Daily Motivator - October

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October 12

Increase your strength

Think clear, purposeful thoughts, and grow in strength. Take effective, persistent actions and grow in strength.

Strength is built over time. That makes every stretch of time an opportunity for increasing your strength.

Through your encounters with others, you can build strength. In dealing with problems, you become stronger.

The stronger you become, on the inside and outwardly, the more valuable options you have. Strength enables you to give genuine goodness in great measure to life.

Physically, mentally, financially, socially, spiritually, and in every domain of life, strength empowers. Look each day for steps you can follow to gain strength, and take those opportunities.

No matter where you start, you can always grow in strength. Continue to increase your strength, and with that strength keep adding new value to all of life.

— Ralph Marston

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October 13

Power of transformation

Even when the world feels like it’s falling apart, you can marvel at its beauty and wonder. Even when chaos and tumult are all around, you can carry peace in your heart.

From that potential for peace and beauty come hope and positive possibility. Again and again, such hope arises to do its magnificent work.

In the midst of utter confusion and disarray, you can construct a small sanctuary of order. Little by little, you can build upon that order to create reliable structure, meaning, and opportunity.

In even the most futile situation, you are capable of acting with grace, integrity, love, and joy. It’s an astonishing power you can exercise every day.

When you do, it makes a difference, for you, for those around you, for your world. Nothing is more fulfilling, nothing is more deeply desirable than that.

Whatever the time, whatever the circumstance, you harbor within you the power of transformation. Every time you make good use of it you add your own special richness to life.

— Ralph Marston

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October 14

Think slow

An immediate reaction is not always the best reaction. When you think too fast you tend to ignore many of the best possibilities.

Sometimes you have no choice other than to think fast and act fast. Yet when you do have a choice, think longer, perhaps a little slower and more deliberately.

Give yourself the opportunity to take a multitude of factors into consideration. The more you understand, the more perspectives and information you consider, the better your thinking aligns with reality.

If you jump too quickly to a conclusion, you could be jumping right past many important truths. Being able to honestly justify your conclusion matters too, and that can take some time.

When the situation allows, invest the time. Think through how your response affects not only you, and not only in the moment, but how it impacts everyone else, and in the long run.

In a fast-moving world it’s tempting to take shortcuts, to think fast. Yet when there’s much at stake it’s well worth your while to think slow, and to get it right.

— Ralph Marston

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October 15

Keep practicing

Do what you’re skilled at doing, and you’ll get better. Do what you’re not so good at doing, and you’ll get better.

The road to excellence is paved with action. Wherever you started, wherever you now are, practice can improve your results.

When you have some spare moments, practice being useful, productive, creative, focused. The more you practice, the more valuable that practice becomes.

Whether a particular skill comes easy to you or whether you have struggled to develop it, put it to use. In either case, with practice you’ll improve.

If it’s been a long time since you’ve employed a certain ability, pick it up again. Re-acquaint yourself with that ability, keep it alive, thriving, and improving within you.

Keep yourself strong, able, and proficient, and keep improving on it all. Keep practicing.

— Ralph Marston

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October 16

Power of gratitude

Gratitude has great power. If you can find a way to be thankful when everyone else is resentful, that’s power.

What you’re genuinely and deeply thankful for, you’ll figure out how to create more of. That’s effectiveness.

If you’re faced with a difficult situation, being thankful is a response not immediately obvious, maybe never considered at all. Yet when you do practice gratitude it can illuminate a path forward and inspire you to persist on that path.

Be thankful for this, for now, for the world as it is and for all the possibilities encompassed herein. Be thankful, and empower yourself to create the most favorable outcomes.

Gratitude is not just a matter of being nice or polite or optimistic. Real, unequivocal gratitude has the power to bring value and goodness to life, even in the most challenging circumstances.

Be thankful, and bring your best options out into the open where you can seize them and act on them. Be thankful, and give the great benefit of your gratefulness to all of life.

