SELF IMPROVEMENT AND MOTIVATION

Don’t discount what you already have. There is great value in your life if you will simply open yourself up to see it, to appreciate it, and to make meaningful use of it. Sometimes the challenges can seem so overwhelming that they block out everything else. Yet when the challenges are at their greatest is precisely when you can benefit most from connecting to the abundance in your life. That abundance is absolutely there. So how do you see it, and make use of it? Start by being thankful for the life you have, and for the people, places, things and events in it. Then, focus on a vision of exactly how you would like your life to be, if it could be any way you choose. Make that vision an intention, and commit yourself to that intention without compromise. Allow yourself to become positively passionate and joyful about working your way toward where you truly wish to go. When you have something positive and specific upon which to focus, you’ll begin to see more and more of the value that’s ...

You don’t have to be annoyed. You can be inspired. You don’t have to be frustrated. You can be motivated and determined. The way you respond is not dictated solely by the situation. The way you respond is decided by you. No matter what has happened, your attitude is a choice that’s made by you. Instead of letting the interruptions, distractions and frustrations get you down, you can just as realistically choose to let them push you forward. It’s natural to assume that negativity must make you negative, and that you must have some kind of positive reinforcement in order to be positive. But that’s not the case at all, because you can choose to move positively forward no matter what. Decide that you’ll let both the good things and the bad things push you ahead. And be amazed at how far you can go.

There is so much that must be done. And although you may not get it all finished today, you can get something done, so go ahead and do it. Some tasks will likely take longer than you anticipated, and that can be frustrating. Yet even when the progress is slow, you are indeed making progress, so choose to be more thankful and less frustrated. Instead of complaining about what you can’t do, put all your focus and energy into what you can do, and into what you are doing. Little by little, bit by bit, work your way forward. One of the biggest enemies of persistence is discouragement. So refuse to be discouraged, and congratulate yourself on making one step at a time. Plenty of things can slow you down, yet you don’t have to let anything stop you completely. Even if it’s just in a small way, you can find a way to keep going. It feels great to know you’re making a difference, so do a little bit, and feel a little better. Keep going, and you’ll soon be amazed at how far you’ve come.

Acting with arrogance toward others does not add any positive value to your life. Being spiteful does not bring you any lasting sense of fulfillment.  It is completely understandable to be frustrated and angered by the words and actions of others. Yet the answer is not to add to the existing negativity with more negativity of your own.  Imagine taking the high road. Imagine putting your energy into positive pursuits instead of into negative reactions.  Your life is too precious to spend even a few moments of it consumed with hatred or arrogance or other kinds of negativity. For the sake of your own well being, turn your attention toward the good and beneficial things you can think and do.  Take the time to consider what adds value to your life and your world, and what takes that value away. Then commit yourself to living in such a way that adds more value.  Each moment is filled with countless possibilities, so choose the very best ones. Instead of getting mired...

Good ideas work best when you work on them. Even not so great ideas can be made to work well when you put focused and committed effort into them. Whatever you start with is not nearly so important as what you do with it. Even the difficulties can turn out to be blessings when you work on them. A day that starts out great can become even better when you work on it. A day that starts out lousy can improve significantly when you go to work on it. Be thankful and accepting of whatever comes your way. Then, with positive and purposeful intentions, go to work on it. The difference between what doesn’t work and what does work, is the work you put into it. The way to make things work is to make yourself work. Always, opportunity is within your reach. When you work on it, you can transform that opportunity into real, satisfying fulfillment.

You know you can always make improvements, so challenge yourself to do it. Challenge yourself to make today more productive, more enjoyable and more fulfilling than any day yet. Instead of just letting life throw random challenges at you, go ahead and provide yourself with truly meaningful challenges. As long as you’re going to be working through challenges, they might as well be the challenges that bring new value to your life. Instead of running or hiding from the problems, challenge yourself to work through them. Instead of settling for less than the life you envision, challenge yourself to reach for your dreams. Put some real, good, satisfying substance in your life. Challenge yourself to live the richness of your best possibilities. Challenge yourself to get started early, to hit the ground running, and to be highly effective in your efforts. Challenge yourself to ignore the distractions and meaningless superficial noise, and to focus on real, fulfilling purpose. Today is a magnif...

