Get inspired

On this fresh new day of the fresh New Year, get inspired by life. Get inspired by the possibilities for love and achievement, for friendship and fulfillment.

Get excited about the opportunities for growth and rich experience that come with every turn of events. Get excited about living in a world that's filled with abundance in every direction.

Get passionate about making a difference in your own life and in the lives of those around you. Get passionate about expressing and fulfilling those dreams that are uniquely yours.

Right now, throughout your whole being, feel how truly good life can be. Carry that goodness with you as you move forward and create a bright new future.

Give meaning to each moment. Give the best of yourself to everything you do.

Get inspired, get excited, get motivated, get busy and get going. Take the very real opportunity to make this the most outstanding year you've ever experienced.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Explore new possibilities

There are always plenty of possibilities, with new ones being born every moment. On a regular basis, pick a new possibility and explore it fully.

Turn down a road you've never traveled before, and find out what's there. Be curious, and let your curiosity lead you in the direction of new discoveries.

Inject some fresh, new experiences into your life. Challenge yourself and add richness to your life by stepping outside your regular routine.

Surprise your senses with things you've never experienced before. Wake up your spirit by uncovering previously hidden treasures in your world.

Add to life's list of joys. Give new depth and richness to your perspective.

The good things in your life are yours now because there was a time when you chose to find them. Explore some new possibilities, and there is much new value you can find.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Make the commitment

How do you transform what you think you can do into what you know you can do? You make the commitment to get it done.

How do you take something that you'd like to have and make it into something you actually do have? You make the commitment to make it happen.

Choose your commitments carefully, based on what's truly important to you, and on what will positively push you beyond your limitations. And then once you make a commitment, treat it as a true commitment, doing whatever is necessary to fully follow through.

Take your commitments seriously. Give them the priority they deserve.

Well-chosen commitments will demand much from you. In meeting those demands, you grow stronger, more capable, highly experienced and resilient.

Commit to just a few things at a time that you know will bring out the best in you. Then work your way through those commitments to higher and higher levels of achievement and fulfillment.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Think backwards

When you're planning to travel, where do you usually begin that planning? You begin with the destination.

You cannot know what direction to go unless you know where you would like to end up. So a successful plan begins with the destination and works its way backwards to the point where you begin.

When you desire to reach a specific goal, the same kind of approach will work very well. Start with the end goal, and develop your plan backwards from there.

When you're clear about the goal, you can easily figure out what would be the last step necessary to reach that goal. When you know the last step, you can determine what the step before that will be.

You can develop your plan, step by step, from the end to the beginning. When you do, instead of wondering what the best first step would be, you'll know precisely what to do first, what to do after that, and what to do after that.

However ambitious the goal may be, there is something you can do right now to get off to a solid start. Visualize the goal, work backwards step by step, and you'll know precisely how to begin.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Frustration into achievement

How do you transform a frustration into an achievement? First, step back and get some perspective.

Look objectively at the reason why you are frustrated. Find the specific positive belief or value within yourself that makes your frustration feel so negative.

Instead of directing your frustration at some person or object or situation outside yourself, look inward. See that the energy of your frustration is attempting to validate and express some key positive value that you sincerely treasure.

Zero in on that value and focus your attention on it. Discover that there are plenty of positive, creative ways to give life and expression to whatever you value.

Consider the positive possibilities, and realize that within your frustration is the passion to bring those possibilities to life. Use your frustration to discover something good about who you are, and then use it as motivation to express that goodness.

There's something positive that your frustration can tell you. Find it and bring it to life.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Be happy just because you can

Do you wish to be happy? Then be happy.

Yes, it truly is as simple as that. Happiness is a state that you can enter whenever and wherever you choose.

You don't necessarily have to be happy about anything in particular. You don't necessarily need any person, thing or situation to make you happy.

Be happy just because you can. Be happy just because it feels so good.

Happiness empowers you and improves your outlook. Happiness attracts positive, supportive people into your life, and guides you toward positive situations.

Let go of your resistance, and let happiness flow from your heart. Fill this very moment with the happiness you create.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Share the joy

Life is best when it is shared. At no time is that more evident than on Christmas day.

All the various customs and traditions of the season serve to bring people together in a spirit of joy and celebration. It's a powerful reminder of how good it can feel to connect with others in a genuine, personal and heartfelt way.

Though we have many differences, we also have much in common. Though there is great value in our diversity, that value exists because we are able to connect with each other in ways that are positive and fulfilling.

Even the most accomplished, self-sufficient, independent people have an inherent desire to share life's experience with others. Though there is much we can accomplish as individuals, there is far, far more that we can experience by connecting and cooperating with each other.

This is a special, beautiful day. It is made even more beautiful by the opportunity to share with others.

On this day, and every day, live the joy and share the joy. Celebrate the connections that give life so much meaning and richness.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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's truly important

Remember today what's really important to you. Look past those fleeting concerns and activities that seem so urgent, and look into what you truly care about.

Generously give quality, focused time to the special people in your life. Accept them for who they are and listen without judgment to what they have to say.

Spend some quiet time with your own best thoughts. Peacefully consider the goodness and value in your life, and feel the warmth that those thought bring.

Softly treasure the moments of this day. Each moment is an opportunity to give more value and support to those things that matter most.

Keep yourself connected to what's truly important to you. From that perspective, you'll find great fulfillment in all that you do.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Stick with it

Carefully consider each commitment before making it. Then, when you've made the decision to do it, stick with it.

When you have a good, solid, clearly defined objective and a meaningful reason for reaching it, get started. And once you've started, see it through.

Getting just halfway through a dozen projects might give you some good experience. Yet you won't have much to show for that experience.

Working all the way through just one project will take you much less time. And when you're finished, you'll have something of real, lasting value.

The way to keep going is to keep reminding yourself why you started in the first place. When the going gets tough, you can stick with it by having a compelling reason to do so.

What a shame it would be to quit when you're just a few days shy of reaching the goal. Stick with it, and enjoy the many fruits of your efforts.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Demanding challenges

Be eager to take on the difficult tasks. For they're the ones that enable you to create great value.

Meaningful challenges will motivate and inspire you to be your best. They'll compel you to sharpen your skills and to discover new resources.

As long as you're going to be passing the time, you might as well make it count for as much as possible. So spend your time solving the complicated problems and tackling the difficult challenges.

When you're willing to take on the tough assignments, there will always be opportunities to do so. And you'll enjoy rich rewards for completing those assignments.

Fulfillment never comes from taking the path of least resistance. The biggest payoffs come from successfully working through the most demanding challenges.

When there's difficult work to be done, jump in and do it. And the best opportunities will always be yours.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Limiting beliefs

Have you become addicted to limiting beliefs? Do those limiting beliefs soothe you and comfort you while at the same time holding you back?

