SMALL MOMENTS

Small Moments

Small moments are the building blocks of great achievements. Steadily, diligently, one moment at a time, is how new value comes to life.

Anyone can stay positive, focused, effective for one small moment. Great things happen when you string such moments together.

Today is filled with an abundance of moments. Within those moments, if you choose, you can make real, solid progress.

For a moment, let go of worry, anxiety, fear, anger, resentment and frustration. Fill that moment with action that makes a positive difference.

When that productive, satisfying moment is over, you can choose to do it again. You can create positive moments for as long as it takes to get the results you seek.

Enjoy living at your highest level of effectiveness for just this moment. Then keep it going, and amazing things begin to appear on your horizon.

— Ralph Marston

DECIDE TO NEVER LET ANYTHING TURN YOU AROUND

It is time to believe in yourself and your dreams. It is time to take the risk of living your true life. It is time to hold your head up and decide to never let anything turn you around.

Stay connected with people who inspire, nourish and bring out the best in you. It takes time to pull yourself together and to heal if you have been hurt, humiliated, or become emotionally broken because of what you have gone through. You can become disconnected with the real you and forget who you really are. It is necessary to read, listen and focus on positive things. Things that strengthen your mind, develop your confidence and fortify your spirit. Create a strategy that will allow you to rid your life of people whose only intention is to strip, destroy, or take you down.

Be aware that there are certain situations that are just not good for you. Make a conscious, deliberate effort to focus your mind exclusively on things that will build you up, give you hope and expand the possibilities in all dimensions of your life. You have the capacity and the ability to rebuild your life. What you have gone through can be used to develop another part of yourself. Stay connected with positive people with the knowledge that you will get through this. You have something special. You have GREATNESS within you!

LES BROWN

STEPPING BEYOND FEAR

Stepping Beyond Fear

If you want to go beyond your fear,
you must first go through it.

You must learn to be in fear
without beating yourself up,
without projecting your anxieties onto others.

Walk with fear as your companion
so that you get to know it.

If you don’t take the time to discover
what your fear is all about,
you will not be able to step beyond it.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini

www.paulferrini.com

TO CHOOSE OR NOT TO CHOOSE

To Choose or Not to Choose

You can't force yourself to choose before you are ready.
If you do, you will probably have regrets.

Be patient with yourself and learn to accept
all of the voices within your psyche.

You don't have to act on any of these voices.
Just listen to them and see what they need to say to you.

Accept your ambivalence and it will move when it is ready.
Guidance and direction will come when it's time.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

CONFLICT OR AMBIVALENCE

Conflict or Ambivalence

To push for a decision in the face of conflict or ambivalence
is a way of punishing yourself or others.
Don’t try to force a decision
when you aren’t ready to make one.

Instead, embrace both sides of the conflict.
Acknowledge all the things you want
about the job or the relationship
and all of the things that make you want to run away.

Get your psychic arms around all of it.
Relax and breathe through your anxiety and fear.
Take the pressure off.
Be with it all of it in a compassionate way.

This brings a peaceful acceptance,
from which clarity springs when it is time.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

SELF-BETRAYAL

Self-Betrayal

Who is responsible for the fact that you choose
to be with people who betray you?
Are they responsible or are you?

When you trust people who do not deserve your trust,
you get hurt.

And then, instead of seeing your error and learning from it,
you blame the person who betrayed you,
which shifts the responsibility inappropriately.

And when that doesn’t work,
you try to beat yourself up by engaging
in some kind of self-destructive behavior
like picking up a bottle, overeating,
or having promiscuous sex.

That way you get to punish yourself
without taking responsibility
for your role in what happened.

Better to take responsibility for the decisions that you make
and leave the self-crucifixion out.

If you have a pattern of attracting people
who treat you unfairly or unkindly,
then be more careful about whom you trust.

Let people win your trust over time.
Don’t give your power away to others
just because you want their love and approval.

