey.

The smallest, most seemingly insignificant success can in fact be quite significant. For it will start you on your way to the best you can imagine.

-- Ralph Marston

Beyond ego
Go beyond your ego, and there is nothing to fear. Go beyond your ego, and anything is possible.
The anger, the worry, the anxiety, the disappointment and conflict all come from seeing life in only the most superficial way. When you get beyond the need for drama, possessions and appearances, a vast realm of possibilities suddenly opens up.

Are the things you fight and fret over really that important to who you truly are? Or do they merely serve to prop up a limited ego-based sense of self?

Have you ever been totally absorbed in something so truly magnificent that you momentarily forgot yourself? Such moments are glimpses of how powerful it can be to go beyond your own ego.

Beyond your ego, you are not limited by what you need. Beyond your ego, you are free to fully become the best of who you are.

Listen to your ego, then softly let it go. The more you move beyond it, the more freedom you will know.

-- Ralph Marston

Tuesday, October 5, 2004
Little things
Little things can make a big difference. Enough of them can truly change the world.
A genuine smile is a little thing, and requires almost no effort. Yet it can make a big difference to the person who receives it.

A small kindness or word of encouragement is a little thing. Yet just think of how much brighter your outlook would be if you were to give or receive several each day.

Little things can quickly combine together to have a big impact. And little things are within the reach of anyone who decides to make them happen.

Even the most magnificent achievements are the result of lots of little efforts and small successes, all working in the same direction. Big, valuable and substantial things are created when you're committed to getting all the necessary little things done.

As each moment goes by, fill it with positive, productive, and joyful little things. They'll soon add up to something big.

-- Ralph Marston

Wednesday, October 27, 2004
Let life in
When you are full of yourself, there is no room left for anything else. Let go of your concerns of self, and let in more of the goodness of life.
When your mind is filled with worries, those worries begin to come to life. Let go of the worries, and let in an awareness of the positive possibilities that surround you.

When your heart is filled with anger and resentment, there is no place left for love to dwell. Let go of the anger, and let in the joy of love.

Open your heart, open your mind, and open yourself to the positive possibilities of each moment. Let in the beauty, let in the joy, let in the richness of life.

Stop holding on to the disappointments of the past. Open yourself to the treasures of right now.

Let the moment be, and let life in.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, November 22, 2004
Frustrated no more
There is nothing that makes you frustrated. Any frustration you experience is the result of your own choice to react with frustration.
There is nothing that makes you annoyed. Any annoyance you experience comes about because you have decided to be annoyed.

You can choose to be annoyed, frustrated, angry, and spiteful. You can also choose not to be.

Imagine how effective you could be if there was nothing that annoyed you. That level of effectiveness is yours to choose, right here, right now.

All sorts of things will happen in your world today. You can let them get to you, and annoy and frustrate you, or you can choose to follow your own path.

You have the power to be free of frustration, free of annoyance, free to accomplish and enjoy life. Choose that freedom today.

-- Ralph Marston

Monday, April 4, 2005
Where you live
The place where you live does not have to be limited by where your physical self is located. The place where you live is influenced far more, on a moment-by-moment basis, by your thoughts, your expectations and your attitude.
The place where you live your life is not dependent on other people or outside circumstances. The place where you live is determined by you.

How is that place? Where exactly do you live the moments of your life?

Choose to live in a place where your eyes are always open to the positive possibilities. Choose to live in a place where your thoughts and actions are focused on what's truly important and meaningful.

Choose today to live in a place where the distractions bounce right off of you. Choose to live in a place where each incident that comes along is an opportunity to give the best of who you are.

This is your precious life. Live it in the best place possible.

-- Ralph Marston

Thursday, April 21, 2005
Value deep within
There are days when it can be difficult to keep going. There are times when it seems that all you've done has not done any good at all.
Yet somewhere deep within, you know that your positive efforts are already being rewarded. You know that even though the outer results have been disappointing, a real and lasting inner value has already been created.

The outer results you obtain, even when they are exactly what you want, will eventually fade. Yet the inner value you build will always be with you, and will grow even more precious with each passing day.

Even when the world offers you nothing but frustrating setbacks, the real person deep within grows ever stronger and more beautiful. Even when the world outside gives you little reason to keep going, there is in fact more reason than ever before.

Learn to let the outer world, with all its ups and downs, flow gently and continually past you. And carefully choose what truly matters to add to the treasure inside you.

Stay connected to the real, lasting value that is deep within. And life will grow richer with each passing moment.

-- Ralph Marston

Friday, May 6, 2005
Make your dreams real
It's great to have big plans. It's even better to make them happen.
It's great to have big dreams. It's even better to make them real.

Dreaming is easy, and fun, and valuable, and necessary. Yet dreams do not come true on their own.

Your dreams require you to make them real. And that is perhaps their greatest value.

For by following a dream that is big, meaningful, and compelling, you become the best of who you can be. By bringing life to your goals, your plans, and your dreams, you contribute to the world in your own special way.

Your dreams are yours for a very good reason. It is you who can make them real.

-- Ralph Marston





Saturday, May 7, 2005
Your assumptions
It's difficult to see what you assume is not there. It's impossible to accomplish what you assume you cannot do.
Be careful not to become a prisoner of your own assumptions. Though assumptions can be useful, they can also become obsolete.

If nothing seems to be working for you, that's a good sign that it's time to re-examine your assumptions. Often, a simple change in your assumptions can open you up to a whole new level of valuable and positive possibilities.

What might seem totally absurd at the moment could very well become completely reasonable after a change in assumptions. What may once have been unquestionably out of your reach could quickly become very accessible with a change in your assumptions.

What is possible for you is firmly rooted in what you assume to be possible. The world you see is based largely on the world you assume is there.

Your assumptions have a powerful influence on the substance and quality of your life. Renew, replace, and reinvigorate your assumptions so as to always keep their power working in your favor.

-- Ralph Marston

Saturday, May 14, 2005
Ego let go
It is one of the most difficult things you can do. And yet, it is very simple, easy and effortless.
It is one of the most powerful things you can do. And yet, when you do it you give up the need and the desire for power.

What is it? It is letting go of your own ego.

When you can bring yourself to get beyond your own ego, you raise yourself to a whole new level of awareness, experience and effectiveness. When you can think, live and act unconstrained by the limitations of your ego, the possibilities are truly endless.

Your worries, your fears, your doubts, anxieties, disappointments and hesitation to move forward are all sustained by your ego. Imagine the power of leaving all those limitations behind.

Spend a few minutes, a few hours, or an entire day unconcerned about what others will think, or what's in it for you, or whether something offends you or not. Feel the freedom, delight in the ability to accomplish, and explore possibilities that you may never before have even known about.

Once you decide to let go of your ego, it's a very simple thing to do. And it will truly change your world for the better.

-- Ralph Marston