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Post by majestyjo on Mar 20, 2018 17:02:53 GMT -5
March 20
Add to the richness
Don’t wish for life to be easy, for whether you get your wish or not, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, live, seek, work for life to be meaningful.
Give up the fantasy of everything magically falling into place. Live the truly magical reality of employing your efforts to make each day a little better.
A story in which every good thing effortlessly materializes would be unbearably boring. You wouldn’t want to read about a character with no challenges, and you wouldn’t want to live that way either.
So opt in for the richness, for the challenges and the incomparable experience of conquering them. Remind yourself that the value is built in the investment you make, in the effort you give, in the troubles you work through.
Whatever trophy you get at the end is just a small fraction of the achievement. The real substance of achievement is in the achieving.
And that’s something you can experience every day, with every twist and turn of the journey. What awaits you today is your opportunity to add to the richness.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 21, 2018 5:58:32 GMT -5
March 21
The only time
The only time you can escape regret is before you create it. What can you do today to prevent regret from descending on you tomorrow?
The only time you can act is now. How will you live this moment you have, to honor and fulfill its best possibilities?
Everything you’ve ever experienced has led you to where you are right now. This is your time to utilize all you know, all you feel, all you are, in giving birth to new goodness.
Don’t get lulled into complacency by imagining how much time you have. Don’t let yourself become fearful of how little time you have.
Remind yourself that this is the time you have, here to be lived, to be filled with effort, meaning, love, joy. Feel your courage as it grows to meet your highest expectations, as it pushes you into action.
While now continues to unfold, fill it generously with your positive action. Now is your time, and it is everything you choose to make it.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 22, 2018 8:08:04 GMT -5
March 22
Working toward the goal
Dreams do not instantly come true, and that’s a good thing. If your dreams were to immediately be fulfilled, you would never have the pleasure of dreaming them.
Anticipating an achievement contributes much of the value to that achievement. Having something to look forward to gives great richness to life.
It is good to achieve your dreams, and yet it is also good to hold on to them, to nurture, refine and appreciate them before they have been reached. By the time the dream is achieved, it has developed a real and profound meaning.
Working toward a goal is what makes that goal worth having. The fact that a goal, a dream has not yet been fully realized is what makes that dream so enticingly desirable.
Go ahead and dream big, wonderful, positive and intimately meaningful dreams. They’re the ones that will get you to move forward with energy and passion.
Your dreams do not come true in an instant, yet they will instantly begin to provide focus, direction, and a driving force. You can then enjoy each and every moment as you steadily bring those dreams to life.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 23, 2018 20:17:07 GMT -5
March 23
Watch what you think
Watch what you think, because your life is certainly doing so. Choose wisely the thoughts that fill your mind, because those thoughts lead to the actions that fill your day.
Thinking feels easy, seems to come naturally and automatically. Yet the most useful, beneficial thinking calls for intention, focus, discipline and a strong sense of purpose.
Thinking, at its best, is more than just repeating what you’ve already heard or already thought. Each thought is an opportunity to create a new, unique vision of the world in your mind.
If you catch yourself repeating the same old thoughts, or letting others do your thinking, stop. Remind yourself of the great things that come from working to develop your own original thinking.
Call upon your purpose to guide you and encourage you to put work into your thinking. There’s no limit to what you can think about, so let purpose help you by focusing your thoughts.
Your thoughts form the basis of the way your life unfolds. Make them powerful, purposeful, positive, and constantly improving.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 24, 2018 8:21:00 GMT -5
March 24
Continue forward
The original path you envisioned may have been blocked. Yet the goal still beckons, and it’s still accessible, because somewhere, somehow, there’s a more realistic, more effective way.
You haven’t been knocked off track. You’ve been challenged to find that better way.
Stay committed to where you intend to go, while being open to all the many ways of getting there. Be flexible enough to keep moving forward no matter what.
If you’re prevented from taking a big step right now, take a small step. If your original strategy doesn’t work, be thankful you don’t have to spend any more effort on it, and fashion a new strategy.
