Daily Motivator - February
 

February 1

Courage

You are not safe. You never will be.

Danger surrounds you all the time. There are dangers you can see, invisible dangers, obvious dangers, and dangers you’ll never know about.

You can mitigate some of the dangers to some extent. You can take reasonable, proven, effective precautions.

But without question the biggest danger to your experience of life is not some external threat. The biggest danger, the biggest risk comes if you are duped into thinking you can avoid all risk.

Because by attempting to avoid every risk you miss out on the adventure of living. By seeking to save yourself from everything you end up with nothing.

Whatever you have achieved, whatever fulfillment you have experienced, your courage has enabled you to do so. Keep living with that courage, and despite all the dangers, keep living true and well.

— Ralph Marston

Happy February my dear friends in recovery, thank God for getting us though the month of January one day at a time.

February 2

Let the improvements flow

When life is going great, you can improve on it. When life is not going so well, you can improve on it.

In some specific way tomorrow can be a little brighter than today. In every area of your life you can find opportunities for improvement.

There’s no end to the improvements you can make to your own life and the lives of others. Doing so can be a very effective use of your time and resources.

That’s because one improvement can pave the way for many more improvements. A series of small improvements will set the stage for much bigger improvements.

The hours in this day will pass whether you do anything with them or not. Use some of that time to identify and implement a few improvements.

You’re the world’s leading expert when it comes to your own life and what would improve it. So put that expertise to use again and again, and let the improvements continue to flow.

— Ralph Marston

February 3

Embrace the goodness

You’re always on the lookout for potential problems. Don’t let that blind you to the abundance of goodness that exists in your life.

You’re ever eager to do more. Remember, though, to give yourself credit and appreciation for everything you’ve already achieved.

Don’t limit yourself to complaining when things go wrong. Make a point to also celebrate and enjoy when life goes well.

You’ve put in a lot of work to get where you are. Allow yourself to draw from it the confidence and energy to move forward.

Don’t let one bad season sour you on all the value your life continues to encompass. Let it inspire you to live your life more richly than ever before.

When you do get what you’ve been wanting, accept it with grace, with humility. Embrace the goodness that comes your way, and spread it far and wide.

— Ralph Marston

February 4

Paying attention

Your time and attention are valuable. Spend them on things that are similarly valuable, or could be.

Notice what you’re paying attention to. Is it adequately paying you back?

You have the power to shift where your attention is focused. You have the power to decide where your time and effort are expended.

By choosing wisely, you can get more out of the time, attention, and effort you’re already spending. Invest yourself more in what matters and reap the great rewards you’re capable of creating.

Based on what’s important to you, decide where your attention will be pointed, and why. Then stick with your decision.

Use the great power you have to do great and beneficial things. Use the value of your attention to create and support value and excellence throughout your life and your world.

— Ralph Marston

February 5

Painful lessons

You’re painfully aware of what you should have done and what you should not have done. Now is your opportunity to get something good in return for that pain.

Last time, and the times before that, you learned your lesson. Now, put that lesson into positive practice.

Before you act, consider this. A year from now, what will you wish you had done, and what will you wish you had avoided?

There’s a good reason the painful lessons are so painful. The purpose of the pain is the make sure you remember.

Yet remembering is not enough. You must also adjust your actions to avoid the same pain again.

What should you have done last time? This time you have the good fortune, and a powerful, memorable reason, to make sure you do it right.

— Ralph Marston

February 6

Repeating positive actions

The things you do once make a difference, the things you do repeatedly change your life. There’s only so much you can accomplish in this moment, but you have more than this moment.

You have the rest of today, you have tomorrow, you have next month, you have next year. Imagine what you can do when all those days and hours are pointed in a consistent direction.

Time provides enormous leverage. And like any powerful thing, that can be used to your benefit or to your detriment.

Arrange your life so the time you spend accrues to your benefit and to the benefit of others around you. Do what makes a positive difference in the world, then do it again, and again.

After achieving something, don’t just sit back and congratulate yourself. Tap into the momentum you’ve created, and do it again.

You may not have a lot of impressive resources or connections, but you do have as much time as everybody else. Make good, purposeful use of that time by repeating your positive actions again and again.

— Ralph Marston

February 7

Gift of time

Give yourself the gift of time. Slow down to the pace at which life’s richness can keep up with you.

Give yourself time to take in and enjoy the beauty in every place, every moment, every person. Give yourself time to connect with all that’s meaningful in your life.

Enable yourself to go far beyond first impressions. Look past the flashing colors and fleeting shadows and see the truth that’s really there.

Spend sufficient time thinking through the consequences that will come from your choices. Give yourself the time to consider what might be hidden from view.

Enjoy and benefit from the value of stillness with a calm and confident demeanor. Breathe in, breathe out, step forward, keep going at a pace that gets you there without wearing you down.

