The Value of Life

When things seem to be getting worse, there's a good chance that they're actually about to get better. The night is often at its darkest just before dawn begins to light the sky.

When difficulties that have been looming break free and begin to run their course, the moment they will end suddenly begins to grow closer. When problems come out in the open where everyone can see them, that is when they are most likely to be solved.

When the challenges grow bigger, so do the opportunities for positive progress. When everything is going wrong, that's when you become the most highly motivated to make things right.

When the world looks bleak, do not despair. Instead, take the highly charged energy of the moment and turn it in a positive direction.

When the situation is at its worst, that's an excellent opportunity for you to be your best. That's when you can make the biggest positive difference.

The opportunities to move forward are always there, especially when they don't seem to be. When times are tough, that's when positive, focused action truly pays.

Don't let yourself get too caught up in what could have been, or would have been, or should have been. Look instead at the power and possibility of what is.

The things you see as problems are realities that you have chosen to interpret in a certain way. Consider that you can view them from a more positive and empowering perspective any time you wish.

Many of the burdens that weigh you down come from fighting against what has already happened. Gracefully accept what is, and experience the enormous sense of freedom that acceptance brings.

There is real value that exists right now in this moment, in this situation, in this unique set of circumstances. Allow yourself to fully accept the reality of what is, and you compel yourself to uncover that value.

Accept even what you cannot control, and you'll discover more power and effectiveness in those things you can control. Accept responsibility for the things that influence your life, and you'll be able to focus all that energy in a positive direction.

Accept all that is life, with its many twists and turns, in whatever way it may come to you. And you'll find real opportunities for fulfillment and joy.

We usually think of determination as a very tense state, full of anxiety. When visualizing oneself as determined, it is common to grit one's teeth and become tense.

Consider, though, how much more powerful and effective a calm, peaceful determination would be, free of tension and anxiety. Imagine the great things you could accomplish if you were determined and committed without being consumed by apprehension.

Realize that whatever happens is for the best when you are fully committed to being your best. Although life will not unfold in the way you imagined, that does not prevent you from being precisely the person you want yourself to be.

Your true essence is completely detached from anything which could possibly cause tension or anxiety. Live with that thought from moment to moment, and you'll enjoy a calm, peaceful determination.

Take your deepest desires, values and purposes, and translate them into thoughts. Then take those thoughts, and put them into words.

Next, put the words into action. And then, grow the actions into commitments.

Translate those commitments so that they resonate in the world and in the lives around you. And you will end up with valuable, meaningful achievements that flow from your deepest values.

Start with knowing and understanding the authentic person you are. Then work to express yourself within the context of the world in which you live. Translate your inner values outward into all of life. And life will grow more beautiful.

When there's something you need to do, something you know you have to do, you probably resent it and fight against it, and think up excuses for not doing it. It may very well end up not ever getting done. By contrast, when there's something you want to do, you'll be busy thinking up all sorts of great reasons why you should do it, and you'll do whatever is necessary to get it done. That's a big, big difference.

There's a fine, but very important, line between the things you need to do and the things you want to do. That line exists in your mind and is controlled by your attitude. And guess who is in control of your attitude? You are!

With a simple change in attitude, all those things you need to do, all those things you have to do, can instantly become things you want to do. When that happens, they'll get done.

So what do you need to do that you really don't want to do? Have you been putting it off? Have you been busy thinking up excuses for not taking action? Well, do you want to move your life forward? Then try this simple exercise. Whatever it is you've been putting off, whatever it is you've been avoiding, tell yourself you want to do it. Instead of saying "I have to" in your mind, say "I want to" out loud. It's as simple as that.

When you starting thinking of it as something you want to do, it will get done. And what a powerful difference that can make in your life!

Nothing stirs the spirit in quite the same way as beauty. There is something inside of us which resonates with productive, joyful energy in the presence of beauty.

Beauty is difficult to define, yet easy to recognize. It can exist on a grand scale, and in the smallest detail. Beauty is a mountain peak, the smiling eyes of a child, the intricate workings of a powerful machine, a musical passage, elegantly designed software, a convincing idea. Beauty compels and inspires like nothing else.

What do you do that's beautiful? You don't have to be a painter or a poet to create beauty. You don't have to be a supermodel to be beautiful. Anything undertaken with passion and commitment can produce beauty. The greatest, most celebrated achievements are always beautiful in their own unique way.

Be the best that you can be. In your work, your play, your world, your life, be beautiful.

Take something ordinary, add some focus, commitment and effort, and you have greatness. Greatness arises out of the common and the ordinary. The raw material of greatness is nothing special. A magnificent mansion is made out of ordinary wood, bricks and nails. A literary masterpiece is printed on ordinary paper. A beautiful symphony is performed with ordinary musical instruments.

Greatness depends not on what we have to work with, but on what we do with it. Greatness is achieved not because of what we have, but as a result of what we do.

Though greatness by definition is rare, it is within the reach of anyone. Because the greatest greatness comes from common, ordinary beginnings. Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you have to work with, greatness is always waiting for you to make it happen.