All the while, stay focused on the goal, on the destination. Identify yourself, your efforts, your energy, with that goal, rather than with any specific path.
The obstacle in your path does not have to block your progress. Decide instead to make it an opportunity, to learn, to improve, to adjust, and continue forward, more effective than ever.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 25, 2018 8:27:32 GMT -5
March 25
Imagine well
Imagine well, and imagine often. Imagine well, because imagination becomes reality.
You always have more power, more capability than you know. Imagine, and discover more of the great, meaningful, valuable things you can do.
Imagine what you have never before dared to imagine. See possibilities that have not yet been seen.
Life has many limitations. Yet when you imagine, you exist in a place where thoughts are not bound, not limited by anything.
Such a place is well worth exploring. What you bring from that place into the world can have great, transformative value.
Seeds of magnificent, original achievements are waiting to be found in your imagination. Imagine well, and bring new treasures to life.
-Ralph S. Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 27, 2018 10:55:18 GMT -5
March 26, 2018
Lay the foundation
A secure, stable house is not simply placed upon uneven, unprepared ground. Before the house is built, a strong, solid foundation must be prepared.
A winning sports team does not win merely by showing up and playing each game well. The players must drill and practice in all the fundamental skills, for hours each day, over months and years.
Whatever you desire to have, to be, to experience, you must build the structure in your life to support and develop it. You must lay the foundation, and continue to keep that foundation strong.
True commitment to a goal means commitment to create and maintain the structure that will support it. You accomplish that with your habits, your attitude, your thoughts, your choices large and small.
What day-to-day activities are building the foundation for the life you envision? What can you do right now, and again and again, to create a solid, supporting structure for your dreams?
Each moment gives you the opportunity to infuse the character of achievement into every part of your life. Lay a strong, robust foundation, and let the great achievements flow.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 27, 2018 10:55:48 GMT -5
March 27
Opportunity in the trouble
When trouble arrives, don’t cower in the corner feeling sorry for yourself. Stand tall and make it better.
When a challenge arises, don’t make it into an excuse. March boldly into the heart of that challenge and find what you can turn to your advantage.
Refuse to be offended, insulted, dejected or drained when life fails to go your way. Smile and remind yourself that none of that will do you any good.
Then, engage your ability to choose. Choose energy, choose determination, choose action, choose enthusiasm for making things better.
Being positive in the midst of trouble is not naive, not as long as you affix your positive attitude to positive action. Doing so is shrewd, and a common trait of those who are wildly successful.
The negative circumstance is temporary, yet the way you respond will echo through your whole life. Find the opportunity in the trouble, act on it, turn it on its head and transform it into great value.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 28, 2018 9:04:18 GMT -5
March 28
Live life well
Don’t just wish you could get it right and live life well, someday, somehow. Open yourself to the great possibilities of this moment, and live well on this very day.
If you’re worried about anything, consider this. Worry is only possible when you’ve forgotten how strong, capable, flexible, resourceful, resilient you can be.
Remind yourself of all the successful actions you’ve taken to get to this point. Implore yourself to put all that powerful capability to use, today.
Go ahead, allow yourself to feel the way you’d most like to feel. Then go ahead, and act on those positive feelings, empowered by your own will to do great things.
Today belongs to you, and is your time to make a difference. Watch your courage as it carries you forward, giving new value to all you love.
Jump far beyond mere planning, wishing, and hoping for a great life. Push yourself into positive action today, and live life well in your own beautiful way.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 29, 2018 7:30:39 GMT -5
March 29
Feel good about you
You deserve to feel good about life now. Stop being so hard on yourself.
Imagine you’re someone else who is discussing the way you live. That imaginary other person would not be nearly so critical of your life as you are.
In fact, that other person would see plenty of good things about you. What are those good things you’re overlooking in your life because they’re so familiar?
Step back from the harsh judgments you’ve been imposing on yourself. Give yourself some breathing room, relax, and let yourself feel good, now, about you.
No, you’re not perfect, you’ve made mistakes and will continue to do so. Yet there’s a great reservoir of goodness in you.