In the short term, it can be much easier to tell yourself you can't do it. Yet when you look at the big picture, it's much better to go ahead and do the work of achievement.

You can comfort yourself today by believing that your lack of progress is not your responsibility. However, you'll soon be paying for that short-term comfort with long-term regret.

It is difficult work to acknowledge and follow the best of your possibilities. And it is well worth the effort.

For your dreams are calling to you, and they'll never be satisfied until you do something about them. You have what it takes to reach them, and they know it.

Break free of your dependence on limiting beliefs. And achieve the great things that only you can bring to life.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Carry great joy

Carry great joy with you throughout this day. Spread it everywhere you go.

The quickest, most accessible way to experience joy in this world is to give it to others. Offer a sincere smile, a kind word, or a bit of assistance just because you can, and see how incredibly good it makes you feel.

The better you feel, the more you'll get accomplished. Express joy even though you have no specific reason, and you'll discover that joy is its own best reason.

With no sense of guilt, with no embarrassment, be the joyful person you know you can be. Give action and expression to the feeling of how truly fortunate you are to be living this day.

With joy as your constant companion, you can make a difference everywhere you go. By focusing on the positive side, you make everything more positive.

Add more joy to life today. And see how much brighter you can make your world.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Effective focus

Stop worrying about what you're not getting done. Focus on being effective at what you're doing right now.

Fretting and complaining that there's not enough time will only waste more of your time. Just take one task, let go of your thoughts about everything else, and get it finished.

At any point in time, you're either focused on one thing or focused on another. It is always your choice to make.

When the distractions entice you to lose focus, remind yourself that you can always indulge in them later. And get right back to the work at hand.

You'll have plenty of time to do what you wish to do if you'll simply spend your time actually doing it. You can be enormously productive when you put the power of focus to work for you.

Give all your attention to the task at hand. Feel the power, feel the effectiveness of keeping yourself tightly and effectively focused.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Align your habits

You are making decisions all the time and those decisions directly affect the way your life unfolds. Your level of success and fulfillment depends on how often and how well those decisions line up with your dreams.

Certainly when you're contemplating the big, noticeable decisions, you make sure they align with your values and purposes. But what about all the little momentary decisions you're constantly making?

Those seemingly small decisions have great power because there are so many more of them. And they're decisions you can often make without even thinking about them.

Those unthinking decisions are known as habits. A habit is a decision you make once that is carried out again and again.

Though each action done by habit may be small, the cumulative effect on your life can be enormous. The way to move your life in the direction you choose, is to make sure that all your many habits are working with you rather than against you.

Take the time and make the effort to align your habits with your goals and dreams. Improving those little habits can truly be the biggest decision you make.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Think success

To be successful, think of yourself as successful. Then act on your positive thoughts.

The biggest difference between sloppy incompetence and brilliant excellence is in your attitude. Truly respect yourself and the work you're doing, and that work will bring results of great value.

The thousands of thoughts you think each day form the filter through which you experience life. What is your filter keeping out, and what is it letting into your world?

Your choices determine the direction your life goes. And those choices flow directly from what you are thinking.

Think success, think achievement, think positive, empowering thoughts of fulfillment and joy. Think of the most desirable possibilities and construct in your thoughts the pathways to those possibilities.

Think success again and again, until there is no room in your mind for any doubt. Act boldly on your positive thoughts, and be the success you envision.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Savor the challenge

Are you waiting for things to get better before taking action? The fact is that things will not get better until you go ahead and get yourself moving forward.

The best time to start is always now. For no matter what the outside circumstances may be, the most effective strategy is to get your inner strength revved up and rolling right away.

If you're waiting for things to be perfect, you'll wait forever. Instead, grab hold of what is here and now and find a way to make positive use of it.

Though your excuses for delaying may be very reasonable and impressive, those excuses won't move you forward. Circumstances will improve when you make the effort to improve them.

Even the smallest effort is much better than doing nothing. And small efforts that bring results will motivate you to take bigger, more effective steps.

You know from experience that you can do what you set your mind to do. Set your mind on the best of what can be, and savor the challenge of making it happen.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

For you

Life's best dreams are for you because you can follow them. Great and fulfilling success is for you because you can achieve it.

Magnificent beauty is for you because you can appreciate and enjoy it. Love is for you because you can lose yourself in it.

This moment is for you because you can make good and valuable use of it. The challenges are for you because you can transform them into achievements, and grow stronger in the process.

The ups and downs, the joys, distractions, setbacks, opportunities, pleasures, pains and delights are all yours. Because you can experience them and give your own special meaning to them.

This day, this moment, this world, this life is for you to see and to live and to express in your very own special way. Feel the magnificent opportunity of it all.

The possibilities are astounding. And there's a big, uplifting, fulfilling possibility that's just perfect for you right now.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Sweet, profound fulfillment

Now is when your past mistakes can be corrected. Now is when the disappointments can be transcended.

With positive thought, intention and action, you can transform weakness into strength. With purpose, focus and commitment, you can manifest dreams into reality.

There is a great abundance of energy available to you in this very moment. For in this moment you are alive and filled with the compelling desire to make a difference.

You long to exert your influence precisely because you can. Your deepest purpose knows that this is its opportunity to come to life.

Let go of the limitations that you have imagined. Allow your best possibilities to emerge from your thoughts and efforts.

This is the moment where your most sincere expectations become real. Expect sweet, profound fulfillment and experience yourself making it happen.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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 passion

Those things you love and those things you can't stand both point to a powerful part of you. They point to your passion.

Passion gives real power to whatever you do. Passion pushes you in a fulfilling direction that holds true meaning for your life.

With passion for the goal, you'll find a way to make it there. When passion is driving your actions, you can successfully work through any obstacle.

Your authentic passion is nothing to be ashamed of. For it connects with the very core of the beautiful and unique person you are.

Let your passion come to life. The more fully you express it, the more quickly you will move toward the fulfillment of your deepest desires.

In your passion is your very own special reason why. Hold it close and keep it burning brightly, for in your passion is the drive to reach your dreams.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Why you desire

What would you desire if everything you now desire were already yours? If you possessed every object you could ever imagine possessing, what would drive you forward?

If all your goals were reached and even exceeded, what would get you going each morning? If every problem in your life were solved, where would you direct your energy?

Certainly it is necessary to pay attention to all the outer concerns. But if that's all you ever think about, you can become hopelessly frustrated and disillusioned.

Every now and then, dig deeper. Remind yourself why you desire what you desire.

Following your outer desires can help you to express your purpose, yet those desires are not your purpose itself. And so even if you fail to achieve a particular goal, the pure, authentic purpose behind the goal is still intact.

Instead of being frustrated when you experience disappointments in your outer world, you can choose to be inspired and creative. For you still have your purpose, and you have the opportunity for finding an exciting new way to express it.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Go ahead and decide

You won't make your decisions easier just by putting them off until later. When a decision is called for, go ahead and make it.