Don’t depend on others to give you the love,
the approval, or the safety you need.
Give them to yourself and then you cannot be betrayed.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini

www.paulferrini.com

THE ROAD TO NOWHERE

The Road to Nowhere

There is a road going by,
but you don’t know where it is going.
You don’t know whether to go right or left,
or whether to stay where you are.

You don’t know.

Sooner or later, out of boredom no doubt,
you will make a choice.

You will go right or left.
And you will get excited thinking
that you have made the right decision
until you come to difficult terrain,
and then you will be convinced
that you went the wrong way.

This will happen whether you go right or left.
It makes no difference.

On the Road to Nowhere,
it does not matter which way you go,
because the road is circular
and eventually returns to the same place.

On the Road to Nowhere, the question is not
“where are you going?”
because you aren’t going anywhere in particular.

The question is “how are you going?.
Are you enjoying the journey?”
Are you going happily or sadly?
Are you going blessing or cursing
the people you pass along the way?

On the Road to Nowhere
the destination is not so important.
The only thing that is important
is your state of consciousness.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

DEMONS RISING UP

Demons Rising Up

Living with another person
often pushes your deepest buttons
and sets off unexpected explosions.

Your fears simply cannot stay hidden.

It isn't always pleasant business.
If you expect it to be pleasant all of the time
then you will be sadly disappointed.

Every relationship moves from romance to realism,
to the depths of despair.

Couples fall from grace just as individuals do.

Couples who face their demons
and walk through their fears
win a decisive battle against their own ignorance.

They integrate the shadow,
transcend the limits they have placed on love.
and learn how to love without conditions.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

THERE IS A REASON THAT YOU ARE STILL HERE

There is a reason that you are still here. Be about the business of finding out why. Discipline yourself not to talk about what you do for a living...but focus your mind on what you are living to do!

Believe in yourself. You are the only person who has the ability to radically change your life. Focus your time and energy on increasing your belief in what is possible for you, building your skills and creating a network of achievement focused relationships.

Choose to be a powerful force in your own life and in the world. Make choices on a daily basis that will move you in the direction of what you want to create for yourself. Summon up the courage, the resourcefulness and the motivation to create a life that you can be proud of. Use your imagination, talents and abilities to live a life of purpose and make a greater impact. Live your legacy now. You have GREATNESS within you!!

LES BROWN

COMMUNICATION IS A BRIDGE

Communication is a Bridge

When attack happens and separation occurs,
you can bridge it only by communicating
in a non-hostile way.

That is hard to do when you are triggered.
Usually you need to take the time
to understand and own the trigger
before you can make peace with the person
who triggered you.

From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

Active Participation

Don’t let this be a time you look back on with regret for not doing more. Make this a day you recall with satisfaction for all you were able to do.

Even if you don’t particularly feel like making the effort, you can make the effort nonetheless. Even if a dozen obstacles stand in your way, you can step forward and make progress.

Fill the moments with effective action, not lame excuses. Today will only be available to you today, so use it while you can.

Demonstrate your gratitude for the life you treasure by doing something valuable with it. Express your love for all you care about by offering your active support.

You are here right now with knowledge, skills, resources, energy, and a desire to matter. Give yourself and your world something to show for it all.

Your future begins in this moment. Fill it with meaningful richness through your active participation.

— Ralph Marston

YOU HAVE ENOUGH TIME

“Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.”

― H. Jackson Brown Jr.

THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND

Leap and grow your wings on the way down. Put all your bets on you and on your ability to achieve your goals. Throw caution to the wind!

If you have a catastrophic set-back, know that you have the power to over come it. If you lose a job, you will find another, or create one. If you make some mistakes, learn from them and come back again.

This is a time to use your talents, skills and resourcefulness to make a fundamental change and take your life to the next level. Remind yourself everyday that you are in it to win it. You are your most valuable asset. Do what you need to do to make it happen! You have GREATNESS within you!


LES BROWN

WAITING FOR DIRECTION

Waiting for Direction

The best results occur when we stop trying
to force things to be the way
we think they should be.

When we try to force something to be different,
we often overcompensate
and create a new problem.

Sometimes it is better to just stop doing
what we know is not working
and take some time to re-center
and reconnect with the core truth within us.

