SELF IMPROVEMENT AND MOTIVATION

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.