If you keep your options open for too long, those options will no longer be available to you. Choose one option based on your best information, and go with it.

Give sufficient thought and consideration to your decisions, but don't drag them on endlessly. The sooner you get started implementing a decision, the more effective you'll be.

Accept the fact that you won't make a perfect decision every time. And remember that you'll have opportunities to adjust your approach if things don't work out the way you planned.

You cannot predict the future yet there is much you can do to intelligently and effectively prepare for it. Instead of agonizing over what might or might not happen, get busy creating value that will be there no matter what happens.

Go ahead and decide. The sooner you decide, the more time and energy you'll have to make the decision work out the way you intended.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Too precious to ignore

You could probably get by with not doing much today. But then you would have wasted an entire unique and highly valuable day.

You could come up with some very plausible excuses for not taking action. But then you would have to settle for excuses when you could have had accomplishment and fulfillment.

You could avoid the possibility of disappointment and discomfort by hiding away from life. But then you would miss out on all the beautiful, enriching possibilities as well.

Choose instead to accept and experience the ups and downs of life as each moment unfolds. Decide to give your very best to the opportunity that is this day.

Focus on a truly meaningful goal and put forth the effort to make it happen. Take bold, effective steps in the direction of your dreams.

Life is far too precious to just ignore. Step forward, do what you know you can do, and live the richness of this beautiful day.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Staying focused

To keep yourself focused, keep yourself moving. To keep yourself focused, keep taking on meaningful challenges.

Watch yourself as you make a difference in the world. Experience firsthand that your actions have consequences, and that will motivate you to take more focused action.

Continue reminding yourself of the reasons why you have chosen to do what you do. Make sure your daily tasks are aligned with the goals you've set for yourself.

Keep the objective in sight. When you can clearly see where you are going, you'll naturally keep working your way there.

You have the power to achieve what you choose to achieve. Focus each moment and each action on your dream, and the dream will surely and steadily become real.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Always learning

When you don't understand something, that's an opportunity to learn. And when you do understand, you can also learn.

From every situation, from every encounter, from every experience, you can learn. From success, and from disappointment as well, there is much you can learn.

Why is it so important to learn? Because knowledge leverages your every action.

The more you know, the more effective you can be. With sufficient knowledge, what was once impossible becomes possible and what was once merely a possibility becomes real.

Learning is not just for students in school. The most valuable, useful learning often comes from the rich experiences of everyday life.

Each moment is a unique opportunity to learn. Value and make use of those opportunities, and life will steadily grow more richly rewarding.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Always joy

Pleasures cease to be pleasurable when they start to enslave you. Are you missing out on true and lasting joy because you spend all your time and energy chasing empty pleasures?

It's great to feel good. But don't settle for mere pleasure when you can have joy and fulfillment instead.

Enjoy yourself, and yet make it meaningful enjoyment. With each thing you do, stop and consider what value it will add to the quality of your world.

When pleasure has no meaning it is no longer pleasurable, and just becomes a sad pursuit. Empty pleasures quickly fade, and leave behind nothing but the emptiness.

Instead of chasing pleasure, allow joy. While pleasures are specific and occur only when conditions are right, joy is unconditional and available at any time, in any place.

Enjoy the pleasures when they come, but don't become enslaved to them. For real, meaningful joy asks nothing of you and is always yours to live.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Fill your world

Be a friend, and you will have a friend. Give, and you receive.

Teach, and you will learn. Offer encouragement, and you'll be lifted up.

Listen intently, seeking to truly understand, and you will be understood. Be respectful and you'll be respected.

Life is a mirror that reflects back to you what you think, what you expect, what you feel, and what you do. The way to improve the reflection is to improve what's being reflected.

Be the love, be the compassion, be the strength, be the responsibility that you wish to see in others. Be the best example you can imagine and you'll be pleased with how your example is followed.

The way you most sincerely live is magnified by all that is around you. Live true to your highest purpose, and that purpose expands to fill your world.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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 vision

What is your vision for your life? Have you thought about it lately, or ever?

There is some vision, some dream, some goal so absolutely compelling that you cannot help but make it happen. Find it and connect with it.

There is a purpose within you that longs to be expressed. In following that purpose you will bring great value and fulfillment to your own life and the lives of those around you.

Feel the intensity of that purpose. Surrender to it and allow it to pull you powerfully forward.

It is never too early and never too late to immerse yourself in the empowering glow of your purpose. Now is when you can know the overwhelming sweetness of true fulfillment.

Step decisively toward those most treasured dreams that spring from your purpose. Right now, in this moment, fulfill the best of what you know life can be.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Feel your way forward

Do the disappointments make you feel disappointed? There's no reason they must.

Do the frustrations and annoyances make you feel frustrated and annoyed? There's nothing that says they have to.

The fact is, you can feel precisely the way you choose to feel, whatever the situation may be. And you can use the power of your feelings to lead you into more positive, empowering territory.

When things are going great, you can choose to feel great. What's even better is that when things are not going so good, you can still choose to feel great.

Your feelings don't have to keep you imprisoned within the negative circumstances. Instead, choose positive, meaningful feelings that will free you from those difficult situations.

You can feel any way you wish, so choose to feel your way forward in the direction of your most treasured dreams. Right now, feel the way you most want to feel, and let those feelings set the direction for your life.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

New set of possibilities

Somewhere out past where you're now comfortable, there's a pleasant surprise. Beyond what you already know you can do, there are exciting and fulfilling and new things you'll be able to do.

There's a very short distance between what you think you can do and what you don't think you can do. That distance is the size of just one thought.

Once you decide that it is possible for you, it is possible for you. Once you have the thought that it can be done, it can be done.

The world you experience is contained within the world you expect to experience. Expect more, and suddenly a whole new set of possibilities will open up to you.

Ask yourself what you would like to be able to expect. Then go ahead and bring your expectations in line with your desires.

Each day is an opportunity to grow beyond yourself while at the same time more fully expressing your authentic self. Touch your highest vision, expect it to happen, and you'll surely see your way there.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

To be effective

What is it that makes some people more effective than others? Is it skill, or luck, or secret knowledge?

More than anything else, it is a clear and consistent sense of purpose. When the objective is compelling enough, you will find a workable, effective way to make it happen.

To be effective, you must be effective toward some particular end. Clearly define, visualize and feel the reality of the goal, mentally weaving it into every part of your life.

Focus on why it must be done just as much as you focus on what is to be done. By very definition, an inspired performance requires inspiration.

Purpose provides that inspiration. Actions that clearly resonate with purpose will naturally gravitate toward higher and higher levels of effectiveness.

When it truly means something to you, you'll do it very well. What's even better is that in the achievement that surely comes, you'll find great fulfillment.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Little slices

You don't have to solve all the world's problems before bedtime. Yet there is something you can do right now.

