January 16

Each moment makes a difference

The person you become, the life you live, the results you get are a direct result of the way you spend your time. How do you intend to spend your time today?

Every person alive will have the same number of hours in this day. Yet the value obtained in those hours will vary remarkably.

You have time, and with it, opportunity. Decide right now to put it to its highest use.

As you travel through the day, remind yourself that each moment makes a difference. The way you live it determines what that difference will be.

You know that the difference between speeding forward and standing still is made in each moment. As the moments arrive, keep reminding yourself of their opportunity.

A little extra effort, each time you get the chance, leads to a lot of extra richness in your life. The day has arrived, and you know what to do.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 17

Not lost

As long as the day is still here, it is not lost. You can redeem it at any time.

What you have attempted without success is not a lost cause. You can make another attempt, and another, until you get it right.

Your path to this point says nothing of where you’ll go next. Your direction is yours to decide at any time.

Don’t let past disappointment be an excuse to create more disappointment. Let it inspire you and harden your resolve to do better.

Negative momentum is powerful, but it doesn’t have to remain negative. Take all that energy and turn it toward what is good, useful, creative, productive, fulfilling.

See that you are, right now, an architect of the future, not a victim of the past. Give the best of yourself, right now, to make that future bright.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 18

Immune to negativity

Today, you will encounter negativity. But just because you encounter it, doesn’t mean you have to be swallowed up by it.

Accept right now that the world is not perfect, situations are not ideal, and people are inconsiderate to varying degrees. Be ready for the negativity, and be ready to be immune to it.

Negativity is unfortunate. Don’t make it your own misfortune by letting it get to you.

Decide in this moment to inoculate yourself. Decide that you will respond to every situation, every person, with gratitude, respect, and commitment to making a positive impact.

Today, and every day, negativity is not your thing. You always have plenty of better options.

Live as a shining example of how great life can be with a positive perspective. And let negativity wither from lack of attention.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 19

Made for giving

You’ve made great progress, but it is not enough. Because you can do more.

Life is about giving, and that’s something you can do whatever your situation may be. As much as you’ve done, as much as you’ve given, you always have more to give.

Indeed, it is giving to life that sustains you. Giving, doing, making a difference benefits your world, and benefits you.

The purpose of achievement is not to sit idly on top of it, smug and self satisfied. Instead, build on that achievement, expand it to have a positive impact on more lives.

There is always more to be done, more substance you can offer to life. Take every opportunity to let unique, meaningful purpose flow through you, energizing your very soul.

Life is made for giving, and it is made good by giving, so keep going, keep giving. All the goodness you give is also your own.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 20

Later is too late

Later is much too late. Live your life now.

If you wish to make improvements, start making them at once. If you intend to add to your experience, expand your horizons, learn, love, achieve, do it now.

Now is the moment you control. Now is the time available to you.

Make full use of this time that’s now here for you. Fill it with substance, with life, in the best way you know.

Later is when you can be thankful for all you did right now. Now is the time to act on your possibilities, to create real and lasting value.

You have great richness, and it comes in the form of now. Now, make it count.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 21

Break free

Pull your mind away from thoughts of yourself. There is a whole universe out there to consider and experience.

Ego confines your thinking. Love, gratitude and generosity expand your awareness and multiply the possibilities.

When it’s all about you, the options are few. Raise yourself into the limitless realm outside your narrow self-concern.

Inside the walls of your own ego, problems seem to have no solution, and opportunities lack a path to fulfillment. Break free, be free, and operate from a powerful perspective where fears dissolve and abundance intensifies.

As beautiful and unique as you are, living only within your own perspective is lonely and limiting. Extend your focus, widen your horizons, experience joy and wonder you never could have known on your own.

It is simple to let go of your ego. And amazing what that simple step will do.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 22

What matters now

It doesn't matter where you went wrong. The thing that matters now is what you do going forward.

Any regret you may feel can be transformed into energy to move you forward. Any lessons you've learned can now be applied to create the life you wish to live.

One minute from now you can be moving in a positive direction. Keep going, and one month from now you will have created some powerful momentum.

Choose right now to be the strong, focused, purposeful person you know you can be. Decide right now to make the days, months and years ahead the best you've ever experienced.

You no longer have to be stopped by the things that once tempted you, or discouraged you, distracted or frustrated you. Now, you have the power and the willingness to rise above all those things, and to be driven by positive purpose.

An amazing life is yours to live, and now is when you can give it your best. Gather your strength, feel your purpose and make great things happen today.

Ralph S. Marston

January 23

Seek quality

Quantity can often impose great burdens. Quality, on the other hand, almost always brings sublime joy.

When caught between quantity and quality, seek quality. Quality is what makes anything worth having, knowing, learning, experiencing in the first place.

You cannot have a hundred million close friends, and would not want to. Yet you can experience a life overflowing with enjoyment from just a handful of quality friendships.

You cannot eat every item on every menu. You can select one quality meal at a time, and find great satisfaction in it.

Quantity spreads your attention, your purpose, your caring too thin. If a small quantity of something does not satisfy you, then more of the same will satisfy you even less.

