Start making progress

The opportunities you have are too beautiful and too valuable for you to let them pass you by. Stop making excuses and start making progress.

What you imagine, you can begin. What you begin, you can finish.

It's all a matter of choosing to get it done. That's a choice you can make in any and every moment.

Sure, there are challenges and yes, you'll have to step outside your comfort zone to make the necessary efforts. The great thing is, you're fully capable of doing whatever it takes.

You can, if you will. You will, when you make it meaningful enough.

There's great value to be found as you make your way through this day. Seize the opportunity, make the necessary effort, and bring that value to life in your world.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Who you know you must be

Are you having trouble getting motivated to move toward your dream? Then make your dream bigger, more meaningful and more compelling.

Go ahead and make your dream so beautifully imposing that you cannot avoid being pushed forward by it. Reach deep within yourself, connect with your authentic essence, and dare to dream what you truly wish to dream.

Dreams are not just for the young and ambitious. The more of life you have experienced, the more deeply you know how you wish to feel and how you wish to be.

If your dream seems impossible to your reasoning mind, that's great. Such a dream, when it's meaningful enough, will open you to a whole new world of possibilities.

There is a purpose that is yours to fulfill. Feel it deeply, consider it often, translate it into specific goals and then live your way toward the best you can imagine.

The challenges and setbacks, the disappointments and frustrations are all decidedly secondary concerns. Follow your dream, and be who you know you must be.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Get your bearings

Most of the things that annoy you and frustrate you are not really that important. Step back, get your bearings, and look at the big picture.

Much of what you think you need, you don't really even want. Imagine being free of all that unnecessary needing.

In every moment, in any situation, you can feel deep and genuine love. You can find spectacular beauty in the smallest, simplest things.

You can experience the joy of being. You can think and act and express your unique vision in countless ways, no matter what the circumstance.

No matter how painful or difficult the moment may be, there is always much to truly treasure. Remember to remember that, and turn your focus toward the treasure, toward the beauty, toward the joy of simply being.

Allow that joy, and notice how much stronger it makes you feel. Whatever else is going on, now is a beautiful time to be alive.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

In a great place

Instead of placing judgments on where you find yourself, consider the positive possibilities. Instead of extending assumptions out from your limitations, imagine your most treasured dreams extending out from your current situation.

If you feel stuck where you are, you're mistaken. Anything is possible, when you engage the power of your imagination.

The things that have already happened can give you some useful insight and perspective. Yet your future is whatever you choose right now to make it.

You don't have to be magically transported away from where you are in order to experience fulfillment. You can begin making your way forward from wherever you may be, in whatever direction you choose.

It's easy to blame your circumstances for holding you back. It's much more powerful, though, to accept those circumstances and begin working with the value they offer.

You're in a great place, because from where you are you can go anywhere. Look around, with positive expectations, and step forward in the direction of your dreams.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Beyond you

Your thoughts, your words and actions may seem to begin and end in close proximity to you. Yet in truth they go far beyond you.

You cannot possibly know the full extent of your influence. So it's best to assume that anything you do affects everything that is.

The more positively you think and speak and act, the more positive your whole world becomes. Put great care and value into what you do, and that value grows far more valuable as it spreads out beyond you.

You are connected to others in some ways you know about, and in many other ways you don't realize. Whatever you offer to others, whether it is positive or negative, you'll eventually receive in even greater measure in your own life.

What seems to be beyond you is not really separated from you. You are immersed in all that is, and what you do resonates throughout.

Live each moment true to your highest values. And you'll share those values with your whole world.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Stream of goodness

A constant stream of goodness is flowing into your life right now. See it, feel it and accept it.

Somewhere deep within you, all is well. Any turmoil you experience is only near the surface and will soon be resolved.

Pay attention to the challenges, while keeping in mind that those challenges do not have to consume you. There is always plenty of goodness flowing in to your life, with which you can move forward no matter what.

This is a beautiful day, filled with value and possibilities. This is your opportunity to build upon life's goodness in your own special way.

Look at all there is right now with a thankful and loving heart. Think of the positive difference you can make with the abundance that's already available to you.

Feel the refreshing, energizing goodness as it flows into your life. And pass it along to every corner of your world.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

The richness of now

Let this moment now be here. Let yourself be fully in it.

Feel the depth of beauty that surrounds you. Be good to yourself and to all you encounter.

Float peacefully on the gentle waves that push you forward into each new experience. Make use of the opportunities to express your authentic self in new, creative and fulfilling ways.

Rejoice at the simple yet miraculous reality of your awareness. Love what is, and the possibilities of what can be, just because it feels so right.