Do just a little, and it will make a difference. Then, do a little bit more.

Life can seem overwhelming, and yet in each moment it is easily manageable. Take one moment at a time, give love and effort and value to it, and then move confidently on to the next moment.

Live your life in wonderful little slices. Savor each one, discovering the unique opportunities for growth and fulfillment.

All the while, stay true to your authentic purpose. Do what you can and don't worry about the rest.

In each little slice of life, it's easy to be supremely successful at richly living. String those slices together, one by one, and the result is a beautiful life.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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 blessings

It is good to reflect upon thankful thoughts. It is even better to continually put thankfulness into action.

The way to be truly and fully thankful for what you have is to put it to use. Abundance grows more abundant when it is exercised.

Life's great and wonderful blessings are not for hoarding. They are for living.

What's important is not how much or how little you have. What's important is what you do with it.

You won't find richness in the objects of your desire. True richness comes in the living, dynamic expression and fulfillment of those desires.

Be genuinely thankful for your good fortune by applying that good fortune in an authentic, purposeful direction. Make good use of life's goodness, and there is no limit to how valuable it can grow.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Positively frustrated

When you feel the need to feel frustration, go ahead and be fully frustrated. Then, be done with it and get on with making positive progress.

Though frustration can feel awful, it is not entirely a bad thing. Because frustration shines a light on your positive passions.

The only people who are never frustrated are people who never attempt anything. When you're committed to creating real value, there is going to be some frustration along the way.

So go ahead and feel that frustration when it comes. Allow it, accept it and welcome it.

When you do, something interesting happens. As soon as you stop fighting it, as soon as you understand what your frustration is telling you, it goes away.

Peacefully let your frustration run its course, and listen carefully as it does. What you're left with is a renewed sense of purpose and passion to move forward.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Bring excellence to life

You cannot achieve excellence just by proclaiming it to be. Excellence is built in the details.

Attend faithfully and competently to the details, while staying true to your purpose. That is how to bring excellence into your world.

What is done with genuine love is done with excellence. Let love guide you in each moment, and you will consistently create excellence.

Excellence resonates with what is true, what is good and authentically valuable, with what is right. Work with honesty, integrity, and a commitment to truth, and excellence will permeate the results.

Intention is critical, yet excellence does not come from good intentions alone. Excellence comes from actions persistently and consistently guided by the highest and most authentic intentions.

In each thing you do is the opportunity to create excellence. Again and again, bring excellence to life, and live true to your highest purpose.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Take the cue

What you see, what you think, what you feel, has a reason. What you happen upon, seemingly by blind chance, has a reason.

In all that you experience is the voice of your most authentic self, carrying an important, appropriate and timely message. Listen, and seek to lovingly understand what the experience of each moment is saying.

All the wisdom you've collected is speaking to you. All the possibilities that spread out in front of you, are calling to you.

It is not by coincidence that you are where you are. A whole set of thoughts, intentions and experiences brought you here.

All that you have learned and all that you have been through culminate in this place now. It is a rich and entirely meaningful opportunity that greets you and calls you to move forward.

Take the cue, feel the message of this moment, and go with it. In this time and this place, this life is yours with which to do great things.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Energy drains

If you seem to lack the energy to move forward, ask yourself this question. What is draining you?

Are there negative habits or thought patterns that steal your energy away? Make the effort to identify them and make the commitment to change.

Are there people in your life who drain your energy with their negativity? Choose to get yourself more often around more positive, enthusiastic, empowered and empowering people.

Are you being constantly depleted by your focus on the world's difficulties? Challenge yourself to identify the positive possibilities that are present in every difficult situation, and remember that the future is what you make it.

Is too much of your energy being consumed by a particular shortcoming in your skills or abilities? Take the time to make improvements in those skills, and transform weakness into strength.

Whatever may be draining your energy, you can find it and successfully deal with it. Once you do, you'll find you have all that is necessary to accomplish whatever you choose.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Treasure the experience

Let go of the need to constantly keep score. Create value for its own sake and it will come much more easily and naturally.

There are great possibilities patiently waiting to happen for you. Yet any desire for superiority you may have will keep pushing those possibilities away.

All you could ever hope for is already connected to you. But you cannot see that connection when you're constantly focused on getting more.

Your obsessive attachment to getting the result you seek prevents that result from being fully realized. Put your focus on being instead of getting.

Good things happen as soon as you get past the need for them. Let life flow as it will, and it will flow in great abundance.

Get out of the way of your own authentic fulfillment. Sincerely treasure the experience, and there will be much more to treasure.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Always successful

In each and every moment, you are successful at doing something. You take action, and that action successfully brings a result.

Success is not really something you must strive to create, for you are always making it happen. What's important is defining and intending the success you do create so that it is a positive force in your world.

Many people are successful at just barely getting by. Others are successful at bringing pain and dismay into their lives.

Yet the very same skills that succeed at creating mediocrity and despair, can also be used to create rich fulfillment. What's needed is not so much a change in effort as a change in focus.

You truly deserve a great and wonderful life, and you have everything necessary to experience that life. Keep your thoughts focused on your most meaningful desires, and your actions will align with those thoughts.

You're always succeeding at something. Choose now to make it something great.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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 to see it

What does it take to transform impossible into possible? All it takes is a change in your thinking.

How do you grasp something that is out of reach? You expand your idea of how far you can reach.

Achievement is not easy, but then neither is poverty, or anything else for that matter. You already have everything it takes to achieve whatever you desire, when you simply choose to see it.

Every doubt you have is kept alive by your own thoughts. With a quick change in thinking, those doubts will vanish.

Within you are great possibilities. Allow yourself to fully feel them, focus your powerful passion on them, and live them.

Those positive possibilities can overpower any limitations. It will happen as soon as you let them.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Consistent effort

If you make more progress than you thought you would, don't compensate by slowing down. You're doing great, so raise your expectations even higher and keep going strong.

If you fail to make as much progress as you had planned, don't get discouraged. Remind yourself of why you're making the effort, and re-commit to getting it done.

Consistent, purposeful effort will reliably bring the results you seek. On some days you'll move faster than on other days, yet every day you'll keep going forward.

Never forget that there is great power in small actions that are repeated again and again. Though the path may be long and winding and uneven, by continuing to put one foot in front of the other, you'll reach your destination.

Celebrate the small victories and learn from the small defeats. Then, keep on moving steadily toward the goal you've chosen.

Put the power of consistent effort to work. And each day, you'll bring new value to life.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Fresh new day

Today, life begins anew. Today, you are blessed with fresh, new opportunity.

You can build on the best of what has been. You can look clearly and objectively at the limitations that have held you back, and find new ways to transcend them.

Today, you can make amazing progress. Today, you can reach higher than you've ever reached before.

