Mikes Blog

Your potential
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You are born to succeed. You are equipped to succeed.

But success is not a foregone conclusion. If it’s to happen, you must make it happen.

That’s entirely possible and even likely. Yet it’s not easy, or quick, or without friction.

What it is, though, is worth the trouble. Your success in achieving meaningful results adds a type of richness to life that’s not attainable in any other way.

Decide what matters and commit yourself to doing something about it. Because in the deepest part of you, that’s who you are, and that’s what you can do.

Understand the unique potential that exists as a result of your own existence. Fulfill the destiny that lives in you, and successfully bring that potential to fruition.

— Ralph Marston

Effort after effort
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Do a little work. Then do a little more.

No meaningful journey consists of just a single step. Getting anywhere takes multiple efforts, and then many more.

Sometimes you can easily measure your progress with each discrete step, and other times it’s not so obvious. Yet in every case it is the effort, followed by more effort, that’s essential to the progress.

As tedious as each effort may seem, in that effort exists pure, raw value. And you are in the process of stacking instances of that value, like so many bricks, into a wall of achievement.

The completion of one task makes another task possible. Layer upon layer, step after step, unique achievement finds and establishes its form based on your continued efforts.

The result you seek is already taking shape as you complete effort after effort. Keep it up, and fulfill the whole of the potential that you’re already bringing to life.

— Ralph Marston

Generosity into action
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What can you do today to be generous to yourself? What can you do today to be generous to others?

Generosity gives you specific pathways to enhance your life. Generosity provides concrete opportunities to improve the lives of those around you.

Genuine generosity is a positive experience for everyone it touches. And it rarely meets with any opposition.

You can be generous with time, with respect, with material resources, with attention, skill, understanding, and wisdom. The possibilities for generosity are as abundant as your creativity and desire.

Imagine how a small act of generosity could positively impact your experience right now. Imagine how inspired you would then be to expand upon it.

Then go beyond imagining, and put generosity into action. Live in a world of its beneficial consequences.

— Ralph Marston

Living values
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Thinking a kind thought is admirable. Offering a kind word at an opportune moment is better, and acting on your kindness, even more so.

It’s a nice gesture to express your love. Yet it can be life-changing to put your love into practice.

Your most treasured values aren’t just for talking about. They’re for living on a day-to-day basis.

It can be easy to become resentful about people who don’t share your values. But whenever you feel such resentment take it as a cue to ask yourself, what specific actions are you taking to share those values?

As demanding as it can be, living your values produces a very good feeling. Because your efforts are resonating with the truth of who you are.

With the way you live each moment, generously extend your best values far beyond you. Serve as a constant conduit for authentic goodness, allowing it to grow more abundant.

— Ralph Marston