Let go of any urge to fret or to fight. Allow the richness of now to unfold in your heart.

Feel how truly splendid it is to be here now. Live the peace and let it grow.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

What steps to take

When you see someone who is enormously successful, you naturally want to know how he or she did it. Although it can certainly be helpful to understand how others achieve, that's not really the most crucial factor.

For your own success, it is even more important to clearly know what you wish to achieve, and to clearly understand why you wish to achieve it. Once you're absolutely certain about what and why, you are absolutely able to figure out how.

Even before you could talk, you were able to figure out how to get what you wanted. As your knowledge and experience have increased, so have your skills for reaching your goals.

If you're having trouble attaining any of those goals, it's not because you don't know how, or because you can't figure it out. The problem is you're not completely clear about exactly what you wish, or not completely sure about why.

It could be that the goal itself is not really yours. If it's just something you assumed would be nice, that's not going to give you a strong enough sense of purpose.

Dig deep into your purpose and make sure that what you're working toward is truly what you desire. Once you're clear about what and why, you'll know what steps to take.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Your time to begin

The place to start is where you are. The way to start is by doing what you can, with what you know, using what you have.

You may get it wrong at first. But if you wait until you're sure you can get it perfect, you'll never get it done.

The best learning comes from doing. The way to get the experience you seek is to get busy without hesitation.

The longer you wait to get started, the more powerful your doubts will grow. Jump in right away, get going, and those doubts won't have a chance to take hold.

Time always moves forward whether you move forward or not. Your most effective strategy is to make use of each moment as soon as it arrives.

There's no end to what you can accomplish if you'll just go ahead and get going. Now is what you have, so make now your time to begin.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Look again

What if the factors holding you back are doing so only because of the way you have chosen to see them? What if you were to choose to see them in a new light?

If a door is always locked the first six or seven times you attempt to open it, you'll probably stop making the attempt. Yet just because that door was once locked, doesn't mean it will always be.

More significantly, that door is not the only way into the place you wish to go. There could very well be many other doors, some of them open to you, or windows, or other pathways.

There is a positive, empowering way to look at whatever your situation may be. By changing your perspective, you can significantly improve your options.

Consider your most challenging obstacle. Then, step outside your current set of assumptions, and look at it again.

Stop fighting the same old fight that's supported by the same old perspective. Look again, know that it's there, and you'll find a new way forward.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Foremost expert

There is no other person who is smart enough, or experienced enough, or informed enough or insightful enough to tell you how to live. That's up to you.

Certainly the advice and guidance of others can be extremely valuable. Yet when it comes to expressing and fulfilling the best of who you are, you are the world's foremost expert.

It feels good to be praised and it hurts to be criticized. Always keep in mind, though, that those who offer their opinions of you cannot possibly see the whole picture.

Your life is your responsibility. That is simultaneously a sobering obligation and a fantastic opportunity.

Successful living is difficult work and yet you are absolutely qualified to do it. You are worthy and capable of creating and enjoying whatever it is that truly fulfills you.

Make the commitment, do the work, accept the responsibility that is necessary for that fulfillment. Live the outstanding life that is yours to experience.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

A brand new moment

Allow, experience, and let go. The goodness and value continue to flow.

Think, feel, and do. Your most authentic and consistent intentions become real.

Love, care, and give. What you send, comes back and finds you, again and again.

The world is complex and yet the truth is pure and simple. Life is the way you most honestly choose to express it.

The tricks and shortcuts will not get you ahead because you already are ahead. Simply realize the limitless nature of what you can accomplish and then you'll begin to make it happen.

Face the challenges and take in the exquisite beauty of being. All is well, and a brand new moment, filled with possibilities, now is here.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Your time to live

You were born to make a difference. Now is when you can.

For a long time you have wanted to move beyond the troubles and shortcomings that have been hounding you. Now you can take action and begin to do just that.

Now is when you can create new and lasting value for your world, for yourself and for those around you. Now is when you can transform your most deeply held dreams and values from vision into reality.

Now is when you can make decisions and take action. Now is when you have the ability to get whatever results you set out to achieve.

On this day, in this moment, you can learn from the mistakes of the past and make the positive changes that will take you to where you most would like to be. Now is your chance to put all you have to its highest and best use.

Now is when your future begins, and now is when you can do something about it. This is the moment, this is the day, and now is your time to live.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

The gift of this moment

Stop wishing to be somewhere else or worrying about what might be next. Here and now is a beautiful place to be.

In this moment you can add to life's treasure. In this moment you can fill your world with the power of love.

