Vanity working on a weak head, produces every sort of mischief. – Jane Austen

Vanity is a sneaky one.

Ask the average person if they are vane and they might smack you….

But if we all had our inner thoughts published for the world to see, I’m guessing there’s a little more vanity in there than we’d like to admit.

We were born with a tendency to think about ourselves.

Not just how we look or our appearance, but what do others think of us and how are we being perceived.

I’m convinced this is a trap.

Something that will keep us chasing our tail and wasting away our precious life. Chasing the approval of others who are most likely busy thinking about themselves.

When we choose to focus our attention outward we open up the door for a more abundant life.

We find opportunities to serve and love.

We find meaning and purpose.

Not in how we look or feel about ourselves.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

This quote and the prayer above are reminders that there is a lot in life that we don’t control.

It’s a reminder that our efforts are best spent on the things we can change.

And that we should seek the courage and wisdom to do the hard work of making that change.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – the rest of the Serentiy Prayer –

Living one day at a time;

enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

forever in the next.

Amen.

Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

Don’t brood. Get on with living and loving. You don’t have forever. – Leo Buscaglia

Great reminder to start the week.

Don’t brood.

Let go of all that junk.

Get help if you need it, but let it go.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/qORYO0atB6g?si=qriEvm0FjfBFbIgy

This is one my favorite songs to crank up the goofiness.

There are plenty of times in life to be serious.

Sometimes we just need to goof off and relax.

Put on your own favorite goofy song and let loose a little.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/bSMxl1V8FSg?si=F_Yuu4qkuk5HFnnj

One of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies.

What a great metaphor for a great life lesson.

Forrest literally breaks free from the limitations the world has put on him and "runs like the wind".

At some point along the way, it becomes easy to accept what others say and think about you as true.

Sometimes this feeds our ego and fills us with self importance.

Sometimes this shakes us to our core and leaves us self-conscious and full of shame.

Both are a trap.

You were meant to run like the wind – in your own special way. Even better – you were given those special gifts and talents so that you can be a blessing to others.

Don’t let what some punk kid said (or says) about you to keep you from breaking free. Let go of all that stuff and be free. Free to serve and help. To love and be loved.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – As a Christian this has an even deeper meaning. Our Father in heaven is the only one qualified to define us. The Bible says we are all wonderfully and fearfully made and that He knows every hair on our head. He made you, you. And He loves you. Every little thing about you. He’s excited to spend the day with you…. so stay close to Him.

Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow. – A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

I must be getting old because I think about this a lot.

How thankful I am for my parents and grand parents and how they sacrificed so their children can have a better tomorrow.

About what I should be doing to put our kids in a better position.

In the end, I try to always remember that it’s more about love than anything else.

Love endures.

Stuff won’t. Even wisdom and good advice will fade away before love.

I want them all (and everyone, really) to know how much they are loved.

By me, of course, but even more by their Father in heaven.

We can sacrifice today for our children’s future – but without love it won’t matter.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor’s glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken.” – C S Lewis

CS Lewis always seems to get me with his challenges to humility.

I’m hoping that that this one will inspire me to take on this challenge. To be focused on the glory of my neighbor. To put others always above myself in my daily to dos.

At Mavidea and Maxlider we’re lucky enough to have customers and coworkers to work with. They provide a daily opportunity to work towards the ideal described above.

The end of the year will go quickly. It will be easy to slip into ego, pride and selfishness as we go about our work.

Don’t fall in to the trap. Don’t let your back be broken with pride.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get. – Dale Carnegie

Tony Robbins talks about the idea of appreciating what you do have as a starting point to making a better life.

Jim Rohn says that gratitude for what we do have opens up the doors and windows and lets more opportunity come in.

Contentment is a tricky subject.

Should we content? Yes. To the point of becoming lazy and complacent? No.

Should we have ambition? Yes. To the point where we are unhappy and unhealthy? No.

Success and happiness must be balanced.

And that’s where it gets fun. That balance is different for everyone.

You get to pick!

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/BKLVpDTZOPQ?si=NLwr39MyP3hOUqXC

For some reason (that I can’t wait to ask God about) we were built to be together.

Physically, in the same space.

We all need someone to sit next to us.

In our joy.

In our pain.

In our boredom.

In our confusion.

In our sadness.

We need to be there for each other.

Two quick additional thoughts.

One, if you need someone to sit with you – ASK! Don’t try to do it all on your own. Someone wants to be there with and for you – I promise.

Two, if you see someone sitting alone – go sit next to them.

Make it a great day.

Jake

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. – Aldous Huxley

It’s so easy to get sucked into spending our time thinking about all the things we don’t control.

What other people think…

What the president does or doesn’t do….

What the economy is or isn’t doing…

What our boss/coworker/customer is doing….

What is the new cool car/tech/clothes…..

If you want things to get better, you have to get better.

Work on what you can control.

And then let God take care of the rest.

Make it a great day.

Jake