All your mistakes are behind you, and you've learned much from each one. All your experience is still with you, and you can use it in innovative new ways.

This day has begun, and with it comes your chance to make a difference. In these moments you can bring your dreams to life.

From deep within your purpose, look out and see all the great possibilities. This is a day that's now here for you to live more richly than ever.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Break the pattern

Fighting against a sense of despair will only make it worse. Instead of letting despair feed on itself, do something positive and proactive to break the pattern.

When you become angry about being angry, that will only make your anger more destructive. The more intensely you feel your frustration, the more frustrated you will become.

The way out is to quickly and decisively break the pattern. Realize that the negative momentum is building and do something so completely unrelated that you knock it off track.

Don't make your negativity stronger by fighting against it. Instead, make it irrelevant and powerless by turning your attention and putting your energy in a radically different direction.

Be outrageously and unreasonably positive. Be funny and creative and ridiculous and joyful all at the same time.

Smile, laugh and be enthusiastic about life even when you have no reason to be. By breaking the negative pattern, you'll create many great reasons to smile.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Beauty itself

You are beauty itself. Spend your days revealing that beauty more fully in an infinitely expanding number of ways.

There is nothing to fear. For nothing can diminish the true beauty at the heart of you.

How is it that you're able to recognize beauty when you see it? Because that beauty resonates with the beauty that is you, and you know it, and you feel it.

Live from a perspective of beauty, for it is your most authentic nature. See each circumstance as an opportunity to express the unique beauty that is your life.

What could possibly be more beautiful than the ability to experience and comprehend beauty? That is who you are, and that is what you do.

Live the miracle that is the beauty that is you. Give your beauty to life, and it all grows more beautiful.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Awaken your ability

There are capabilities you have that you don't yet know you have. Meaningful challenges will awaken those capabilities and get them working for you.

It is in the effort that you fully develop the ability to successfully make that effort. The way to know what you can do, is to do.

Go ahead. Get started, and as you go forward you'll get better.

As you go forward, your skills, your knowledge, and your effectiveness will grow continually stronger. In your commitment to take on the challenges, you'll find everything necessary to successfully meet those challenges.

Set your goals based not on what you know you can do. Set your goals based on what you're most passionate about.

Choose to do what you know, at your very core, you must do. The abilities you awaken will add value to every corner of your life.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

How will it affect you?

How will this affect you, and how will that affect you? That is completely for you to decide.

What happens outside of you has an influence. Yet it is what happens within you that has the final say.

You can choose to be brought down by the worst aspects of the situation. Or you can choose to be lifted up by the best positive qualities of that very same situation.

What do you think about the possibilities of this day? How do you feel about the circumstances you're in?

What you think, the way you feel, the things you believe combine to create the filter through which you experience life. What passes through that filter is exactly what you allow to pass through.

You cannot change what already is, yet you can decide precisely what you will take from it and what you will do with it. No matter what happens, you have the power to make of it what you will.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Think your way forward

A problem is a problem for you when you think it is. An opportunity is an opportunity for you when you see it as such.

Are you going to let yourself be tossed around by events beyond your control? Or, will you choose to find and to fulfill the value that is imbedded in every situation?

Where you end up going is a direct result of where you think you will go. It's easy to think that there's no hope, and yet it is just as easy to see the positive possibilities.

What's the difference between letting your worst fears play out and allowing your most treasured dreams to be realized? At the most basic level, the difference is the way you choose to think of your life in each and every moment.

Every thought comes, without effort or hesitation, the moment you choose to think it into existence. The positive thoughts cost no more than the negative ones, yet they open the way for infinitely greater value in your life.

You can think that the world is against you, and you'll be right. Or, you can think your way positively forward, and live the magnificent reality of your highest vision.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

To get where you are

Consider how very far you've come. Think of all the value you've created and all the progress you've made.

Through the minutes and the hours, with all the days, months and years, there is so much you've already done. There can be no doubt that you've made it this far.

Now, you have the opportunity to keep going. Now, you can build upon the positive momentum that you've worked so hard to establish.

You are well experienced at getting things done. Imagine what you can now do with that valuable experience.

Though the challenges may be great, you've proved that you have the strength and ability to move successfully through them all. And as you have already experienced, there are great rewards on the other side of those challenges.

You've done much to get where you are. Now those same skills of achievement will take you wherever you wish to go.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Empowering focus

From the same exact situation, two different people can achieve two remarkably different results. Why is that?

Because the results you achieve are not determined by the situation itself. The results you achieve are determined by what you choose to focus on.

If you focus on all the things that could go wrong, your mind will find a way to make those things really happen. But that's not what you want, is it?

Instead, give yourself an empowering focus. Lock your focus solidly on the positive possibilities.

Think in great detail about the good and valuable and desirable outcomes. Without question or hesitation, your mind will begin finding realistic, workable ways to make those good things happen.

Carefully and intentionally guide your focus to the best place you can imagine. And your focus will, in turn, take you there.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Skip the need

Whatever you need, you do not have. Take your focus off needing, and start doing, start creating, start being what you seek.

Don't waste your time and energy languishing in a state of need. The moment you have the thought to add something to your life or your world, get busy making it happen.

Skip the need and go straight to the achievement. Dive into the effort, and keep making the effort until your objective is reached.

Instead of constantly thinking that you need something, experience yourself achieving it. Instead of dwelling in excuses and lamentations, celebrate positive and valuable results.

There is nothing that you need to need. That's because you are fully capable of setting goals and of finding effective ways to reach them.

So get busy, get going and express life's grand abundance in your own very special way.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Committed to make it work

Do you hesitate to take action because you're not sure if you'll be effective? Remember that achievement is built on efforts that work as well as efforts that don't work.

Some of your individual efforts may not bring the desired results. Yet when you are committed to keep doing whatever is necessary, you are sure to find a way.

The important thing is to focus on the goal, and put your energy into doing your best to reach that goal. Accept that you may not get the result you desire, then step forward anyway, and do everything within your power to achieve that result.

At the very least, you'll gain valuable experience. And with enough experience, you'll eventually be able to get it right.

It's true that there are no guarantees. After all, if it were a sure thing, someone else, far less capable than you, would have already claimed the prize.

Go ahead and make the effort. It will work when you're committed to make it work.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Momentum of effort

When are you most likely to make the effort to get things done? It's when you're already taking action.

If you get the day started by doing a lot of nothing, the whole day is likely to go that way. Yet when you begin the day with a positive action, even if it's just a little one, you set the powerful momentum of effort in motion.

Once you're moving and working and creating and achieving, you'll tend to keep it up. That's why it is so important to get started early in the day.

What happens when you've just experienced how good it feels to get something done? You become eager to do more, so you can create that great feeling again.

There is some little something you can do right now that will give you a taste of accomplishment. Do it, feel the good feeling, and notice how motivated you become to do even more.

