SELF IMPROVEMENT AND MOTIVATION

Wouldn’t you agree that we are all selfish to some degree? Many equate selfishness with self-preservation. But those who are seeking a higher spiritual existence or improved emotional health should analyze selfishness and its root causes carefully. When we are concerned primarily with our own interests and benefits regardless of others, we are being selfish. Selfishness means that we serve our own pleasure regardless of how our actions affect others. The opposite of selfishness is altruism, which is the self-less concern for the welfare of others. A selfish person doesn’t have room in their thoughts or considerations for others. They are completely self-absorbed. To be self-absorbed is to have tunnel vision on yourself and your own personal needs. In short, a selfish person’s entire world is completely about themselves. They don’t have the ability to imagine the thoughts and feelings of others. They have little or no ability to empathize. A selfish person feels overly entitled to have ...

What limits you is not the way things are. What limits you is the perspective from which you see the way things are. Change your perspective, and you change your options. Change your perspective, and you can change the world. If you think the world is filled with unfairness and injustice, and that everyone is out to take advantage of you, that perspective will seriously hinder you. If you truly see life as filled with opportunities and positive possibilities, that viewpoint can remarkably empower you. The amazing and powerful thing is this. You can choose your perspective regardless of past or present events or circumstances. Yes, the world is as it is, and objective reality is what it is, no matter what you think about it. However, what you make of that objective reality depends entirely on what you think about it. Your perspective is yours to choose, whatever the situation. And your perspective will make all the difference going forward, so in each moment, choose the best, most posit...

You are not what they say you are, and you are not even what they think you are. You are who you choose to be.  You are the way you choose to live, to speak, to think, to wonder and to wander. You are what you are most profoundly thankful for, and what you love.  You have no obligation to meet anyone else’s expectations. Yet you have a serious obligation to yourself and to life, to set your own expectations beyond even the reaches of imagination. There is no need and no reason to be intimidated. Live so that what might have previously intimidated you will instead begin to inspire you. This life you have is nothing short of a miracle. What you do with it today, tomorrow, every little moment, is up to you.  So choose wisely, and remember that in all things you do have a choice. Choose as if your life depends on it, for it does.

This is a spectacular world. Make the commitment, right here and now, to be a more active participant in it. Enjoy the wonder and beauty, but do more than just enjoy. Utilize your life, your time, your skills to make a whole lot more wondrous things and experiences in this world. You have a crazy unique song to sing and an absolutely enthralling story to tell. Tell that story and sing that song in ways that will enrich the lives around you. Sincere thankfulness will get you everywhere. Passionately demonstrate your gratitude for this spectacular world by making it even more so. Dive into the experience of each day with the goal of making it more fulfilling than any previous day you’ve known. As each new moment arrives, find something new and purposeful and valuable to do with it. Remind yourself often that you’re gloriously alive in a spectacular world. Find real joy and richness in living up to that promise, again and again.

Challenge is inconvenient and yet it is so absolutely necessary. Effort is not always fun and yet it gives you access to the good, fun and fulfilling parts of life. Though in the moment it may seem unfair or tedious or boring or frustrating to make the effort, get past all that. Go ahead and do what must be done, especially including the hard stuff. Looking back on the effort, it will not look so bad. In fact, looking back you’ll be quite thankful you did it. So now, when the opportunity is here, do it. Now, when your destiny is begging you to respect it, to follow it and give value to it, get going. Muscle your way through, or finesse your way through, or do what it takes to get it done. Though at the beginning you may not feel you’ll like it, you will come to like it in a deeply satisfying way. It is amazing what you can do when you put mind, body and spirit into it. Go ahead, do the hard stuff, and delight yourself with amazement at how great it is.

Forget what you think you know, and remember who you know you are. Let go of the need for sensation, and experience the miracle of existence.  Breathe deeply the sweet, cool presence of possibility. Life means markedly more, yet a glorious place to start is with the meaning you give it. Dart quickly from the thought that anything is mundane. Every great and tiny thing is anything but. Your longings are not strange or irresponsible. They are you, and indeed your responsibility is to indulge them in creative and beneficial ways. Joy is not some fleeting, fashionable amusement park ride. It is the gift you can inject into even the smallest, most ordinary moments, again and again. Lovingly immerse your world in the unique joy you keep longing to create. All is now possible, and from that limitless realm your choices make life magnificent.

Trust yourself to love what you truly love. Have plenty of confidence to say what you really want to say. Life is too precious to always be asking permission. Go ahead and live your authentic purpose in every thing, in every moment. Have faith in what impassions you. Go with what you know is good and right, energizing and empowering. Anyone else’s mere opinion about you is that person’s concern, not yours. Trust in your unique worth and beauty, for they are absolutely there. Be endlessly curious and joyously delighted about whatever you care about. Let yourself be fascinated by the special, sparkling gems of life that catch your eye. You already know how to live richly. Trust yourself, and do it.

Your purpose won’t scream at you all the time. Though if it did, you’d be continually smothered in delightfully good fortune. Purpose does whisper in every little thing, in each feeling, experience, preference, desire and joy. It is not loud yet it persistently calls, and you’re smart to listen. Climb the challenging trail unfolding from that purpose of yours. You’ll accumulate joyous new fulfillment not only at the summit, but also all along the way. How you feel about life says much more about you than it does about life. Pay attention to those feelings, learn what drives them, and choose to follow the unshakable, underlying yearning from which they spring. Purpose pulls you through the struggle, then is deepened and enriched by that same struggle. When you know you must act no matter what, it is purpose urging you forward. Find it, feel it, and allow that purpose to inform and energize all you do. Let it propel you to the rich and fulfilling life that is yours to live.