Make the choice to feel good about yourself, about your world, about your possibilities, right now. Make the choice and then commit yourself to bringing your positive choices to life. But how can you feel good about things when things are not so good? Because you can make a difference, and the more positively focused you are, the more power you have to make that positive difference. There’s no need to deny the reality of the situation. Simply make the choice to see the positive possibilities, to deeply feel the value of those possibilities, and to bring them about. If there is darkness all around you, make the choice to shine a light of encouragement, hope, empowerment and loving action. Make the choice to focus on your highest vision, and on working your way toward that vision. It is not quick or easy or convenient to make the world a better place. Yet it is much better than the alternative of giving yourself over to inaction and despair. Make the choice to look lovingly and gratefull...

It is amazing what you can do if you will simply do it. Instead of wondering whether or not you’re able, take action and discover that you can. If you follow your vision, people might think you’re crazy. Persist in taking positive action, and show them how truly mistaken they are. If all you ever do is think about it and wonder about it, you’ll come up with plenty of excuses. Take action, and all the excuses go out the window.  Go ahead and find out how wonderfully capable and effective you are. Go ahead and make your time count for something by making a meaningful difference with it.  Rock solid confidence comes from knowing that you can. Knowing that you can, comes from actually doing it.  Take that action, feel that confidence, and experience the power of your own abilities. Go ahead, make the effort, give it your best, and discover that you can. 

When you don’t know what to do, be thankful. When you don’t know how to be, be thankful. When the joys come, be thankful. When the challenges and sorrows arrive, be thankful. In every experience there is always some value. Be thankful for the opportunity to have the experience, no matter what it is. Be thankful, and become more intensely aware of life’s abundance. Be thankful, and discover new ways to make good use of that abundance. Be thankful for the moment, whatever it may bring. For your thankfulness will add value to anything it lands upon. Be thankful for what is, and you will see the beauty and the possibilities in it. Be thankful, and be amazed at how much better life becomes.

Don’t work hard to be happy. Be happy to work hard.  Instead of resenting the effort, or avoiding it altogether, put your own joy into it. Make your work an expression of your happiness rather than a precursor to that happiness. If you postpone your happiness until after the work is done, you’ll miss the opportunity to make use of its power. Work happy, and you’ll work much more effectively. Work happy, and you’ll provide yourself with a whole lot more time to be happy. Put happiness into even the most difficult effort and you’ll find ways to put the power of happiness into just about anything. You don’t have to be naive or to deny reality in order to work happy. With both feet planted solidly and pragmatically on the ground, you can benefit from an attitude that soars a mile high. Be truly happy about the difference you can make as you work to make that difference. Work happy, and add plenty of new richness to life.

When the goal is in sight, you’re much more highly motivated to work toward it. So no matter how far away the goal is, keep it in sight and keep moving enthusiastically toward it. When you can see that you’re making progress, you are naturally encouraged to make more progress. So as you move forward, remind yourself how far you’ve come, and keep on going. Nothing can take the place of a clear and meaningful purpose. So give yourself the energy to achieve by knowing exactly where you wish to go and why you want to get there. Feel the achievement and the rewards that come with it as you work steadily toward it. Keep your vision focused on the goal as you move ever closer to that goal. Effort becomes effortless and energy becomes far more abundant when you see the objective getting closer and closer. Make use of the power of your dream to make that dream come true. Get the goal in sight and keep it there as you enjoy your own effective effort to move forward. Keep the goal in sight, no ma...

