Mikes Blog

Into the future
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You are on a journey into the future. Although you bring your past experiences and values along, you cannot bring the past itself.

You are alive in an ever-changing world. The changes make it impossible to stay where you are, or to go back where you were.

Ahead is unknown territory, and that can be a frightening prospect. Yet everything you’re now comfortable with was once unknown to you, and you’ve handled it well so far.

Tomorrow will call you to awaken in a world that’s different than today. In that world you can grow stronger, expand your skills and understanding, and discover new possibilities.

What you think, what you feel, what you do, can all be better than they were. Yes, it’s inconvenient, challenging, arduous, and yet you’ll thank yourself for rising to the opportunity.

Life moves relentlessly forward into the future. Willingly go with it, and make that future a bright and fulfilling place.

— Ralph Marston

Beyond limitations
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Don’t ignore your limitations. Understand them, learn from them, and you’ll find ways to get around them.

The force of gravity is a serious limitation when attempting to launch a rocket into orbit. Yet by precisely understanding how gravity works, scientists and engineers can build a rocket that will successfully reach outer space.

It’s tempting to just complain about your limitations, or see them as excuses for lowering your expectations. But you always have a better choice.

That choice is to learn, to understand, to innovate, to adapt. Within whatever is holding you back are very specific truths and strategies for moving forward.

Limitations abound with useful facts, some already known, others waiting to be discovered. As you learn and apply those facts, the limitations lose their power to limit you.

Look to your limitations for knowledge, strategies, and inspiration. And engage your miraculous ingenuity to get beyond whatever holds you back.

— Ralph Marston

Don’t merely collect knowledge and skills. Put them to practical use.

Don’t just spend all your time and energy amassing a large set of tools. Do meaningful, beneficial work with those tools.

It’s great to have skills, capabilities, resources, and connections. But it would be a terrible shame not to deploy them in the service of a worthwhile goal.

Yes, prepare yourself well, align yourself to achieve. Then follow through with the achievement.

Admit to yourself, and to the world, what you care about, what matters to you. Put your love and caring into action, and transform it all into tangible results.

Utilize the potential of all your other skills with the skill of being purposeful. Discover what a great difference you can make, and make it.

— Ralph Marston

Beyond trying
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To get something done, you have to stop merely trying to do it. If you see yourself as trying, you’re reinforcing doubts about your ability.

When you’re merely trying, you’re not fully committed. Maybe you’re not even sure what you want, or whether you truly want it.

Ask yourself, what would it take to get beyond trying? What can you pursue that will leave you with no doubts about its worthiness, no doubts about your ability to make it happen?

You can adjust your goal, you can modify your strategy, you can let go of certain priorities and embrace others. You can get yourself to the place where you’re far beyond trying, and actually making progress.

Trying wears you down, and you deserve better. You deserve to be fully engaged in rich, meaningful effort that’s leading to a valued outcome.

Get beyond trying, beyond doubt, frustration, and empty efforts. Experience the clarity, the honesty, the sheer joy of making good and meaningful things happen.

— Ralph Marston