Use your time in the way it is meant to be used. Use your time to do it right, to do it well, to fully and richly live.

— Ralph Marston

February 8

A day for achievement

Set a goal and then reach it. Make a plan and then do it.

Define a path and then follow it. Be clear, be specific, be detailed.

Achievement is not some distant ideal. It is what you can do in any situation, especially right now.

See a problem and solve it. Identify a need and fill it.

Determine what will make the world better, for you and for all those you share life with. Take the first step, then the next and the next, until you have done what you set out to do.

This is a day for achievement, a life in which the process of achievement is as close as your next action. Take that action in the direction of your intent and make achievement happen.

— Ralph Marston

February 9

Feeling opportunity

What does opportunity feel like? A thousand different things.

When you feel frustration, there’s opportunity nearby. Whether you feel joy, disappointment, doubt, excitement, or boredom, opportunities abound.

If your feelings are strong about anything, you are in the presence of opportunities to increase life’s richness. You can harness the energy of your feelings to make the most of those opportunities.

When you feel passionately, you’re in position to act decisively and effectively. Transform those feelings into lasting positive value.

Whether you feel great or you feel awful, there’s energy in those feelings to accomplish good things. Recognize the opportunity and put it to use.

What do you feel like right now? That’s the feeling of opportunity.

— Ralph Marston

February 10

Bask in the joy

Bask in the joy of this irreplaceable moment. It is here, it is now, it is yours.

Whatever has been, whatever will be, all the value of now is yours to experience. Live it for all it can be.

Consider the endless wonder that extends out in all directions. Imagine the possibilities that continue to build upon each other.

You are here to take it all in, to discover the beauties and joys hidden in obscure corners. You are here to live with your highest purpose in the midst of it all.

In this place, at this moment, choices, options, ideas, and actions are available to you. Life is yours to live in the best way you can do.

Remind yourself of what a good thing you have. And bask in the joy of all you can do with it.

— Ralph Marston

February 11

In the presence of strength

Get yourself around strong people, strong ideas, powerful environments. Living in the presence of strength enables you to grow stronger.

Appreciate and experience the strength that exists outside you. It encourages you to develop and expand new strength within.

The ocean is beautiful and inspiring, and at the same time powerful, unforgiving. Walk beside the ocean, let its waves dance with your feet, and make some of its strength your own.

Listen to a passionate speaker making a strong, sincere, and compelling argument. Whether you agree or not, you can draw strength from the ideas and the competent way they’re presented.

Rather than always feeling envious or fearful of the strength you encounter, seek to be inspired by it. Let its best attributes resonate with you, challenge you, and increase your own strength.

Go where there is strength that you can see, hear, feel. In the presence of strength, you’ll grow stronger.

— Ralph Marston

February 12

Something new

You feel something new today. It’s a level of confidence you have not felt before.

You have a sense that life is going in a more positive direction. Your purpose is stronger, the possibilities are more clear.

When sunshine breaks through the clouds, it looks a little brighter than you’ve noticed lately. Instead of being annoyed by the cool breeze, you welcome the fresh experience of it.

Accept that this positive feeling is real. Then step forward and do something with it.

Certainly the world is not perfect. Yet today you have the very real opportunity to do something good and useful and meaningful with what you have.

Grab that opportunity, embrace that hopeful feeling. Though it won’t always be easy, step forward and fulfill its best promise.

— Ralph Marston

February 13

What compels you to care

Pay attention to what resonates with you. Take notice when anything or anyone energizes your spirit.

Certain words, music, colors, places, people, food, sensations and other experiences can take you to a good place. Keep track of what they are, and go often to that good place within.

Regularly arrange the details of your life, of your experience, to boost your energy level. Assemble a whole collection of ways to be good to yourself, to invigorate you at the deepest level.

There is a reason why cathedrals have large, expensive pipe organs and soaring ceilings. Things like that matter in ways that surpass understanding.

Go often to where you have the indisputable knowing that life is good. Do, again and again, those things that affirm your highest hopes and best instincts.

Touch, taste, feel, see, hear what compels you to care. Let life be good in ways that drive you to make it even better.

— Ralph Marston

February 14

Faith, commitment, purpose

What do you have faith in? What are you committed to?

Ask yourself these questions often. The answers are yours and yours alone, and they matter.

There is a reason you push forward. Keep yourself connected to that reason.

There is a purpose you seek to fulfill. Live each moment with that purpose embedded in your awareness.

With your faith, your commitment, your purpose, you give unique meaning to the world you inhabit. And that is no small thing.

Think, feel, and act on those parts of your life that truly matter. Make the very most of this one of a kind life that is yours.

— Ralph Marston

Good morning my friends. God bless you and
have a great Valentines day.