Love will calm your fears and heal your pains. Take this opportunity to let love flow through all of you.

The fullness of your experience has brought you here for a reason. Live and learn and love the gift of this moment that you've created for yourself.

There is no limit to the richness you can know. Let it be beautiful, and meaningful, and filled with joy.

You are alive and aware and connected to every possibility. Live the beauty that is here for you now.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Live your joy

It's not the troubles that trouble you. It's the way you react to them.

What if you could choose not to let the troubles get to you? What if you could work your way through them while remaining positive and joyful?

Life's difficulties do not need your help. They are plenty difficult on their own, without you adding to them.

So make the choice not to add to them. Acknowledge their reality, deal effectively with them, but don't allow them to pull you down.

The way you feel is the way you choose to feel. Choose to feel powerful, choose to feel in control, choose to feel purposeful, abundant and joyful because at the heart of you, you are.

The living spirit in you is stronger than any trouble you'll ever encounter. Remember that, feel its truth, and live your joy no matter what.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Get through

You've got a lot to get through today, so jump right in. You've got a lot to get through today, so remind yourself what a true blessing it is.

In all that you must do are multiple opportunities to make a difference in your world. That list of things to do is a list of ways in which you can have a positive impact.

You may not get it all finished today, but that's no reason to delay or be discouraged. On the contrary, that's a reason to get going just as soon as you can.

You may not get it all done perfectly, but that's no reason to avoid doing it. Do your best with what you have, from where you are, with the time available, and though it may not be perfect, it will be great, and it will be done.

Certainly you'll make some mistakes, and maybe you'll experience some disappointment or embarrassment. Yet at the end of the day, you'll have some real, substantive accomplishments under your belt, and they'll be well worth whatever you had to endure.

In what you must get done, there is immense opportunity. Get busy, get it done, and reap the rewards that are yours to create.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Forget the excuses

Today can be a day full of excuses and regrets, or it can be a day full of progress and achievement. The choice is completely up to you.

Plenty of times during this day it will be easy for you to come up with a good excuse for not giving your best. Yet even though you may come up with the world's most well thought out excuse, of what value is that to you?

When you feel an excuse coming on, remind yourself of something. This is your life, not some intellectual exercise, and every action taken or avoided affects the quality of your world.

Sure, you can come up with lots of great excuses. Yet you can just as realistically come up with lots of great achievements.

Your life is a magnificent treasure that you have the opportunity to live right now, today. It's not something you must find ways to be excused from.

Embrace the richness in every twist and turn of life's adventure. Forget the excuses, and grab the magnificent opportunity that's right in front of you.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

On higher ground

You can see much farther from the top of the mountain than you can from the lowest point in the valley. So raise your perspective, and climb that mountain.

Raising your perspective will enable you to see many more possibilities. And you'll be able to move more effectively toward them.

When you're on the same level as your problems, those problems can seem overwhelming. Yet when you raise yourself just a little bit above those problems, the picture changes dramatically in your favor.

You may feel tempted to try and push the problems down to a lower level, but that will not work. The challenges and obstacles are what they are, and it does no good to pretend any differently.

A much more effective strategy is to accept the situation for what it is, and then to raise yourself above it. Visualize how you would think, how you would feel, and what you would do if you were at a higher level of awareness and effectiveness.

Then, live out that vision and think those thoughts, feel those feelings, take those actions. Rise above the challenges, and from the perspective of higher ground, move successfully beyond them.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Power of love

You can transform your world in an instant by the way you choose to see it. You can change problems into opportunities, anxiety into enthusiasm, and despair into determination.

The quality of what you see depends on the perspective from which you see it. And that perspective is entirely up to you.

Instead of reacting again and again to the chaotic ups and downs of circumstance, you have a more powerful choice. You can choose to live from a constant and unassailable perspective of love.

Instead of fighting against most of what happens, you can choose to be lifted higher by all that happens. From a perspective of love you'll see the positive possibilities in every situation.

The way to live from love is to be completely and wholly honest with yourself. In the pure truth of who you are and what you sincerely value, is the limitless power of that love.

Allow you to be truly you. And let the power of love color your world.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

A big enough dream

How big is your dream? Make sure it's big enough to overwhelm all the challenges.

Are life's pains and problems and annoyances getting to you too often? Though you can't stop them from popping up, you can stop them from dragging you down.

When you're passionate about where you want to go, you'll more easily deal with all the things that happen where you are. When you focus on what's on the other side of the challenges, you'll find the strength to persist through those challenges.

There is a beautiful purpose within you. It is a purpose so compelling that it absolutely will not allow you to give up.

