Terry The Bayou Man's blog: "Positive Motivation"

Take an interest in life and you'll find it to be an infinite source of richness and value. Become fascinated with certain aspects of this world and you'll find an endless source of treasure and possibility. There is nothing in life that's boring. There are only people who choose to see things as boring. In fact, wherever you are and whatever you're doing can be truly fascinating when you decide to make it so. Life in any moment is as interesting as you wish to make it. When you're truly interested in what you're doing, you'll do it much more effectively. When you choose to take an interest, you'll discover whole new worlds of opportunity. You are immersed in a truly amazing and fascinating universe. With just the slightest spark of interest, you can begin to travel a path of discovery that will lead to beautiful places you cannot now imagine. Instead of complaining about how dull life is, truly take an interest, and follow that interest with passion. There is no limit to how far it will take you. -- Ralph Marston

Happiness is like manna; it is to be gathered and enjoyed every day. --Tryon Edwards Life is like a winding path surrounded by flowers, butterflies, and delicious fruit, but many of us spend much of life looking for happiness around the next corner. We do not bend to enjoy the happiness, which is ours for the taking just at our feet. In our desire to reach the "pot of gold," the complete and lasting happiness we all want to fill our lives, we ignore anything which doesn't seem worthy of such a large ambition, or which can't give us the whole thing all at once. Happiness is all around us, but it often comes in small grains. When we gather it grain by grain, we soon have a basketful.

Thursday, January 1, 2009 A year from now Where will you be a year from now? Where would you most like to be? ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; There is so much you've learned and experienced on your journey to this day. Imagine what you can now do with it all. This new year is a grand opportunity, filled with promise and possibilities. Choose now the very best of those possibilities, and know that you have the power to bring them to life. You will spend this coming year moving in one direction or another. Commit now to making that direction the one that will take you toward what you sincerely desire. Life in each moment is influenced by your presence and participation. As this new year unfolds, continue to make that influence a positive and fulfilling one. Consider today where you would like to be a year from now. For now is the beginning of the year in which you can truly make it happen. -- Ralph Marston

Finish each day and be done with it. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well. --Ralph Waldo Emerson Two of the most useless phrases in the English language are "what if" and "if only." We waste so much time and energy thinking about what we might have done and wishing we had acted or reacted differently. We imagine how things might have turned out "if only . . ." All of us make mistakes. To go back and wonder and wish about our yesterdays prevents us from living fully today. Each day is a fresh chance; a new beginning. We can only squeeze what we can out of the moment and let the drops fall where they may. Some will evaporate and some will form rainbows. Can I forget about yesterday and start a fresh new day?

The price of dishonesty is self-destruction. --Rita Mae Brown There once was a woman who told her husband what she thought he wanted to hear. She told him she was happy when she wasn't. She told him she liked his friends when she didn't. She tried to figure out what he wanted so she could do it for him. She felt hurt when he didn't do the same for her. She felt he should also try to read her mind and do what she wanted without her having to express it. She was scared to tell him how she really felt. However, her pain and resentment grew so much she couldn't stand it any longer, so she told him her true feelings. He was so used to hearing her lies that he called her a liar when she told the truth. Now she knew how much she had hurt herself by trying to please him at the cost of her own honesty and needs. Honesty is necessary for a good relationship with anyone. When we lie to ourselves, we cannot tell the truth to others. By being honest, we open our doors to others, we trust them with our true feelings, and they love us for who we really are. Who can I tell how I really feel today?

In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all, and it often comes with bitter agony. Perfect relief is not possible except with time. --Abraham Lincoln Time may or may not heal all wounds. It depends on how we use the time. If we deny our sorrow, or runaway from it, or hope it will just go away by itself, we will be miserable. But if we turn and face it, and express our sadness in healthy ways, somehow we are transformed by the sorrow itself. While the loss is still there, it begins not to hurt so much. We can express our sadness in many ways. Crying is probably the healthiest means of expressing grief. It's good to cry, even for men, because it releases tension and stress, and we find a little peace afterwards. It is true that tears are healing. Getting angry and expressing our anger in appropriate, healthy ways also helps to heal wounds of loss, strange as it may seem. Yes, in time and with the courage to express our feelings, our wounds are indeed healed. What is a healthy way to express my anger at a loss?

Live in truth What is true will persevere. What is false will eventually be consumed in its own contradictions. It may seem easier and more convenient in the short term to disregard or to hide from what you know to be true. Yet you cannot really hide from the truth. Instead of striving in vain to deny or to fight against what is true, put yourself on the side of truth. By fully acknowledging and accepting what is true, you can put that truth to work to achieve whatever you wish. Whether it is deceiving yourself or deceiving others, deception requires much time and energy. And because deception never really achieves anything of value, it is a great waste of your precious life and resources. Instead, put that time and energy into successfully dealing with the truth. After all, you'll have to deal with it eventually, and the sooner you begin the more you'll be able to accomplish. Live every moment in truth. Align yourself fully with the truth, and bring great power to your purpose. -- Ralph Marston

Silent reflection For just a while, calm your thoughts. In this moment, simply be. There is much in your life, and there is much more to come. Yet you have always been, and you always are, more than enough. For a moment, let go of the way you appear and the things you've done. Feel the truth and power of who you are. In silence, there is much you can know. Beyond thought, there is much you can understand. Touch the person who always lives inside the person you are. Be immersed in the beauty and wonder of being. Feel the strength that is always there. And know that whatever may come, all is well. -- Ralph Marston

I came to see the damage that was done and the treasures that prevail. --Adrienne Rich It takes great courage to face ourselves - to look honestly and fearlessly at our behavior, especially if we have done and said things we are not proud of. We may have caused a lot of sadness in our own and others' lives. It's not easy to look at. But let's remember, too, that what we do and say is not all of who we are. And let's also look at the treasures in ourselves - those things we have said and done that have brought great comfort, joy, and love into the lives of others. Beneath the negative parts of ourselves, deep within us, is a kernel of good. Let's look for that as well, and water it so it can grow - so we can grow into the persons we are meant to be. What is the best part of me, and how can I share it today?

Give to the world all that you have, and the best will come back to you. --Mary Ainge De Vere When we share something of our own with a friend, it gives both of us a special feeling. Generosity blesses the giver as much as the receiver. Sometimes we feel selfish, wanting to hoard all our treats or treasures. But when we secretly hide them away, we cheat even ourselves from enjoying them. Giving love and friendship to others works in just the same way. When we express love and kindness to others, we feel more love toward ourselves. Though we may not understand just how it works, we can be certain it does. The more of anything we give away to others, the greater our own rewards will be.