There's always a quick way to create the momentum of effort in your life. Get yourself going with positive action, and put that momentum of effort and achievement to work for you.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Pain and pleasure

You always have the ability to change your life for the better. To take the specific actions that will bring about that change, you must find the motivation within yourself to do so.

To create your own powerful, personal motivation, set yourself up to do two things that come naturally. Move away from pain and move toward pleasure.

If something is painful, you will be highly inclined to move away from it. So remind yourself at the deepest level about the painful consequences of not taking action, of not making the changes you know you must make.

When something is pleasurable, you will naturally and without hesitation move toward it. Arrange to make the changes so completely and meaningfully pleasurable that you cannot help but take the actions necessary to bring them about.

When you give yourself a compelling reason to change, you will most certainly find the way to make those changes. When you clearly know why, within the depth of your being, you will figure out how, and you'll enthusiastically do whatever must be done.

Yes, you can indeed make a positive change in your life right now. Move away from the pain of inaction and toward the pleasure of whatever you sincerely seek.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Start here

You cannot move forward from some idealized point in the future that has not yet arrived. If you are to move forward, you must do it from where you are now.

Start from where you are. Though it may not be perfect, it is plenty to get you going.

Make full use of what you already have. Wishing for more, or feeling resentment because you don't have more, will only waste your precious time.

There's no guarantee that your actions will be effective. Yet you are certain to not be effective if you take no action at all.

Open yourself to the fullness of your possibilities. Step positively forward using what you have, from where you are right now.

Gently and thankfully accept where you are. And tap into the unique richness that has always been yours.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Magnified thoughts

Your thoughts are more powerful than you can ever realize. For there is a part of you that faithfully puts each thought into action without question.

Your thoughts affect every part of you in ways much too numerous to ever keep track of. Each thought sets off a cascade of responses within you that cannot be stopped.

What you think, affects where your life goes. For each thought is magnified and manifested through the whole of your existence.

Positive thinking empowers much more than your thoughts. Negative thinking can dismantle every part of your life.

You always have a choice of what to think. When making that choice, always remember each thought has great power that continues long after the thought has passed from your consciousness.

Though thinking does not make it so, thinking makes you make it so. What you think becomes what you live.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Creative living

Creativity is more than just making stuff, and more than just making stuff up. Creativity is expressing, in all sorts of ways that have no limit, what it means to be alive.

You can be creative in such a way that the whole world celebrates your creativity. Or you can be just as creative in ways that only you will ever know.

Being alive is being immersed in an ever-expanding set of possibilities. Being creative is giving your own special meaning and purpose to those possibilities.

Creativity is a special kind of magic. It produces more value than it consumes.

When you are stuck, creativity will move you forward. When the goal seems completely out of reach, creativity will open up a way there.

In all you do, find new ways to be creative. Creativity is one of your most valuable skills, so put its power to work every chance you get.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Changing conditions

Accept, adjust, act and evaluate. It's a great strategy for successfully handling changing conditions.

When something that previously worked no longer works, accept the fact that things have changed. Embrace the new reality of what is, so you'll have the power to work with it.

Adjust your approach based on what you see. No matter what has happened to change things, there is always value to be found and always a way to utilize that value.

Go ahead and take action. Your new approach may or may not work, and the way to know for sure is to move forward with it.

Evaluate the results you get. Learn from what went wrong and from what went right.

The world is constantly changing, and new possibilities are being born every moment. Accept what has changed, adjust to it, take action, learn, and keep going until you get the results you seek.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Negative assumptions

Negative assumptions drive negative experiences. Negative assumptions can become so thoroughly familiar and ingrained in your thinking that you don't even realize they're there.

Assumptions guide your perceptions, and your perceptions determine the way you respond to each situation. It's important to make sure those assumptions are not working against you.

When you come upon a situation that seems negative, challenge yourself to explain to yourself why you consider it to be negative. There's a good chance that you'll discover your own assumptions are making it worse than it really is.

When you assume that something is distracting, or painful, or annoying, it will be. Yet you can significantly change things by letting go of the assumption, or by choosing a more empowering one.

Just because you've always assumed something, does not make it always true. Make the effort to be more aware of your assumptions, and challenge them.

With a new set of assumptions, the same old situation could be completely different. And you'll suddenly see a whole new world of possibilities.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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 you can create

Eventually and reliably, the fear of loss creates the reality of loss. That's because when you focus on your fear, you give energy and fulfillment to that fear.

The moment you begin to feel the fear of loss, stop. Take that powerful energy and redirect it.

Instead of obsessing over what you could lose, imagine what you can create. Visualize the magnificent details of the best outcome you can imagine.

When your thoughts are completely filled with positive purpose, there is no room for fear. Direct the power of your mind toward what you desire.

Create a believable, realistic scenario that takes you from where you are to where you would most like to be. Expand on it again and again with rich detail.

You'll encounter very real opportunities to bring your vision to life. Instead of focusing on fear, focus on your best possibilities, and as you do you'll make them happen.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Simply being

In just one moment of simply being, is enough unique richness to echo for a thousand lifetimes. Open your mind, your heart and your senses, and feel the warm, peaceful treasure.

Beyond desire, beyond need, is the beauty that is always here. Gently settle into the all-encompassing abundance.

There is a great fortune that is already yours. To touch it and make magnificent use of it, just be truly thankful for this moment you have in which to be.

What you are tempted to worry about is nothing compared to what you have and what you can do. The limitless abundance of being is here and now, today.

Feel fully the incomparable feeling of life in all its endless variety. Ride the delightful, refreshing waves of possibility.

In this beautiful moment, you are. Here, now, live your great fortune.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Chosen feelings

The situation does not create the feeling. You create whatever feeling you wish to feel in each particular situation.

Why are some people happy and other people sad in the same circumstance? Because that is how they have chosen to be.

When you respond the same way often enough it becomes a habit that you follow without even thinking. In this way your feelings come to seem automatic, even though they never have to be.

The way you feel was at some point a conscious choice. And you can choose to change, or let go of, or expand what you feel, or to create an entirely new feeling.

The connection between the moment and the feeling is made by you. Always, you can feel the feelings that serve you best, the ones that pull you toward true and magnificent fulfillment.

Your feelings profoundly influence the life you experience, and those feelings are yours to choose in any moment. Choose the ones that give real power to the purpose that lives within you.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

To do this day

As soon as it begins, take control of your day. Decide in detail what you intend to do and commit to making it happen.

If you sit around and wait for events and circumstances to pull you along, you'll end up getting nothing accomplished. If you have no firm and resolute plans, you'll waste all your time on meaningless distractions and interruptions.

Certainly unexpected situations will come up that require your response. Yet you can choose to respond from a position of power and control, rather than from a position of weakness and ineffectiveness.

