Mikes Blog

Almost no one cares about what you say. Yet pretty much everyone is thankful to have someone who genuinely listens.

What you say matters. But if you rarely listen, the things you say have negligible value.

Don’t depend on your assumptions about others. Take the time and listen to what they’re saying.

Listen well, and learn much. Listen generously, and improve at least two lives, perhaps many more.

People are happy to tell you who they are. That’s always a powerful and helpful thing to know.

Go beyond what you think you know. Listen, and benefit from the truths that so many others are eager to share.

— Ralph Marston

Good work you can do
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What to do when the pressure is on? Focus on the work, not the pressure.

Your thoughts go in the direction you aim them. Practice aiming them away from matters you can’t do anything about.

Make all the bandwidth of your awareness available for productive effort. Start by choosing to do so, put it immediately into practice in a small way, then expand on it from there.

Let the noise and confusion bear down upon you. And rather than fighting it or getting dismayed about it, target your awareness tightly on the good work you can do.

The world is as it is, and time moves relentlessly forward. You can be equally relentless in making use of it.

Decide what you will get done and put all of yourself into doing it. Rise above whatever else may be going on, and follow your intentions toward the success you know you can create.

— Ralph Marston

Let life be good
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Let life be good today. The quality of what you experience is greatly influenced by the way you expect your experience to be.

So expect goodness, offer kindness, and make gratitude your default position. Be eager to tolerate, reluctant to condemn, and mindful of the best possibilities.

Challenge yourself to see the beauty that might otherwise be hidden. Allow even the ordinary moments to fill you with a sense of wonder.

Consider that the problems are so evident because they are so unusual. Recognize that every difficulty offers even greater opportunity.

Your perspective is a powerful filter through which you interpret and experience everything. And your perspective is yours to control.

So choose to see every moment in a way that’s beneficial and fulfilling for you, and for the world around you. Do all of life a big favor, and let it be good today.

— Ralph Marston

Treasures remain
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Various circumstances and experiences come and go. Yet the treasures you gain in living through them remain with you always.

Every day is your chance to accumulate more such treasures. With each encounter and experience you can add lasting richness to your life.

Though the moments and even the memories fade, that richness remains. And on top of it you can add even more.

As such, your days, your hours, and your choices all carry great consequence. For they are loaded with potential treasures.

Each bit of life has value not only when you live it, but long afterward. Remind yourself to give every moment the respect, consideration, love, and care it deserves.

Right now there are new treasures you can bring into your life that will stay with you always. Imagine what they can be, and act to make them real.

— Ralph Marston