Spend your time as if it is precious, because it is. Spend your time as if it can bring great value to your world, because it can. Live this moment as if you will never be able to live it again, because you won’t. Seek to get as much as possible from the time you have right now, and you will. The more you value and appreciate each moment, the more value each moment will bring you. The way to be truly thankful for the life you have and for everything in it, is to constantly make good and meaningful use of it all. If you had a magnificent, sparkling diamond that was worth fifty million dollars, you’d likely be extremely careful with it. Your life on this day is much more precious than a mere diamond, so remind yourself to take great care and make the most of every moment. Before you waste it on anger, resentment, spite or envy, think of how precious and irreplaceable your time is. Remind yourself that you have many better choices. Your life is truly precious. And you can make it even mor...

You have the opportunity to take a negative situation and transform it into positive value. You have the opportunity to take an ordinary moment and make it into an extraordinary experience. You have the opportunity because you can make a difference. You have the opportunity because you care very deeply about life, and have the ability to put that caring into action. Life can unfold in many different ways, creating an unimaginable variety of situations. In every one of those situations, there is opportunity. Those people who choose to see the opportunities, and to do something about them, are the people who enjoy the best life has to offer. You are never more fully alive than when you are transforming what is possible into what is real. Every day is an opportunity to express your purpose and your love of life in new and valuable ways. Every moment is an opportunity to give something of yourself and by so doing, to taste a flavor of life’s richness that cannot be experienced in any other...

Once you start, and put a little of yourself into the effort, it’s easier to keep going. Get started, doing whatever you can, knowing that you’ll build some momentum. Even though it may be difficult to imagine finishing the task, go ahead and start. Once you’re moving forward, you’ll find new and fulfilling ways to keep going. Start, and put some honest, dedicated effort into the work. The more you give, the more you’ll have available to give. Start, and be willing to learn all you can. Be open to new ideas, new skills, new connections, new methods and new inspiration, and you’ll find them in abundance. Momentum is a powerful force, yet it works against you when you’re sitting idle. Start, and put the enormous power of momentum on your side. Achievement begins when you make the choice to start. Start now, and you will have taken that most important first step.

If what you’re doing is not working, adjust. Rather than giving up on the effort, give the effort the benefit of your experience and informed consideration. Every time you fail to get the result you want, you succeed in learning more about what doesn’t work. Put that knowledge to good use, and make some adjustments. Even when you do get the desired result, you’ve likely learned how you could do things even better. Whether you’ve succeeded or failed, make the adjustments that will make you more effective next time. Conditions regularly change, and you have the opportunity to change with them, or even ahead of them. By adjusting your efforts, you can keep creating new, meaningful value. The animals, plants, organizations, businesses and individuals who succeed in the long term are the ones who adapt and adjust. Be aware of your level of effectiveness, be aware of your environment, be aware of what changes and what doesn’t, and adjust accordingly. Even the smallest adjustment can sometime...

Envision something that would add more goodness to life, and then follow that vision. Envision something that would make your world more enjoyable, more fulfilling, more enriching, and then make that vision happen. It’s easy to dwell on what is wrong. It is far more useful, though, to focus on how things can be better. What positive change would improve your life right now? Envision it, and then envision ways to get there. Use the power of your mind for more than just worrying and complaining about what’s wrong. Put your creative mind and your unique imagination to work bringing about more things that are good and right. Challenge yourself to envision a new direction, a more effective approach, or a more enlightened perspective. Challenge yourself to look beyond the difficulties and to see the opportunities toward which those difficulties point. The quality of your vision drives the quality of your life. Envision the world you would most like to see, and follow that vision to...

Stop taking refuge in the promise of quick fixes or the familiarity of worn-out excuses. Make the effort, do the work, and fulfill your best possibilities.  Even if you can’t get it perfect, work on it. Even if you can’t get it all done right away, work on it.  Work on it with commitment and persistence. You know you’re capable of creating new, worthwhile, meaningful value, so do what you know you can do.  This day is a unique opportunity that you’ll only get once. Work on it, and lock in the value of that opportunity while you can.  Don’t sacrifice the chance to make a lasting difference for a little fleeting, momentary pleasure. Persist, focus, do the work and enjoy the far greater pleasure of a job well done.  Life will get even better when you work on it. Use the powerful opportunity of this day to do just that.