Decide what you will do with this day, and get busy doing it. Make a difference, establish a positive momentum, and get your goals accomplished.

Time is here, right now, for you to use. Transform the passing time into lasting value by making effective use of it.

This day is filled with great possibilities. Choose certain, specific ones, and make the effort that will make them happen.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Always moving

By its very nature, life is dynamic. That makes it impossible to truly stand still.

If you're not moving forward, you're falling behind. So every day, in some way or another, take action to move your life forward.

Just a small improvement, just a subtle positive step, is infinitely preferable to doing nothing. Always, there is some little something you can do to better your life and your world.

What can you do right now to solve a problem that's been frustrating you? What step can you take in the next few minutes that will bring you closer to the accomplishment of an important goal?

There is something you can do, and those small efforts quickly add up as time goes on. So instead of complaining that you can't get it all accomplished at once, do a little bit, and then do it again.

Always, your life is filled with energy, and is moving in one direction or another. Harness that energy, align it with your highest purpose, and proceed constantly in the direction of your dreams.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Each person

Always remember, when you interact with someone else, that someone is a person. The recipient of your email, or the voice on the phone, or the individual waiting behind you in line, is a person

Each person you encounter has hopes, dreams, joys, pains, problems, abilities, interests, things to do and opinions. Though you may or may not agree with or like that person, it serves you well to be respectful and understanding.

The people in your world add great richness to your life. Take the time and care to treat them not as numbers, not as transactions, not as one-dimensional objects, but as real, living people.

Treasure your interactions, and give your full attention to them. Nurture your relationships, and continually build them with love.

Take notice of, acknowledge, appreciate and accommodate not only the people you know, but also those people you don't know who cross your path. Sincerely value those around you, and you'll add great value to your life.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Out of desperation

When you're desperate to do something, the best thing to do is to wait. Wait until you can transform the desperation into a more positive force.

Decisions made out of desperation are weak and ill advised. Acting out of desperation will very likely magnify and extend your desperate circumstances.

Step back from the situation. Take the time and care to change the negative energy of desperation into a compelling, positive sense of determination.

Do not focus on running away from the way things are. Instead, put your attention and energy into creating the life you want to live.

Whatever you most intensely and consistently hold in your mind, you will manifest in your life. So keep your mind filled with positive, meaningful visions.

If desperation takes hold, know that you can quickly, naturally and effectively transform that desperation. Transform it into commitment, determination and the positive actions that will make your world even better than before.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Give more

Give more than is expected of you, and you'll get much more than you expect. Rather than obsessing over how little you can get by with doing, focus on how very much you can get done.

If you set out to cheat life, it is you who will be cheated. When you set about to get something for nothing, what you end up with is nothing worth having.

Instead, go ahead and give all you can to the effort. Then find ways to give more.

Fulfillment is not in the getting. Fulfillment is in the creating, and doing, and giving.

Fulfillment in life comes from making a difference. When you have an opportunity to make a difference, do so generously and with abandon.

Within every highly successful person is an unquenchable thirst for adding value to the lives of others. Keep finding new ways to give more than you can imagine, and know the joy of true and lasting success.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Successful habits

Whatever you do again and again turns into a habit. And your habits have a profound effect on the quality of your life.

Look honestly at what you do each day. What things are moving you forward, and what things are you doing that keep holding you back?

Your actions are yours to control. And your habits are yours to develop or abandon.

Though habits rarely come or go overnight, you can indeed choose and control them. Add an empowering habit, or get rid of a destructive one, to dramatically improve your life.

Even a small positive habit will make a big difference. Because each time you do it, you steadily add more power to it.

Think of what you can do, beginning right now, to add a habit of success to your life. And watch as that small success, done again and again, turns into plenty of big achievements.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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 it takes

Just because you seem to be at a disadvantage is no reason to give up. Instead, resolve to push forward with consistent, focused effort.

Those who achieve are not necessarily the smartest, or the wealthiest, or the best connected. Those who achieve are those who are the most persistent.

Your level of commitment over the long term is a much bigger factor than any relative advantages or disadvantages that may exist when you first start. Choose where you would like to go, and keep making the effort until you get there.

Be willing to do what it takes, and you can achieve whatever you wish. Instead of worrying about where you are when you begin, put your energy into making steady progress.

If you can take one step and then another, you'll get where you choose to go. So take the first step right now, and then begin working on the next one.

You owe it to yourself to live life at its best. Now is your opportunity to make that life happen.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Authentic and unique

You are unique. So think like it, act like it, and make the most of it.

Breakthroughs do not come from following the crowd. You are capable of truly great achievements if you will simply and authentically and passionately be you.

Why would you let anyone else define who you can be and what you can do? Those are decisions that are best made by you.

You have something valuable that no one else has. You have the unique perspective of being you, of seeing the world in a way that cannot be duplicated.

You have dreams that are yours alone, hopes, passions, things that interest you, things that make you laugh and things that make you cry. They all combine to create outstanding opportunities for fulfillment.

In all you do, richly express the wonderful, unique person that is you. And find joy in seeing your greatest achievements flow from your most authentic and unique efforts.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Forward in time

Time moves forward, and you cannot go back to the way things were. You can, however, make your world even better than ever.

You can take the goodness you've experienced in the past, and express that goodness in new ways. You can move beyond the pains you've known, with increased wisdom and determination.

You can build upon the successes. You can also learn much from past mistakes, transforming that knowledge and experience into greater effectiveness.

Time rearranges the circumstances of life. And yet time cannot diminish the purpose and the values that live at your core.

As time moves you forward, make use of the opportunities that surely come with each unfolding moment. Focus on how you can transform the best of what has been, that still lives within you, into rich, meaningful new value in the present.

Joyfully welcome each new day, and each new moment in time. As you grow stronger and more purposeful with every experience, the best is yet to come.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Be real

The world will often discourage you from giving love. Give love anyway.

Many times, despite your best efforts, you will not be understood. Keep giving it your best anyway.

The treasures in life are not what you get back. Those things are only shadows of life's true value.

The real treasures are what you're able to give of yourself. And as long as you give authentically, from the heart, with the best you have, it doesn't really matter what comes of it.

It's nice to be acknowledged and respected and understood. Yet even when you're not acknowledged or understood, there is still great value in doing what you know is right, what you know is best.

Smile a peaceful smile to the depth of your being. Be real, and know that all is well.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Achievement beyond achievement

What's the path to extraordinary achievement? When you're finished, keep going.

Don't settle for doing just enough. Get yourself excited by the opportunity to do more.

Fortune favors those who transform fleeting time into lasting value. Time is coming your way right now, so use it to do something wonderful and worthwhile that exceeds even your own expectations.

And what exactly would that be? Whatever you can dare to imagine.

