Halfway through 2026!

Time to take stock.

How’s it going?

Where are you at vs your goals?

Is there anything that needs to change?

Take a few minutes and write it all down.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners. – Laurence Sterne

When I was a kid I felt like manners were just a bunch of dumb rules that old people made up to ke life difficult for us kids.

As I’ve gotten a little older I’ve realized that manners are there to show respect to others.

Maybe some of the rules are dumb.

Maybe some don’t make a lot of sense.

But if you can turn manners into an opportunity to think about others they take on a whole new light.

You can change your behavior to help others have a better day. You can think about others before yourself. You can let their needs go before your needs.

And the real trick to it all – you’re better off in the end.

What seems stupid and pointless builds character and patience. What seems like a waste build a relationship that means more than anything.

Pay attention to the little stuff, they’re worth it (and so are you).

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/mRFDNwDrW5w?si=KwBZsTsKV9peaK5-

Watched the new Toy Story movie with the girlies last night.

It was (another) reminder that they sure do grow up fast.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the world, worrying about what everyone else thinks and trying to grow up as fast as we can.

Then we’re all grown and let these insecurities and worries rob us of joy.

The movie and the Toy Story movies are a great reminder that fun and play still matter, regardless of how old you are.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. – Saint Augustine

Life is too big for us to tackle on our own.

We will face hardships and opportunities that are beyond us.

We will feel lost and confused.

We will lack wisdom in the face of difficult decisions.

We need help.

This quote is a great idea what to do when faced with these situations.

Pray. Hard. Like you really mean it.

Then work. Hard. Like you really mean it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

There is only one class in the community that thinks more about money than the rich, and that is the poor. The poor can think of nothing else. – Oscar Wilde

The mind is a rich fertile soil where we can plant and cultivate beautiful flowers and abundant crops. Or we can let the weeds and negativity in life take over. We can even plant weeds if we choose.

The hardest part is being mature enough to realize that the results you see today are because of the planting you have done in the past.

You must reap what you have sown, without complaint.

Take an honest assessment of the major areas of your life: relationships, physical, emotional, financial, spiritual. Try to understand the thought processes that have led to those results and then adjust.

Add a little more of the good stuff you got growing.

Do a little weeding with the bad stuff that crept in.

Stop planting what you don’t want more of.

The sooner you get started the sooner harvest will come.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power. – Unknown

I’ve always like the analogy of the windshield and the rear view mirror.

The rear view mirror is small and is meant for quick glances behind you.

The windshield provides a larger view of what is in front of you.

In life, most of our time should be spent looking through the windshield. At our immediate surroundings and into the future.

We can glance at the review mirror to get some quick insights, but it shouldn’t be our focus.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Some genius at the USGA decided a long time ago that the US Open golf tournament would end on Father’s Day each year.

This means that almost every year there is a scene on the final green where the winner is embraced by his father, usually accompanied by tears.

It’s a great moment to watch and a great reminder of all the great fathers out there.

The bond between father and son is such that even amongst the turmoil and celebration that is winning a major championship – the winner chooses to embrace his father.

I imagine the winner thinking about all the practices, tournaments, etc. and how they wouldn’t be where they are without the loving influence of their father.

I didn’t win a major championship yesterday, but I was thinking about the same things.

The world sure has it’s problems and imperfections. But it also has a whole lot of good fathers, doing the right thing, putting their family first, and being selfless (most of the time).

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/lBe3bgmdsAI?si=WmcEECNnH9PkLwE6

Reminder – love is a verb.

It requires action.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

What a great, simple idea.

Decide that every day is the best day.

Maybe it won’t work every time, but it’s probably worth a shot.

Make it a great day.

Jake

There is more to life than increasing its speed. – Mahatma Gandhi

Life is a balancing act between ambition and contentment.

It’s good to pursue more and better.

It’s good to be happy with our current situation.

Unbridled ambition leads to disaster.

Sedentary laziness leads to disaster.

We must balance the two – pushing and striving while being content.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – If you’re looking for more specific advice here I think the first place to look is to get rid of all the extra stuff (and stop buying more).