Then the course of action we set
will be more organic, congruent, and meaningful.

We all need time to breathe and to be.
It’s a sacred time, a time when we gather
our power and our direction.

If we don’t take this time,
we may act prematurely or impulsively.
Our actions may lack creative power
or they may result in unfortunate consequences
we did not anticipate.


From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

RELEASE FROM PRISON OF CO-DEPENDENCY

Release from Prison of Co-dependency

If you are getting three hot meals
and a bed to sleep in,
you don’t want to talk about freedom.

It doesn’t matter that someone else plans your day:
tells you when to eat, when to exercise
and when to go to sleep.
It doesn’t matter that the door to your room
is locked every night.

The idea of living without these amenities
is frightening to you.
You don’t know how you would survive
outside your cell.

But consider this:
one day the guard is going to come
and unlock the door
and tell you it’s time to leave.

And you will have to leave,
whether you want to or not.

Under these circumstances,
there is only one question you must ask
and it’s not “what time is breakfast served?”
It is “Are you ready for that day
and, if not, why not?”


From Everyday Wisdom by Paul Ferrini
www.paulferrini.com

LET CHALLENGES FIRE YOU UP

See the challenges in your life as fuel to fire you up. You are bigger than any of the problems that you face. Look around, and you will find opportunities silently waiting for you to recognize them. Become unstoppable and determined to reach your goals.

Do not let anyone convince you that you can not achieve your dream. They do not know you like that! They have no idea of who you really are. Do not waste time trying to convince them. Keep working your plan and handle your business. Actions speak louder than words. Remember...you have GREATNESS within you!


LES BROWN

LIVE WITH INTENTION

Live With Intention

The distractions distract you not because of their power, but because of your weakness to resist. Intention eliminates that weakness.

When you’re clear about what’s important, you don’t have to be bothered by what’s not. When you’re committed to a specific result, distractions bounce right off you.

Ask yourself this and insist on a detailed answer. What do you intend to do today?

Your life is too important to let it be controlled by people you don’t even know. Your time is too precious to waste on things that have no meaning.

Today is filled with opportunities to create value, satisfaction, fulfillment. Instead of getting pulled in a hundred meaningless directions, choose your path and stay on it.

Live this day with respect and appreciation for the beautiful, unique life that’s yours. Live this day with intention.

— Ralph Marston

SAVE YOUR TIME, ENERGY & WORDS

Do not give advice to people who have a history of not listening. Save your time, energy and words. Some people may complain about their life, but they have no intention of changing. STOP!! You can not change others - only yourself.


Love and/or pray for others and release them to their own life journey. Put your main focus and energy in creating greater movement and impact in your own life. You have GREATNESS within you!


LES BROWN

STAND UP FOR YOURSELF

Stand up for yourself. Do not allow someone, just because they have had a few drinks, or because they are going through hard times, to take out their frustrations and anger on you. Require others to honor your space, and respect your dignity as a person of worth. Let the people in your life own their choices, and do not give them permission to dump their problems or crises on you. This includes your grown children, parents, relatives, people you work with or go to church with, and/or friends.

Refuse to buy into the guilt trips; pay for their consequences. Stop taking on their responsibilities. If you were not there, they would have to figure it out, and they would. Sometimes helping is actually hurting them, and keeping them from helping themselves. Take the time to focus on your own needs for a change, and let others do the same! You Deserve!


LES BROWN

CHOOSE WELL

Choose Well

Doing what’s best is not that difficult. It’s just a matter of making the choice.

Focus, discipline, commitment and persistence are all within reach. You just have to continue choosing them.

Even when the situation is disappointing or frustrating, you can take positive, effective action. All you have to do is make the choice, and follow through.

You can choose a life of quality and achievement. You can choose the most beneficial path rather than the path of least resistance.

There are people you love, ideals you value, dreams you treasure. Support them all with the choices you make every moment of your life.

Each time you’re faced with a choice, remind yourself of your opportunity and your obligation to make it the best one. Choose well, and let all of life benefit from the good choices you make.

— Ralph Marston