Our motivations drive our actions, yet so often we are blind to what are motivations really are–and whether they are truly good for us. Get in the habit of asking yourself for every dilemma, every relationship, every commitment, or every failure to commit:

Does this choice diminish me or enlarge me?

Every choice we make, every action we take, has an influence on who and what we are–for better or for worse. What we eat in the morning, the dilemma of committing to a workout or enjoying the lethargy of a day off, the choice of who we spend our time around, and the matter of what we do with our time–all of it changes us, even if only in a small way, and like compound interest that change accumulates over time. So often we do not notice until it is rooted deep within. There is great importance to being mindful of our decisions and their true, unmasked contribution to our lives and the lives of those around us.

The thing is that we, as human beings, can go one of two ways: we can either grow bigger, or get smaller. The only constant in this world is change. We could not stay still even if we wanted to. So we are presented with two options: to move forward and grow, or to slowly deteriorate into less than we could be. Neglect thrives in inaction. Success comes through action alone. It is our choice to either make the conscious effort or to simply let it slide. This may sound like bifurcation, but many things in this world, many of life’s most simple and powerful truths, are binary in nature. Life and death, being and unbeing, success and failure. So, too, with your precious, invaluable mind and spirit. It can either climb the heights of growth and maturation, or it can wallow in the bog of wasted potential.

And all of this comes down to our decisions. So make the right ones, and they will make you into what you can be.