Open yourself to the truth of who you are, and you open yourself to that purpose. Allow that purpose to inspire you, connect with it, and tap into its undeniable power.

Express that purpose with a dream that is too big and too wonderful and too meaningful to abandon. With a big enough dream, anything is possible.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

More or less

If you resent those who have achieved more than you, that blocks your own path to achievement. If you feel superior to those who have achieved less, your own achievements will quickly crumble.

There is more than enough of life's abundance for everyone. There is nothing to be gained by placing judgments on those who tap into more or those who tap into less of that abundance.

Every person expresses life's abundance in his or her own way. Every person is at a different point on the journey, and each journey is unique.

Choose to be inspired instead of intimidated or resentful. Focus on creating your own special manifestation of goodness and abundance.

Joyfully celebrate the good fortune of others. Graciously accept and appreciate the value that their accomplishments add to all of life.

Then envision your own next accomplishment. And with a thankful heart, bring that vision to life.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Most valuable asset

Your attitude can be your most valuable asset. For it is with your attitude that you make use of all the other assets.

If you have a well-developed skill but don't take the initiative to use it, you might as well not even have that skill. If you have great opportunities and fail to take advantage of them, they won't be of any value to you.

In fact, you do have more than enough intelligence and skill to reach any goal you set for yourself. You do have ways to access the resources necessary to achieve anything that you're fully committed to achieving.

The defining factor is your attitude. Because your attitude determines what you do with each moment, and those moments, all added together, form the substance of your life.

And your attitude is yours to choose. It ultimately depends not on any outside factors, but on what you decide to make it.

You have a whole world full of good things going for you. Adopt an attitude that enables you to always make the best of what you have.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Truly outstanding

Put all you are into what you do. The results you get from your efforts depend largely on the passion and purpose you put into those efforts.

The difference between outstanding success and mediocrity is not so much in what you do. The difference comes from why you do it, and how solidly your effort is connected to authentic, meaningful purpose.

What if you can't find a reason to put the very best of yourself into the effort? Then you're probably better off doing something else.

You will get out of life what you put into it. So get yourself in a position where you can joyfully and enthusiastically give your very best to every effort.

Be completely honest with yourself about how you truly want life to be. Don't borrow anyone else's dream, because nothing can motivate you to do your best like your very own sincere vision.

Find that vision, understand it, focus on it, feel it and put its power into all you do. That's what will create truly outstanding results.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Choose your feelings

The way you feel can tell you much about the world around you and your relationship to it. Yet the way you feel is not who you are.

Your emotions may seem to be so much a part of you that at times you cannot find anything else. Yet you are able at any time to change those emotions if you wish.

Always, at the heart of your being, you are in control. The emotions you experience are the emotions you create or allow.

Just as you can allow your emotions to fill your awareness, you can also allow them to drop cleanly and completely away. When you've heard what your feelings have to say, you can choose to let go of them.

Or, if you're enjoying the way you feel, you can choose to continue feeling that way. The point is, you can choose.

Always remember that like your thoughts and actions, your feelings are your choice. Choose the ones that will move your life in the direction you most want to go.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

The richest person

Life will bring you richness when you let it. Life will bring you richness when you live it.

If all you ever do is wish, all you'll ever have will be wishes. Dream, and as soon as you do, put the dream into action.

In this moment, in this place, is everything necessary to begin the fulfillment of any purpose. The most important thing is your authentic intention to make it happen.

Let yourself feel the desires that are truly yours. Feel the pure intensity of authentic purpose, and no challenge is too great to overcome.

There is no need to wait for life's richness. It is yours the moment you allow it to energize your actions.

Welcome this day as if you are truly the richest person alive. For when you do, you are.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.

Visualize it

You have the power to visualize. And what you intensely and persistently visualize, you will create.

Before you can go where you want to go, you must know exactly where that is. Seeing the destination clearly and in rich detail puts you well on the way there.

See it in your mind, and you'll move naturally, vigorously and effectively toward it in your life. Fill your awareness with the substance of your dreams, and those dreams begin their transformation into reality.

Visualization not only enables you to clearly see what you wish to do. It also gets you to profoundly feel the reason why.

For you can do more than imagine how you wish to feel. You can go ahead and feel now how it will feel to reach your dream.

Know what you want, and you're on your way there. Visualize how it will be, feel how it will feel, and make yourself unstoppable.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2010 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. From The Daily Motivator at http://greatday.com where you will find an archive of more than 3,000 positive messages plus books, CDs, motivational videos and more. Permission is given to post online only if this entire notice is included.