September 25

Merely trying

Trying too hard is not much more effective than hardly trying. If you perceive any effort as trying, that has a way of sabotaging the effort.

Even when you’re highly motivated, seeing yourself as trying blocks you from seeing yourself as succeeding. The word itself focuses you on struggling rather than achieving.

Let go of the thought that you’re trying. See yourself instead as steadily making progress.

Feel how much better that is. Notice the immediate increase in your energy level and creativity, the elevation of your expectations.

Every action, every step, no matter how large or small, no matter how fast or slow, gets you closer to your goal. That’s a whole lot more valuable than merely trying.

Once you have an intention, skip the trying. Go ahead, step right up, and with one positive action after another, get it done.

— Ralph Marston

September 26

Everyday goodness

Going through your normal day to day activities, you’ll encounter plenty of opportunities for giving a little boost to the experience of life for yourself and others. Make the most of those opportunities.

Such ordinary instances of goodness might seem trivial. Yet they have a much larger positive impact than you might imagine.

The big, impressive acts of benevolence and attainment receive plenty of attention, but that’s because they are so few and far between. Everyday goodness, on the other hand, reaches people often, when and where they live, in ways that are wholly relatable.

A smile and a kind comment might only affect one single person, yet for that person, it can improve their whole outlook. That positivity could very well spread to others.

Make the offering of small goodness into such a habit that you don’t even notice it. You can be sure, however, that many people will notice.

Such everyday goodness costs you nothing while creating real value in people’s lives, including yours. Make a little goodness every time you can, and somebody’s sure to benefit.

— Ralph Marston

September 27

The most fulfilling path

Acknowledge your disappointment, but don’t feed it. Don’t be complicit in making it bigger than it already is.

You’re capable of living with the disappointment without centering your life around it. No day, no situation is entirely perfect, yet every day can be fulfilling and enriching.

Discover how much energy you can put into creating that fulfillment and bringing forth that richness. See what happens when you focus on the opportunities that are always present.

Certainly the disappointment is real. Yet so is the positive potential of right now.

Though you can’t choose every detail of every situation, you can choose your response. And therein exists the beauty of living your life as a unique and adept individual.

Keep on choosing the most fulfilling path forward, unswayed by accolades, difficulties, discomforts and delights. There’s more good to be done, and your best choice is to do it.

— Ralph Marston

September 28

Make something good happen

Want to make yourself happy? Then make yourself useful.

Want to make yourself relevant? Then make yourself do the work of bringing new value into existence.

You’re built from the inside out to solve problems, work through challenges, recognize and capitalize on opportunities. You’re sure to find great satisfaction in putting those capabilities to work.

What situations in your vicinity right now could be improved upon? Pick the one you’re most familiar with and go to work on it.

Give yourself a project that will be of benefit to the world. Feel the rush of energy that comes when you’re involved in making a difference.

Experience life at its best by immersing yourself in the work you do best. This is your chance to make something good happen.

— Ralph Marston

September 29

Now is ready

No one you know currently has any time other than now. Every person, everything that exists, is now.

So what are you going to do with it all, right now? How will you make the most of the abundance and the possibilities that whirl around you, right now?

You’ve been in similar situations before, all your life as a matter of fact. You’ve gained new richness from every moment you’ve been through and you’re in the process of doing so again, right now.

You can’t be sure what changes will happen later, yet you’re able to see how the world currently is. Now you can make good use of that clarity.

Skills are now, opportunities are now, and here you are, able to transform intention into reality. The possibilities are too consequential to ignore.

Now is ready for what can be done with it. The next move is up to you.

— Ralph Marston

September 30

Do life

Don’t just speculate about it. Do it and find out for sure.

Go beyond merely watching it on a screen. Experience the many dimensions of reality firsthand.

Stop putting off the fulfillment that is yours to create. Put time firmly on your side by doing something truly meaningful with it.

Somewhere there’s a river flowing out from a glacier that will inspire you with its beauty. There’s someone feeling lonely who will be uplifted by spending time with you.

You have so many options for the enrichment of life. Exercise some of them, and you’ll end up with even more.

Shake off the dust, venture a little bit away from what’s familiar, and do life. Discover all over again how good you are at being you.

— Ralph Marston