With quiet confidence and humility, and the best of expectations, feel that goodness. Feel good about you, about the good you can do, and allow beneficial actions to flow freely from your good feeling.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 30, 2018 9:00:31 GMT -5
March 30
Bring new value
What you invest yourself in, has value for you. What demands no effort, attention or expense, has no value in your life.
If you want some particular part of your life to have value for you, invest yourself in it. Value, from your perspective, depends on how much of your life you devote to it.
Your relationships have value because of what you put into them. Your work has value based on the time, attention and effort you give to it.
What you care about, what you care for, what you spend your energy to support, results in value for your life. What matters most is not what it is, but how much you care, how freely you give of yourself.
From a modest tea ceremony to a massive construction project, life is full of opportunities to create value. When you give, when you care, support, pay attention, persist, the richness of life increases.
Do the work, go to the trouble, take an interest, spend the time, pay the price. And bring new value into your life, into the world, every day.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Mar 31, 2018 5:47:48 GMT -5
March 31
Success is when you take action
The foolproof way to convince people you’ll do something is to do it. Promises can be broken, delayed, amended, but actions and results cannot be denied.
The best way to sell yourself is to be yourself, without pretense, with sincerity and enthusiasm, with action. Your actions are far more compelling than any words or mere appearances could be.
If you wish to make a great impression, then accomplish something truly impressive. Spend your energy creating real, unique value and you won’t have to be concerned with what others think.
It’s great when you do what you say you’re going to do. What’s even better is when you don’t need to say what you’re going to do because it has already been done.
Don’t wait to be prodded, don’t hold off until conditions are perfect. Just move forward, take action, see a need and fill it, recognize a problem and solve it.
Success is when you go beyond wishing, planning, talking, and promising. Success is yours when you take action.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 1, 2018 11:43:17 GMT -5
April 1
Our teachers surround us.
When we were young, our parents and siblings served as our teachers, but they weren't always good ones. We may have learned habits that haunt us still. Shame and guilt may still trouble us because of the messages our parents and siblings gave us. We can't undo the past teachings, but we can come to believe those teachers did their best. They passed on to us what they had been taught. Fortunately, the Twelve Step program can help us discard behaviors that serve us no more and cultivate ones that do.
We're students of life and we'll encounter many teachers. From some, we will learn patience; from others, tolerance and acceptance. A few will make us laugh. All will change us in some way. We may be apt to pass judgment on the interactions we have with others, but those with more wisdom than ourselves remind us that we can learn. In fact, we are privileged to learn something of value in absolutely every interaction. Our teachers are all around us.
I will accept that every person is my teacher today. I may be in for many surprising lessons!
You are reading from the book:
A Life of My Own by Karen Casey
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 2, 2018 9:42:48 GMT -5
April 2
Driven by love
Your life has great power, beyond what you can even imagine. Keep that power always pointed in the direction of love.
You act, you speak, you remember, you feel. You imagine what can be, and then call upon your power of intention and your presence to bring what you imagine into reality.
Do all these things, and everything, tempered, informed, driven, by love. Let love be your motive, let love be your reason, let love be your guide.
You cannot define what love is, nor put any limit on its meaning. Yet you know without question when you feel love, and when you don’t.
Go always in the direction where you feel led by love. Transform everything you are into the highest and best you can be, with love.
Refuse to be swayed by anything less. Let your actions, your words, your energy and thoughts, your life, be driven by love.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 3, 2018 12:59:06 GMT -5
April 3
When truth hurts
When the truth hurts, that’s precisely when it can be the most helpful. Though it’s tempting to deny or avoid such painful truths, you’re best choice is to pay close attention.
The friend who points out the truth even when that truth is painful to hear, is a real friend. For when you’re encouraged to acknowledge the reality of the situation, you can begin to successfully deal with it.
Listen carefully when the truth hurts. You’ll gain the wisdom to avoid even greater pain in the future.
The painful truth is doing you a favor. It’s providing you an opportunity to make a change for the better.