Action and excitement and activity are all great. So are peace and quiet. If you spend all your time having entertainment and information fed to you, there’s no time left to find meaning in it all. On a regular basis, disconnect from the constant feed and reconnect with the beautiful reality of who you are. You don’t have to see and hear and know everything the instant it happens. Much of the value of knowledge comes from taking the time to process what you know. Your power to imagine is one of the most useful and valuable abilities you have. Yet if you are constantly overloaded with intense incoming sensations, your amazing imagination will begin to wither. There’s exquisite music of your own making to be found in moments of peaceful silence. For a little while, let go of what they are saying and rediscover who you are. Delight in the sights, sounds, thrills and excitement of life. And find profound treasure in the peace and quiet.

The best of life is not out of your reach. It is here in this moment. It is outstanding to dream, to plan, to work toward a meaningful goal and to achieve great and valuable things. But you don’t have to wait for later to get the most out of life. Everything you need to enjoy the richness of life is here now, today, where you are. With what you have, with what you know, with what you feel and with what’s available to you, you can experience life at its best. The key for doing so is to live with purpose, with authentic passion, with enthusiasm and genuine gratitude. In whatever situation you may find yourself, with whatever else you may have, you have the privilege of experiencing life from your own unique perspective. Let go of the illusion that something else, something out there, something apart from you will make you happy. Let happiness and real, true joy flow from whatever you’re doing, wherever you are. This day is too precious to waste it waiting or hoping for things to be diffe...

Don’t waste your energy being resentful about the distractions or blaming the interruptions. Just go ahead and cheerfully deal with whatever comes along. Don’t use up all your time complaining about the problems or worrying about the challenges. Instead, be thankful that you’re able to do something positive with them, and then get busy. There is so very much you can achieve if you’ll simply get out of your own way. There is so much you can do when you stop second-guessing yourself and allow yourself to take action. By all means think about what you’re doing, but don’t let the thoughts get in the way of doing. Anticipate the possible problems but don’t let those imagined problems prevent you from moving forward. You owe it to life to express your unique perspective by creating new, original value and richness in the world. You owe it to yourself to wake up every morning and spend every day free of any self-imposed limitations. Step forward with joy and live your life. Discover in each n...

If you’re disillusioned with life, get up and get to work. Do something useful, get yourself busy making a difference, and you’ll soon feel your faith in life being renewed. If you’re frustrated or angry about something, get to work. Before long, you’ll find your focus shifting from the problems and frustrations to the possibilities and opportunities. If you’re tired and weary, stop and rest for a little while, but not too long. Then get back up, get yourself working on something meaningful, and you’ll feel a renewed sense of energy. It’s natural to feel lousy when you’re not making a contribution to life, but the answer is not to curse the lousy feeling. The answer is to get yourself doing something that will truly matter. No matter how young or old or strong or infirm you may be, there’s good and useful work you can do in your own special way. Assume that there’s something valuable you can do, and from that perspective you’ll discover new and energizing ways to lift up life. If life ...

Today, life will give you the opportunity to be honest. Take that opportunity, and keep yourself aligned with the power of truth. Today, life will give you the opportunity to be compassionate. Take that opportunity, and feel the priceless satisfaction that comes from making a difference in the lives of others. Today, life will give you the opportunity to act with discipline and focus. Take that opportunity, and enjoy the fruits of being highly effective in whatever you do. Your life today will give you the opportunity to learn, to achieve, to enjoy, to reflect, to share, to listen, to understand and to love. Embrace each opportunity that comes your way with gratitude, enthusiasm and a sense of positive purpose. On this day, life will give you the opportunity to be your best, to live and to act true to the unique and beautiful person you know you are. Take that opportunity, and run with it. If you’ve been wishing and waiting for a perfect opportunity, it is here and now. This ...

When you’re enthusiastic about something, you can often appear foolish and naive. Be enthusiastic anyway. Sometimes your enthusiasm will be misdirected, but that doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with enthusiasm itself. Just make the correction, and let yourself be even more enthusiastic. Enthusiasm keeps you young, vibrant and involved in life. Enthusiasm allows the immense power of your authentic self to flow freely into the world around you. Enthusiasm makes you interesting and causes people to want to be around you. Enthusiasm is contagious and can be used to create wonderful, positive things in life. Don’t let yourself be embarrassed to be enthusiastic about the things that matter to you. It’s a fantastic thing to live a life of positive purpose, and to be highly enthusiastic about doing so. So go ahead and let yourself be wonderfully, refreshingly enthusiastic about this day, this place, and this opportunity to make the most of it all. Let your enthusiasm show, and you will sho...

At this very moment you are immersed in the wonder that is life. Feel the power, feel the possibilities, and live this day worthy of the greatness to which you are connected. In even the smallest, most ordinary things there is amazing beauty and immense potential for joy. If you are bored or uninspired, you’re simply not paying attention. Take a moment to take a deep breath, to take it all in, and to marvel at your exceedingly good fortune. Remind yourself that you are rich beyond all conceivable measure. If you happen to feel burdened by some particular situation or limitation, take a step back and reconsider. Whatever may be troubling you is small compared to the nearly limitless options you have for doing something about it. Though there are many problems, there are always many more positive possibilities. To transform those possibilities into positive reality, it’s up to you to take purposeful, focused action. In this moment, feel the immensity of life’s wonder. And find delight in...