“Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what you were unable to finish yesterday. Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail.” ~ Og Mandino

Start your day off right.

Let your first hour set the theme for the day.

How do your days usually start?

Try it today to make your first hour a great one.

Read something inspirational.

Exercise.

Hug and kiss your loved ones.

Say a prayer of thanks for all your blessings.

Knock something off your to do list.

Whatever would be a great start to the day for you, do it.

Merry Christmas.

Jake

I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom. ~ Umberto Eco

Today is my dad’s birthday.

The truth of this quote resonates more and more each year.

As I copy and do things instinctively from having watched him for years.

As my kids copy and do things instinctively from having watched me for years.

It’s such a terrible and wonderful responsibility to have that kind of impact on someone.

And I’m lucky to have such a great dad who formed me with all of his little scraps of wisdom.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Who has a harder fight than he who is striving to overcome himself. – Thomas a Kempis

So much of life is overcoming ourselves.

Overcoming our short term desires to meet our long term goals.

Overcoming our selfish desires to serve and love others.

Overcoming our self centered nature to focus on the good we can do for the world around us.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win. – Bobby Knight

Most of the meaningful work happens behind the scenes, ahead of time.

Jim Rohn talks a lot about the kind of person you want to become.

That’s all decided ahead of time, then built through consistent effort over a long period of time.

But it’s also a matter of degrees.

You can change your direction just a little today and get back to a path towards better.

You can change your direction just a little today and move towards ruin and failure.

You can keep heading down the path you are on now, but expect the same results or worse.

You can turn it up a notch and take what you are doing well and do even better.

You get to pick. Not picking is a mistake.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Resending the toe tapper from last year….

https://youtu.be/PEAIJV6CmtA

This is an Irish tune that gets played a lot at our house.

Each time I hear it I am reminded of just how lucky I am (and believe all of us to be).

For some reason that I can’t completely fathom, God is working this wonderful plan for the world that He wants us to be a part of.

He has a special place in that plan for each and every one of us.

He wants us all to be a part of this wonderful dance. To lean into it and live it to our fullest.

St. Patrick’s Day not only celebrates Ireland and Irish culture, it also celebrates St. Patrick himself and the work he did to share God’s love.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Oddly enough, St. Patrick’s Day is a reminder of why America is pretty cool.

In America on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone can be Irish.

We can celebrate the culture of another country in a (mostly) positive way without fear.

We can all be Irish for the day and smile and laugh as one.

Despite our politics and differences we can get along.

I’m not naïve enough to think that all of us get into this spirit on St. Patrick’s Day (or any other holiday for that matter).

But I am almost always surprised by how much of a difference it makes.

Embrace your inner Irishman (or lass) today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

A daily attitude email from St. Patrick’s Day past…

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I went in search of Irish quotes and proverbs.

This one in particular struck at the heart of what I believe to be one of the most endearing of the Irish idiosyncrasies, hospitality.

The Irish are well known for their hospitality and welcoming nature.

I have come to think this is part of what leads to their general cheeriness. Life is best lived through service and hospitality towards others.

When we put others first our best shines through.

Make it a great day filled with happy hospitality.

Jake

Here are some of the other great Irish sayings I found:

It’s easier to halve the potato when there’s love.

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all the year long.

Lose an hour in the morning and you’ll be looking for it all day.

If you buy what you don’t need you might have to sell what you do.

Better good manners than good looks.

You’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind.

Pity him who makes an opinion a certainty.

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” – CS Lewis

The pastor quoted this on Sunday and it was a great reminder.

Something I could probably be reminded of every Sunday for the rest of my life.

Time to get back to work on it….

Make it a great day.

Jake

Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us. – Boris Pasternak

Create some space for a surprise or two this week.

Take a different route to work.

Order something other than your regular for lunch.

Head in to work early.

Stay a little late.

Take an afternoon off.

Do things differently. See what pops up.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – use some discernment here….probably not a good idea to drive to work at 100 mph or take up chainsaw juggling.

https://youtu.be/0fQESUBMwGg

Spring break is right around the corner.

Jim Rohn says something like “make rest a necessity, not an objective”.

I think he means that rest and vacation are good things and part of keeping ourselves at our best.

But they are not the objective of life.

Life is not to be spent resting.

It’s to be spent growing and striving towards a life full of meaning and purpose.

Enjoy some rest this weekend.

Then get back at it on Monday.

Make it a great day.

Jake