When the truth hurts, be thankful it has gotten your attention. Seize the powerful opportunity that gives you, and go forward with it.
Decide to transform the pain of truth into the energy of determination. Feel the painful truth, then let its power set you free and push you ahead.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 4, 2018 6:02:26 GMT -5
April 4
Free of worry
You’ll never run out of things to worry about. However, you can walk away, whenever you choose, from the need to worry.
To stop worrying, you don’t have to stop caring. You just have to make sure your caring doesn’t immobilize you.
When you feel worry coming on, ask yourself this. What step can you take to replace useless worry with useful action?
Life is full of potential pitfalls. But worry is never an effective response to that situation.
Rather than worry, what you can do is learn, prepare, strengthen. Work to position yourself where you can successfully deal with whatever challenges arise.
Focus your care, your concerns, your energy into action. Choose to live free of worry and full of achievement.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 5, 2018 13:54:34 GMT -5
April 5
Fill this day with life
You have this whole day to fill with life. Marvel at your good fortune, and make the most of it.
Go ahead and allow yourself to be overwhelmed with gratitude. Then focus the energy of that gratitude into rich, generous, purposeful living.
You have countless good thoughts to think, good people to connect with, invigorating and enlightening experiences to claim. Get up, get excited about the possibilities, and get going.
You can learn, teach, experience, encourage, explore, and assist. You can make your unique good fortune even better by finding new ways to express it and share it with the world.
Give all of yourself to each moment, to each experience, to every effort and encounter. Be eager to combine time-tested values from your past with fresh new possibilities for the future.
This day is where your wondrous life has time and space to really live. Imagine the best, then give life to what you imagine.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 6, 2018 8:05:41 GMT -5
April 6
Let your efforts flow
Put your thought, time, effort, commitment toward the ideal result. Then embrace whatever result you get, and apply the value of the experience to your next effort.
Give your best to create the outcome you seek. Whether that outcome overjoys you or disappoints you, give your best again.
There are many factors you can control and influence, and many more that you cannot. So it’s foolish and counterproductive to take the results personally.
What you can control, what you can do, is to let your efforts flow, free of contamination. Lock your focus onto your intention, while at the same time being open to all the goodness that is.
Feel the power and energy of life as it flows through your being, moment after moment. Feel the magic, feel the miracle of being able to make a difference.
Every moment, whatever the situation, is fertile ground from which you can create meaning and value. Let your efforts flow, with purpose, with confidence and the highest expectations.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 7, 2018 9:01:05 GMT -5
April 7
Choose wisely
Your choices brought you here. Your choices can now take you wherever you wish to go.
Nobody gets it perfect all the time. Yet you can learn from what did go right and from what went wrong, making your choices more and more informed and beneficial.
It may seem there are times when no one is watching the choices you make, but that is not the case. Because your future self is watching every choice.
And soon, your future self is going to be either very disappointed or extremely grateful for the specific choices you are making now. Today is your opportunity to make the choices your future self will thank you for.
Your choices combine with and expand upon each other to define the path your life follows. Consistently choose in a way that makes it a path to joy and fulfillment rather than a path to regret and despair.
Whatever your choices in the past have been, your choices now can move you precisely in the direction of the life you desire. Remind yourself all day long, in every situation, to choose wisely.
— Ralph Marston
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Post by majestyjo on Apr 8, 2018 13:03:04 GMT -5
April 8
True capability
When you doubt yourself, smile and realize this. You’re wrong.
When you think you’re invincible, stop and remember this. You’re mistaken.
Doubt and ego push against each other, and neither of them does you any good. Your best move is to toss them both out of your awareness.
Replace doubt with humility and replace ego with intention. Now, instead of a squabbling quagmire you have a winning combination.
No, you can’t achieve everything and yes, you’ll need assistance with what you do achieve. Look clearly at reality, free of delusion, eager to get to work.
Embrace your true capability, powered by intention, tempered with humility. You have many wonderful things to do.
-Ralph S. Marston
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. I will be back looking for Lin and others.