Happy Valentine's Day to you! :17:

February 15

You can do this

Tell yourself you will do it. Tell yourself like you mean it.

Remind yourself often. As soon as you realize you have strayed from the path, jump back on it with more determination than ever.

You can make it happen. What you must do is do it, one step at a time.

Make sure at the outset that it’s sufficiently meaningful. That’s how you get yourself to persist for as long as it takes.

You have the desire, the resourcefulness, the intelligence, the fortitude to get it done. Put all that to work and create the great new value that deserves to exist.

Do the good work you know you can do. Life is eager to see the results.

— Ralph Marston

February 16

Meaningful path

With all its goings on, life often seems like an intentional assault on you. But that’s rarely the case.

Your best approach is not to take it personally. The distractions and frustrations are just part of reality.

You can accept that reality, with all it encompasses. Then you’re able to keep on going in the direction of your original intent.

There was a time not so long ago when you felt peaceful, focused, confident, filled with purpose. You were in that state, and now you can get back to it again.

It’s not as far away as it seems. In fact, just thinking about being more peaceful starts to get you feeling more peaceful.

The petty interruptions and distractions will come and go, and through it all you can continue following a meaningful path. Know that deeply, and no mere distraction will have the power to distract you for long.

— Ralph Marston

Big time Amen to that.

February 17

Fifteen minutes

Is there something you don’t want to do but you know you must? Can you give it just fifteen minutes?

It’s not that much time and it will be over before you know. Yet in that time you can change your trajectory.

Promise yourself a few minutes, then dive into the task. Even if you just get a little work done, that’s a whole lot better than nothing.

Yet there’s a good chance you’ll do even better than that. Because once you’re making a little progress, you might not want to stop.

Whether that ends up being the case or not, just give it a shot. You might be surprised at what you’re able to do.

Give it fifteen minutes. And you could very well get it done.

— Ralph Marston

February 18

Early start

Early morning holds the power of the whole day ahead. Welcome that power, embody it, make use of it.

A good night’s rest has refreshed your senses and transformed yesterday’s challenges into today’s strength. Early morning introduces that new strength to the day’s new opportunities.

Start early with the day, invigorated by the prospect of working through new challenges. As the day brightens, feel your effectiveness grow.

While the day’s possibilities still seem endless, seize firmly upon some of them. This is an ideal time to do what matters, to do what satisfies your desire to make a difference.

Join in eagerly as the world comes to life. Celebrate and appreciate all over again the wonder that stretches out in every direction.

Give yourself the advantage of an early start. Tap into the early morning magic that dances before your eyes.

— Ralph Marston

February 19

This is when

Whatever else you have or do not have, you have now. You have the experience of this moment.

Perhaps it is painful, or maybe it is comfortable. Most likely it is somewhere in between.

Yet no matter the nature of this moment, of this experience, it has value. Now, and only now, is your chance to live that value.

Step away from any thoughts or feelings that push you out of the moment. See right now for the opportunity it is, for the depth of life it contains.

This is when you can understand, this is when you can experience, this is when you can act. This is when you can live.

The past is gone, the future is a mere concept, and all that is, everything you are, is right now. Be here fully in the best way you can imagine.

— Ralph Marston

February 20

Adapting to change

Do you realize how much power there is in your ability to adapt? The world changes all the time, and fortunately so can you.

Yes, you’ll always be who you’ve always been. Yet there is no limit to the ways you can express your beautiful, unique, essential nature.

No dream ever has to be lost, no hope needs ever to be dashed. Because you can adapt those hopes and dreams to whatever reality appears in your path.

Some of the best things that will ever be in your life, you have not yet even heard of. By adapting to life’s challenges you position yourself to accept and enjoy life’s rewards.

Tomorrow will be different than today, next year different than the past. Instead of wishing for things to stay the same, look for positive possibilities in the changes.

Those possibilities always appear, and you can always adapt to them. You’ll get to enjoy making life good in ways you cannot yet imagine.

— Ralph Marston

February 21

Let life be

Let the little things bring you joy. Let the big things give you inspiration.

Let the challenges make you more determined. Let the problems bring out your skills.

Let your differences with others build a pathway to new understanding. Let your fears show you how to exercise your courage.

Let the noise and confusion teach you to be more focused. Let the annoyances, distractions and interruptions strengthen your patience.

Let the new moments come, let the past go. Let experience show up and teach you its lessons.

Let life be as life will be. And let yourself grow more alive, more capable, more purposeful and effective as a result.

— Ralph Marston

February 22

Work to achieve

Don’t ask yourself what you want to achieve. Ask yourself what you want to work to achieve.

It’s not enough to have the desire for a particular outcome. You must also have the desire to do whatever is necessary to create that outcome.