— Ralph Marston

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October 17

Ripe with potential

Enjoy beauty anywhere you can experience it. Take inspiration wherever you encounter it.

Embrace meaningful challenge when you come across it. Give love as you have the opportunity to offer it.

The moments always coming your way are ripe with potential. Keep your regrets to a bare minimum by seeing and fulfilling as much of that potential as you can.

When you have the chance to satisfy your curiosity, do so. Ask questions, seek answers, admit what you don’t know, and set about to learn it.

Appreciate the unique value of each person who comes into your life. Rather than wishing for people to be or to act exactly how you want, rejoice in the distinctive treasure of the way they actually are.

The magnificent potential of life exists for you, right here, right now. Live it as it comes, and live it well.

— Ralph Marston

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October 18

Infinite mystery

Keep yourself always open to wonder, to beauty, to awe. In whatever happens, see not only what happens but also the infinite mystery behind it all.

Eagerly help yourself to more than your share of what is to be experienced and discovered. Be amazed you can do so without the slightest concern that the supply will ever be exhausted.

Seasons change as they always have in ways like never before. Paradox dances with truth, and beauty spins away in ever more sublime variety.

You never know all and you always know more. Walk through the forest and see once again how that works.

Humble yourself in your mastery. Pride yourself on your ignorance.

As each possibility is realized more becomes possible. Already infinite, the mystery grows, and here you are to live its splendor.

— Ralph Marston

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October 19

Active engagement

Stop telling yourself what you need to get done. Instead, remind yourself of what you’re committed to doing.

When you frame anything as a need, that focuses you on the fact that you don’t have it, or haven’t done it. Instead, frame it as a result you’re actively creating.

You don’t need to weed the garden, develop a marketing plan, or get more exercise. You’re on your way to the gym or the toolshed or your desk.

Adopt the assumption that you’re already in the process of creating the result you seek. That directs your thinking away from what you lack and toward what you can do next.

Reinforce that assumption by taking actual physical steps in the direction of that result. Put on your workout shoes, or open a document and start typing, and quickly give yourself the experience of active engagement.

When it comes to telling yourself what you need to do, one single time is quite sufficient. Once that occurs, jump immediately into making it happen.

— Ralph Marston

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October 20

Focus and curiosity

Use your curiosity to gather knowledge and experiences. Employ your focus to weave together, expand upon, and make purposeful sense of what curiosity brings to your awareness.

Setting curiosity aside for a while to achieve better focus does not mean you’re renouncing your curiosity. You’re actually using focus to make good use of what your curiosity has presented to you.

A similar dynamic is at work when you let go of your focus in order to indulge your curiosity. You’re not permanently abandoning focus, but instead you’re finding new and compelling subjects to focus upon.

Focus and curiosity benefit when you appreciate the contributions of both. The ideal strategy is to keep them in balance.

Keep that in mind when you’re tempted to break away from what you’re focused on and run toward some new discovery. Resist the temptation, knowing that your curiosity will still be there after the work is completed, when you can pursue it free of any guilt.

Get your focus and your curiosity working in cooperation, with respect and consideration for each other. That is always a powerful combination.

— Ralph Marston

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October 21

Let go of negativity

Negativity is a burden you impose on yourself and others. How long do you wish to continue carrying it?

Certainly troublesome, even tragic situations exist in your own vicinity and in the wider world. But you accomplish nothing of value by making them worse with your own negativity.

Negativity is a fight against what is, a fight that’s lost as soon as it begins. Instead of being ensnared by such futility, you can simply accept what is, and let the negativity fall away.

Doing so frees you to resonate with a positive vision of what can be. That’s a much better direction to point your considerable energy, skills, thoughts, words and actions.

It’s not a naive denial of the problems, but rather an affirmation of your choice to move forward with positive purpose. It’s a choice to face reality without hesitation and to give your best in dealing with it.

Let go of the useless and burdensome negativity. You’ve got a meaningful life to live and great work to do.

