I place this day, my life, my loved ones, my work in the Lords hands. There is no harm in the Lords hands, only good. Whatever happens, whatever results, if I am in the Lords hands it is the Lords will and it is good.

Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking

I don’t know about you, but it took me WAY too long to figure out I wasn’t in control.

The last 5 or 6 years have reinforced this for me. I am not in control.

In my better, more mature moments this thought provides peace and freedom.

If I don’t have to be in control, I can be free to do the best I can with what I have.

To make the most of every day.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Today we celebrate President’s Day.

Politics and the presidency are a heated battle these days (and I suppose they always have been). Full of heated arguments on both sides.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of either loving your candidate or hating the other.

To focus on what is wrong with the system and the person in the role.

I like to (at least for President’s Day) at least attempt to respect the office.

Whether I like the person or their policies. Whether I voted for or against.

Whoever is in that role is doing something hard. And at least some part of them is trying to make things better for us.

I try to be thankful for that part of them. To be hopeful that it all works out and things actually do get better, whether I agreed with the path to get there or not.

Maybe it’s a little naive or optimistic to think this way (definitely), but one day won’t hurt…

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/_7xMfIp-irg?si=9VUWj19y1StjtNQx

There’ll be plenty of talk about love this weekend.

Valentine’s Day is a great reminder of the importance of love in our lives.

Focus on the love.

Not the stuff or the commercial side of things.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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