virgin islands scene

To have a great idea, have a lot of them.
-- Thomas Edison
 

 

Thursday, September 23, 1999

The best possibilities

If every wish were to instantly come true, just imagine how many awful things you would have to endure. The gap between desire and fulfillment may often seem frustrating and unkind, but it serves an essential and beneficial purpose that we often fail to consider.

Most of us have no shortage of ideas or desires. The effort necessary to manifest those desires plays a key role in discarding the ones which have little or no merit. We have unlimited possibilities; yet our resources are indeed limited. That happy combination serves to focus our efforts on the very best, most promising possibilities.

If you had all the time in the world, and all the money in the world, most of it would be wasted in meaningless indulgence. Where is the joy in that? To have everything would be to have nothing.

As it is, each moment, each effort is refined and purified by the fact that life is a constant struggle against very real limitations. The necessity of effort is not a punishment. Take delight in it, for it is indeed a blessing.

— Ralph Marston

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Copyright ©1999 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.