Treasure your relationships, not your possessions. – Anthony J. D’Angelo

Another reminder to major in the major things of life.

Relationships are the real treasure.

All the stuff is a distraction.

Focus on what really matters.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will. – James Stephens

Some part of the life we want lies behind our fears.

They hold us back from taking the steps needed to get where we want to go.

Curiosity is a great step in overcoming our fears.

Spend some time wondering about them. Where did they come from? What would really happen if they came true? Is there something to learn?

Take that first little step today. Ask some questions about those fears. Start to wonder about them. Maybe you’ll find out there wasn’t much to be afraid of after all…

Make it a great day.

Jake

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves. – Carl Jung

The hardest part of parenting might just be the realization that they are acting just how you trained them to….whether you meant to or not.

It’s so very tempting to get irritated by those around us who fall short of our expectations.

To declare their sins and shortcomings to be personal character flaws that require our disdain and correction.

It’s also very tempting to be hard on ourselves. Heaping disappointment on ourselves for our own perceived sins and shortcomings.

I’d like to suggest that there should be a balance here.

Forgiveness and grace for the sins and shortcomings.

Distance and disconnect from those people and habits that cause too much damage and despair.

Where should the line be drawn?

Well, that’s up to you. Choose wisely.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Resending this daily attitude email from a few years ago….excellence is still a consistent theme in my head.

The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. – Vince Lombardi

After watching the Super Bowl last night, I wanted to go looking for a Vince Lombardi quote.

This one stuck out to me because the word “excellence” has been stuck in my head lately.

What if you made a constant effort to add excellence into your life?

What would an excellent drive in to the office look like?

What would an excellent meeting look like?

What would excellence look like when you got home tonight?

Pursue excellence today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/gLQrbo_i2Zw?si=Zz_j2WaW2cpaOxQo

Watched this movie last week with Annie.

I had almost forgotten how good it all was.

This time I was struck by one of Jim Rohn’s ideas – spend your life on the major things, don’t let yourself major in the minor stuff.

Forrest wasn’t very smart. He faced difficult circumstances and by all accounts he had some real bad stuff happen to and around him.

But he decided to major in the important stuff of life – love, friendship, taking care of others, being of service.

He wasn’t flashy or cool. Not many of the other characters in the movie really even wanted him around.

But he was persistently good, kind and loving – over an entire lifetime. And that in itself was beautiful and worthwhile.

It’s easy to get tripped up and start letting ourselves spend major time on the minor things of life. It’s easy to spend our lives in pursuit of the trivial.

Focus. On. The. Majors.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love. – William Wordsworth

So much of life are the seemingly trivial choices.

Be kind or be brusque?

Be positive or join in the grumbling?

Be loving or be selfish?

Be patient or push to get your way?

Be empathetic or think only of yourself?

I sure hope the goal is not to be perfect, but to do a little better today than I did yesterday.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Wisdom is oftentimes nearer when we stoop than when we soar. – William Wordsworth

I liked this mental picture.

Stooping down to gain wisdom.

Admitting that we don’t know everything is the beginning of learning.

In fact, that might be the hardest part.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Kites rise highest against the wind – not with it. – Winston Churchill

Maybe the reason you feel all that wind in your face is so that you can rise higher.

Embrace the struggle.

Dig deep and let it push you higher.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Gus: Phil? Like the groundhog Phil? Phil: Yeah, like the groundhog Phil. Gus: Look out for your shadow there, buddy.

The movie is funny, but it’s also a favorite because it goes a little deeper than that.

A guy lives the same day over and over again.

He tries all kinds of different things to figure out things (life).

He tries the hedonistic, do what you want all day long life and ends up empty.

He tries manipulating others to get what he wants and ends up empty.

He gives up and spends the day depressed and without hope.

He finally tries love, service, humility and authenticity. And it works.

Maybe we can take a short cut. We don’t have an unlimited number of days like Phil does in the movie, so let’s not waste any on the stuff that doesn’t work. Let’s skip to the good stuff.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/wBl2QGAIx1s?si=2XqkvF-XOv9VpCXx

As I get older, “the power of love” has taken on a different meaning.

I think of it now as the power to help us in one of life’s biggest challenges (the biggest?) – letting go of my own selfish desires and pride.

The power of love comes in changing our hearts to think of another before ourselves.

To put someone else’s goals and ambitions ahead of ours.

To put the happiness of someone else as a higher priority than our own.

When we are able to love in this manner and kill our own selfishness we truly blossom.

We are at our best and our happiest when we love in this fashion.

Make it a great day.

Jake