Practice thinking with no limits and you'll find yourself living with no limits. See great value in the obstacles and challenges, and you'll find yourself joyfully thankful for the opportunities they bring.

Go beyond what you know you can do, and suddenly you'll know you can do much, much more. Life is truly great because you can make it even greater.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Source of goodness

Be good to yourself by seeing and connecting with the goodness in life. Look on the bright side, and make it brighter.

Nothing is gained by feeling sorry for yourself. Nothing is gained by spreading misery or despair.

Sure, life has its troubles. Yet the great thing is, you don't have to let any of those troubles get to you.

Give your energy and awareness to the best possibilities of the moment. You can make something good happen today, so by all means do it.

Offer a healthy dose of joy to your situation. Feeling positive will take you much further than any alternative.

Be the brightest source of goodness in your corner of the world. Choose to feel great and truly you'll do great things.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Value in the changes

Seemingly out of nowhere the world can change, and those changes can sometimes be very difficult. But don't let those changes fill you with resentment or fear.

Instead, let the changes ignite your determination. Let them spur you to be more creative, more purposeful, and more focused on what's truly important.

When circumstances change, there is great challenge. And with that challenge comes great opportunity.

With each change, new positive possibilities are born. Put your energy, your awareness and your creativity into figuring out what those possibilities mean for you.

One thing you can always count on is that the world will change. And even in the difficult changes, there is value to be found.

Be ready and willing to uncover that value, and to make the most of it. And no matter what happens, you'll always have the ability to get where you decide to go.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Valuable experience

You are filled with valuable experience. The things you've done and learned and seen and lived through have left behind a unique and powerful substance of experience that is yours alone.

What a shame it would be for all that to go to waste. It is yours to make use of, yours to build upon, and yours from which to grow.

By making this present moment count, you also make all the past moments count even more. You cannot live in the past, yet you can continue to draw upon the value you created there.

Right now, you can benefit greatly from the things you've already done, whatever they may have been. By tapping into the value of your experience and doing something positive and productive with it, you extend and expand upon that value.

Use this day to invest the your wealth of experience into effective action. That investment will immediately begin to pay dividends.

Take action, and let your valuable experience guide that action. Get value from the past and use it in the present to create an outstanding future.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Add value

There is always a way to create value. Success belongs to those who see the opportunities and take the actions that create new and useful value.

Whether the situation is gloomy or bright, there is always a way to add more positive value to it. With vision, commitment, focus, persistence and sustained effort, opportunity turns into achievement.

The world changes quickly, and tactics that once were successful may no longer be as effective. Yet there are new and exciting opportunities for achievement being created every day.

Real, solid value never goes out of style. There is always work to be done and there are always problems to be solved.

Where there are challenges to be overcome, there is opportunity. And the world is filled with challenges.

Decide to meet the challenges, to solve the problems, to offer real improvements, and to change life for the better. Get in the habit of adding value, and you'll be in the habit of creating success.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Reasons behind the reasons

Look for the reasons behind the reasons. There is some reason for everything you have chosen to do or to be.

Behind each reason is another reason that drives it, and a whole string of reasons, reaching to your very core. Dig deep enough, and connect with your most treasured purposes.

The more clearly you know who you are, the more elevated your perspective becomes. Develop a solid understanding of your very own fundamental reasons why, and you'll find multiple opportunities for moving forward.

When you're in touch with your purpose, you'll find that many of the external things you see as necessities are not really necessities at all. The less you need, the more abundant and fulfilling your life will be.

Know why you do what you do, and you'll understand how to do it more effectively. When there is authentic passion driving your actions, those actions get results.

Where there is a real and meaningful reason, fulfillment naturally follows. Find your deepest reason why, and activate your most powerful abilities to make it so.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Start doing

Are you stuck trying to figure out how to get started? Stop over-thinking the situation and start doing something about it.

The first step will show you what the next step must be. Take action, and whether it brings the desired result or not, it will definitely bring you more insight into how to proceed next.

Plan your approach, but don't let the planning stop you from doing. Taking action will give you the most realistic perspective.

If you're not sure which way to go, pick one way and find out what happens. You'll know soon enough, and will be able to adjust your strategy accordingly.

Don't waste time agonizing over what might or might not work. Instead, invest your time in effort that will enable you to know exactly what works.

Get busy, get going, and get to work on making it happen. Start doing your dream, and step by step you'll find the way to its fulfillment.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Simple pleasures

When you place too many conditions on your enjoyment of life, there is no enjoyment. You can end up working so much to get the conditions just right, that there's no time left to really enjoy yourself.

Let go of the need to have everything just so. Simply and fully enjoy being where you are.

In every moment there is beauty. Rather than striving to make that beauty into what you think it should be, just enjoy it as it is.

Happiness is not something you must prove. Find enjoyment in simply letting it flow.

Instead of working to do happy, be happy. See that the possibilities for joy are far greater than anything you could ever contrive.

There is plenty of joy to be lived in this moment. Let the uniqueness of the moment help you discover new ways of tasting life's real pleasures.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Find a way

Don't believe those who tell you that it can't be done. Refuse to be stopped by those who say it's too late, or not practical, or too early, or not workable.

Listen carefully and thoughtfully to their advice, and then find a way. Look realistically at the challenges, and then begin working through them.

What may appear to be an unyielding obstacle when you're standing still, will begin to give way when you start moving forward. Focus not on what is pushing against you, but focus instead on the purpose that is pushing you to get it done.

Remind yourself again and again of why you must. Hold your head high and keep your eyes on the goal.

Conditions will change, and so can you. Some routes will be blocked, and you have the flexibility to discover alternate ways to get it done.

Decide that you will accomplish what you have chosen to accomplish. Know that there is a way, and step by step, you will find it.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.

Creating your life

This is it. This is the moment when success happens.

This is the moment when you can choose to either follow your dreams or to sabotage them. This is when you select and execute the specific actions that create the reality of your life.

Achievement is not some far off, future concept. Achievement is built from what you do now.

You will not ever get anything done if you keep scheduling it for someday. What you do with now is what truly makes a difference in your life.

Remember now, and again and again, that this is where your consequences are determined. This is when you put real life and substance into your dreams.

Enjoy this moment in all its fullness, and remember. You are creating your life right now.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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

Look out at the world and smile. There is so very much goodness to be found and created and enlarged upon and experienced.

Look into your heart and touch a beautiful dream. Align yourself with a purpose that will compel you to become your very best.

Look around at the details and circumstances of this unique moment, and see the positive possibilities. You are now in a time and place where you can create great value.

Look back at all the good things you've done. And imagine how very much more you can do.

Look at the lives of the people who fill your world. Find new, beautiful, and fulfilling ways to deeply connect with each of them.

Look with wonder and sincere gratitude at all there is. And live the richness of life's best possibilities.

-- Ralph Marston

Copyright (c) 2009 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.