Let go of the need to have the most, the latest, the fastest, the biggest. Seek deep, meaningful quality and make yourself rich in life, not just in stuff.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 24

Work where you are

You don’t need a particular setup to do good work. You just need to do it.

You don’t need conditions to be perfect to make progress. Any situation, any condition, is an opportunity.

Work where you are, with what you have, no matter what has happened. Whether your tools are old or new, whether resources are abundant or scarce, what matters most is what you do.

Your best work might very well be done during the most challenging times. For those times will drive you, inspire you, make you more determined to create value.

If you’re waiting for things to be perfect, stop waiting and start working. Even with all its flaws, you have this moment, so use it.

Whatever else this day may hold, it holds for you the opportunity to make a difference. Stop waiting, stop wishing, stop wondering and start working to get it done.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 25

Busy making it better

Life is not fair, but you can do something about that. Life is not fair, but you can achieve anyway.

You could complain about the unfairness, but your complaints won’t change much. A better option is to accept what is, and use that acceptance to find a workable way forward.

Anger, despair, resentment are all understandable, and not particularly effective. Take their energy and point that energy in a positive, constructive direction.

Yes, there is unfairness and injustice. Yet you can be a counterbalancing force for yourself, for another, for many.

Imagine what could happen if you let your negative impressions of life turn into positive actions. Instead of feeling the same old frustrations and disappointments again and again, you can harness them to move life forward.

Go beyond blame, beyond despair, beyond judgment. Let life be what it is for now, and get yourself busy making it better.

-Ralph S. Marston,

January 26

Expect even better

Let your reality be driven by your expectations, not the other way around. Expect the best, and if you don’t get it, expect even better.

If other people fail to meet your expectations, that’s no reason to lower those expectations. In fact, it’s an opportunity to raise them higher.

Don’t compromise your expectations based on disappointing results. Instead, use the experience to make your expectations more compelling.

Choose your expectations to be more than just an extrapolation of what has already happened. Set those expectations based on where you intend to go next.

The purpose of an ambitious expectation is not to eventually prove yourself accurate. It is to compel and encourage you, and those around you, toward excellent performance.

Keep your expectations high, no matter what. And you’ll keep your efforts pointed toward the best you can imagine.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 27

Better way

The anger that drives you will also block you. Let it go, and find a better way.

Retribution perpetuates itself endlessly on both sides, and no one ever wins. Forgive, and move beyond it.

Put thought and effort into making a difference, not just into making a point. Center your life around all you love, nurture, care for, rather than being consumed by what you oppose.

Champion your values through positive, beneficial action. Earn support for your cause not by bickering or intimidation, but by helping even those who disagree with you.

In a world of conflict, what attracts attention is not more conflict. Be a shining light of peaceful tolerance, respect, understanding.

Free yourself from the narrow confines imposed by judgment, retribution, resentment and anger. Open new positive possibilities for all of life.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 28

Be there

Sometimes words are not necessary for encouragement. Sometimes words can even get in the way.

Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is just to be there. Sometimes your loving, authentic, accepting presence is what someone else desperately desires.

Be there, and be you. Be there, be present, listen, see, share.

In every person is a longing to connect in a meaningful way. Your presence is one of the best gifts you can give.

Communication technology is wonderful, allowing you to exchange thoughts, information, sounds and images in amazing ways. Yet none of that replaces the value of being there.

When you can, if you care, make it your business to be there. Your presence can make all the difference in the world.

-Ralph S. Marston

January 29

Intention plus activity

Intentions with no effort behind them are nothing more than empty wishes. Activity without any purposeful intention to direct it can often end up being wasted.

The way to invite achievement into your life is with rock solid intentions and enthusiastic efforts. Decide where you want to go, who you want to be, how you want to live, what you want to do, and then get yourself deeply involved in life.

The interesting thing is, your activity does not necessarily have to be overtly directed toward your intentions. In fact, your efforts can often be more effective when they're not directly connected to your goals.

Know your intentions, and then give your very best to every situation, every person, every challenge you encounter. You will find your intentions being realized, and probably not in the way you had imagined.

You have many more resources and abilities than you know about. With a strong intention, and a commitment to making a difference, you'll tap into hidden abundance, often without even realizing it.

Choose where you want to go, and give your best to every little moment along the way. One way or another, you'll get there.

Ralph S. Marston

January 30

Courage to choose

Countless possibilities swarm around you, every minute, every day. Live with the courage, the confidence, to choose.

The best possibilities are useless if you do not make the choice to follow them. The best opportunities have value only when you choose to act on them.

You cannot do everything, and wouldn’t want to. However, you can do what you choose.

To do that, you must make a choice, and commit to that choice, and act on that choice. Choose a possibility to explore, an opportunity to take, a path to follow.

No choice is going to be perfect, but don’t let that deter you. Because once you make the choice, you have what it takes to make the best of that choice.

The right choice is the one that enables you to give your best. Make the choice, and use it as a way to create great value for your world.

-Ralph S. Marston