It’s easy to imagine yourself enjoying the reward. It’s more challenging to envision yourself doing the difficult and tedious work necessary to earn that reward.

Yet the people who earn the most coveted rewards not only envision the necessary work. They see it through to completion.

Achievement often looks easy and glamorous from the outside because all you usually see is the completed job. When you’re the one doing the achieving, it’s a whole lot of work.

So be willing to do that work. And you’ll be the one doing the achieving, which is a very good place to be.

— Ralph Marston

February 23

You are the person

You are the person who does the difficult thing because it is the right thing. The world moves forward because of what you do.

You are the person who looks for ways to embrace responsibility instead of searching for places to cast blame. By doing so you transform problems into opportunities, defeat into victory.

You are the person who seeks to understand when so many others are merely shouting empty platitudes. You are the person who cares enough to listen, who listens enough to care even more.

It is not easy to do what you do, to be who you are. But you know that some things are more important than merely making the easiest choice.

You are the person who does not seek praise, but who would like to know every now and then that you’re appreciated. So look around, see life being lived, and know that life itself appreciates what you do more than any one person could ever realize.

You are the person who makes a difference whenever you have the opportunity to do so. You live as if your life matters, and it most certainly does.

— Ralph Marston

February 24

Pointing toward purpose

Delight in dreaming about what could be. But don’t take permanent refuge in those unfulfilled dreams.

Instead, start working your way to them, little by little. Begin to transform those dreams into your actual reality.

Give yourself credit for everything you’ve already been able to achieve. Then point that process of achievement directly at the dreams you long to reach.

There is great value in moving toward something positive and desirable. Even if you are not fully committed or confident, you can go through the motions, and that has value too.

You are at your best when you are pointing toward a meaningful purpose. That purpose will bring energy, resourcefulness, and determination to the surface.

Go ahead, imagine the future in a positive way, and take a step in the direction of that future. Discover for yourself how a positive vision for the future can improve your experience of life right now.

— Ralph Marston

February 25

The first step

Are you hesitant to take the first step because you’re worried it could be the wrong one? Most likely that first step won’t be in exactly the ideal direction, but that’s no reason to worry.

Because it’s just the first step. You will learn from it and then be able to take a much more experienced and informed step.

You’re not going to make a perfect start. Nonetheless, you must make a start if you’re to get anything done.

So go ahead and get it over with. Whether it works well or whether it doesn’t, it gets you moving.

The more you act, the more effective each action will become. Get the process started and get that upward spiral in motion.

Make the first step as good as you can, but don’t fret that it’s not perfect. Let it get you started, and you’ll find you can handle it very well from there.

— Ralph Marston

February 26

Choose the best attitude

Is your attitude holding you back? You have permission, and you have the ability, to adjust it, to improve it.

You don’t need to get angry with yourself or disappointed in yourself about the way you see the world. Simply choose to see the world in a more creative, productive, useful light.

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with the way you’ve been, with the way you are. Still, you can pull yourself up right now to a whole new level of awareness and effectiveness.

Imagine you’re standing at a door, and on the other side of that door is everything necessary to get great work done. Would you choose to walk through that door?

In exactly the same manner, your more beneficial attitude is just a quick and simple choice away. Make that choice without delay.

Your attitude plays a major role in the way you feel and in the way you live each moment. Choose the best one possible right now.

— Ralph Marston

February 27

Detach yourself

Detach yourself from the negative things and those things lose their power over you. Detach yourself from the good things and you’ll enable yourself to enjoy them more.

Reality is what it is, and you cannot change what already is. What you can do, though, is to stop being burdened by your own need.

Make every day an adventure rather than a chore. Embrace what comes your way instead of being fearful of it or dependent on it.

Detachment does not mean avoiding commitment. It means avoiding unnecessary entanglement, and acting as the unique and purposeful force that you are.

You can be highly committed to people, objectives, and ideals while at the same time being detached from them. Doing so enables you to act with the power of love rather than the weakness of need.

Detach yourself, and free yourself to embrace life with love, with purpose, with intention. Detach yourself, and you can then involve yourself in the most positive, authentic way possible.

— Ralph Marston

February 28

Keep working, not worrying

The clock is ticking and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. Let it tick, and calmly continue doing what you have chosen to do.

The deadline is approaching and you’re a long way from being finished. Confidently guide your attention back to your work, not the deadline.

You won’t improve matters by being frantic. You will improve your effectiveness by staying focused.

Take a deep breath, and feel a renewed faith in your capabilities. Then keep putting those capabilities to work.

There’s a good chance you’ll get most of it done, but then again you might not finish completely. Either way, your best choice is to keep working and not to keep worrying.

Whatever time you have, fill it with purposeful and focused activity. Be confident and respectful of time, and time will be good to you.

— Ralph Marston