— Ralph Marston

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October 22

Letting problems be

Why do people regularly ignore problems and expect they’ll go away? Because they do go away, not every time of course but often enough to be noticeable.

Is it a good idea to ignore a problem? That depends on the problem.

Many problems can be effectively solved by decisive action. And then there are problems that will be made even worse by focusing on them and attempting to remedy them.

Just because you can fix a problem doesn’t mean it’s the best use of your time and resources. Just because you want to fix a problem doesn’t mean you’ll make things better.

It’s great to work on resolving difficult problems and to create meaningful benefits by doing so. It’s not so great to look under every rock in a quest to continually use your problem-solving skills.

Be more effective at dealing with problems by being selective and intentional about which problems to tackle. Add more richness and fulfillment to life by simply letting some of the problems be.

— Ralph Marston

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October 23

Embark on adventure

Adventure energizes your mind, your spirit, even your body. That increased energy spills over into every corner of your life.

Adventure motivates you to improve your existing skills and develop new ones. It heightens your awareness, deepens your gratitude and sense of purpose.

Today does not have to be just another day. You have the choice, you have the power, to make it into an adventure.

What’s necessary for adventure? First on the list is some sort of challenge, and chances are you have immediate access to plenty of worthwhile challenges.

Then there’s open-mindedness, curiosity, a desire to explore, take risks, and learn, plus a clear purpose. Those are all factors you’re perfectly capable of providing on any given day, whatever your situation may be.

So right here, right now, you can make anything you do into a genuine adventure. Answer the call, and add the many benefits of adventure to your life today.

— Ralph Marston

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October 24

Get in the flow

What do you do when you’re serious about getting the job done? You get in the flow.

Take one step, then another and another. Early on, many of your steps won’t be in an ideal direction, yet even those missteps serve to get you going.

Very quickly you’ll get your footing and the quality of your efforts will improve. You’re in the flow, well-positioned to ride that flow all the way to the results you desire.

Momentum can actually make it feel easier to keep going than to stop. Get in the flow and get momentum working in your favor.

If you’re not sure exactly where to start, what to say, how to act, that’s completely understandable, so here’s what you do. You find a way, any way at all, to get in the flow.

Once you’re in the flow, you’ll adjust, you’ll adapt, you’ll figure it out and be motivated to continue. Get in the flow, and discover how much great work you can do.

— Ralph Marston

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October 25

Appearing foolish

Don’t seek to appear foolish. But don’t be afraid of it either.

Do whatever, in your best judgment, the moment calls for. Have the courage to speak the truth, to be enthusiastic, to ask what might seem like stupid questions.

If you appear foolish because of the misguided judgments of others, let that be their problem, not yours. You’re perfectly able to prevent yourself from acting foolishly, yet you have little control over what others think of you.

Don’t let someone else’s possible impression stop you from doing what is good, what is right, what is necessary. Give reasonable thought and consideration to your words and actions, then confidently go ahead with them.

What’s truly foolish is to pass up the opportunity of living your best in every moment. No matter what others think, that’s a useful reality to keep in mind.

If you happen to appear foolish, so be it. Let it go, even laugh about it, and move on ahead with living a great life.

— Ralph Marston

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October 26

Own your time

You can’t make more time in the day, the week, the year. What you can do is make your time more productive and fulfilling.

That happens when you take greater ownership of your time. It happens when you take greater responsibility for what you do with the time available to you.

Start by making a commitment to getting each day’s necessary tasks completed as early and effectively as possible. Doing so frees the remaining time in each day for you to spend as you choose.

When you have earned the luxury of that choice, choose wisely. Remind yourself how much value it’s possible to create in each moment, set your standards high, and work to meet those standards.

Invest your time in the people, the values, the dreams, ideas, and possibilities you care about most. Use the present time to create meaningful goodness that endures far into the future.

Time passes quickly, yet you can inject plenty of great life into each bit of time along the way. Take ownership of your time, take responsibility for its use, and live the full potential of every day.

— Ralph Marston