Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better. – Albert Camus

In “Man’s Search for Meaning” Viktor Frankl has the idea that the Statue of Liberty (representing freedom) should have a twin on the West Coast – a statue of responsibility.

Freedom is not only a chance to be better, it is an offering to accept the responsibility inherent in making the most of our freedom.

Today is Veteran’s Day. A day to remember those who paid for our freedoms.

I’ve read quite a few books from members of our military over the last few years.

Each time I am inspired to make the most of the freedom they have bought for me.

Even the most heroic and well-meaning soldiers from the stories seem to struggle with coming back and realizing that so many have chosen to squander their great gifts.

Our biggest tribute to the armed forces is a life well lived.

A life spent enjoying the responsibilities of the freedom so dearly bought for us.

Make the most of your chance to be better.

Embrace the responsibility of making the most of your freedom.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” —Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Peter Pan is the boy who never grew up. Something we all probably wished for at some point.

As we get older we can get jaded by this world into thinking in ways that we would have thought pretty dumb when we were kids.

We let go of our childish ways in both good and bad ways.

I wish we could all rekindle at least a few of those ideas in our older years.

The joy in simple things.

Curiosity.

Smiling, laughing and having fun just to have fun.

Not worrying about money or status or fame or whatever.

To go back to a simpler time.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air and you. – Langston Hughes

Monday morning reminder – laugh a lot this week.

Watch the funny show.

Call that funny friend.

Hang out with your spouse and tell those old funny stories.

Watch a funny YouTube video.

Google "dad jokes" and read them until you’re laughing.

Whatever works for you – find some time to laugh.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/DX3o1O8ZsTw?si=f_WMuLGRL7Diyh1Z

Faith.

Something is around the bend.

It could be good. It could be bad. It could be really good. It could be really bad.

Somehow, we’ve got to figure out how to have faith that it will all turn out.

That, in the end, everything will be made right.

Have faith.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. – Samuel Johnson

Most of the greatness we see is actually the accumulation of a whole bunch of work.

The athletes, actors, business people, etc. that we admire have spent a lifetime working to become the best.

If we want to do great things, we too should expect to have to apply the same levels of effort.

We can become great fathers, brothers, friends, coworkers, etc. – if we apply a consistently high level of effort over an extended period of time.

What do you want to be great at?

What kind of practice can you develop to become great at it?

Make it a great day.

Jake

The third in the series of Jim Rohn’s principles to live by in order to leave a lasting legacy:

Maintain integrity at all costs.

I think a lot of us merely think about integrity as the honesty part of the definition.

An interesting second way to define integrity is: the state of being whole and undivided.

Part of having integrity is internal. Did we do what we committed to ourselves to do.

When we don’t meet our own standards, goals or ideals we become divided somehow. It creates a source of stress inside of us.

Integrity also comes as part of our dealings with others.

Do we do the right thing?

Jim Rohn summarizes this by saying "Do what is right all of the time, no matter what the costs."

We must develop this kind of "fanatical integrity" in ourselves in order to build the successful life we want to lead.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Bonus quote on integrity:

The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army or in an office. – Dwight Eisenhower

Plans are nothing; planning is everything. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

I’ve always like this quote.

The process of thinking and writing down our plans is essential.

It will never work out how we planned, but the process sets up our mind to manage and work with whatever happens.

Another lesson here is the planning can be applied to all the important areas of our lives.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines. – Robert H. Schuller

Too often we allow a snag or a hang up stop us from reaching our potential.

The example from my life is working out.

I’ll have a good couple of weeks.

Then I’ll skip a day or two.

For some reason my brain sees it as a stop sign.

Before I wake up a couple of weeks have gone by.

Don’t let a bad day or two be a stop sign. Just get right back on the horse. Let the problems or excuses fall to the side as you push forward.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/Tx1XIm6q4r4

Never been a huge Halloween person. My best version of getting in the Halloween mood has been watching the Harry Potter movies with the family.

This song is one of those that might ruin your day as it gets stuck in your brain and is just weird and strange enough to stick around for a while.

The stories from the Potter series are a reminder of what’s good about Halloween.

For a few minutes we get to imagine things outside of the ordinary.

To believe in magic and dragons and elves and magical beasts of all kinds.

Make it a great day.

Jake

When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves. – Viktor E. Frankl

I’ve started reading Man’s Search for Meaning again. In the book Viktor tells his story of his experience in the Nazi concentration camps.

This quote means so much more thinking about his experience.

He experienced one of the worst atrocities to ever happen and his response was to "be challenged to change himself".

If he can do that, we can surely face our daily trials and tribulations with a similar attitude.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – Man’s Search for Meaning is on my top 10 books list – highly recommended.