I started reading “Ego is the Enemy” a few days ago and then came across this old daily attitude email.

“This is the true joy in life: Being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and, as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” – George Bernard Shaw

Does this describe you:

A mighty purpose….

A force of nature….

Or does this describe you:

A feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances…

Complaining that the whole world will not devote itself to making you happy…

We all have the same opportunity to find our purpose. To clarify as best we can. To live it every day.

And when we do….

Our splendid torch, which we have a hold for the moment, will burn brightly before we pass it on to the next generations.

The beginning of the year is a great time to contemplate our purpose again and to pursue it with everything we’ve got.

Make it a great day.

Jake

A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who can’t read. – Mark Twain

We have so many advantages in this day and time in which we live.

So much information is available to us.

Want to lose weight – the book, blog post, website, YouTuber, etc. is out there.

Want to get rich – the book, blog post, website, YouTuber, etc. is out there.

Want to learn a language – the book, blog post, website, YouTuber, etc. is out there.

Want to be a better person – the book, blog post, website, YouTuber, etc. is out there.

It’s all available 24/7 and at the touch of a button. But it’s no advantage to those of us who won’t read it (or watch it).

Go in search of some good information today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Nothing will work unless you do."— Maya Angelou

Labor Day is a great reminder of the power and inherent value of hard work.

Hard work is a central ingredient in making progress. Forward movement requires effort.

Whatever you are trying to do will require hard work.

It will require you to do more than you are doing today.

I find this uplifting. Hard work is worth it. Disciplined effort pays off in the end.

Let’s get to work.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/oODllqrxrLQ

“The house don’t fall when the bones are good.”

This song is a good reminder to get the important stuff in life right.

Take the time to build a good foundation, to do things right and to make it a priority when it comes to the “bones” of your life.

And be thankful for all the great relationships in your life that are built well.

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

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. – Arthur C. Clarke

We have so much to be thankful for.

We truly live in an amazing time of technological advancement.

It’s up to us to make the most of it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“It is no use saying to the tired ‘mental muscles’… ‘I will give you a good rest,’ ‘I will go for a long walk,’ or ‘I will lie down and think of nothing.’ The mind keeps busy just the same. If it has been weighing and measuring, it goes on weighing and measuring. If it has been worrying, it goes on worrying…It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition…A gifted American psychologist has said, ‘worry is a spasm of the emotion; the mind catches hold to something and will not let it go.’ One can only gently insinuate something else into its convulsive grasp. And if this something else is rightly chosen, if it is really attended by the illumination of another field of interest, gradually, and often quite swiftly, the old undue grip relaxes and the process of recuperation and repair begins.” – Winston Churchill

The Art of Manliness blog has been doing a series of posts on Winston Churchill. This post was discussing the benefits of having a hobby.

Our mind works best when it is given periods of rest and distraction.

Worry and anxiety arise when we can’t stop thinking about something and don’t get any rest or distraction from those thoughts.

Find an engaging hobby. Engage your mental capacities in something besides worry and anxiousness.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The best way out is always through. – Robert Frost

Whatever you are struggling with, going through to the other side will be worth it.

Whatever is happening that you didn’t plan, going through to the other side will be worth it.

You are worth it.

Worth the struggle.

Worth the difficulty.

Why are you worth it? Because you can be of great service and love.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Back to school toe tapper from last year….

https://youtu.be/DHG5-GxI_Es

Back to school today for the Davis kids.

Each year is a reminder of some simple life lessons that will hopefully last a lifetime.

New teachers, new classmates, new books, etc. – life is always changing.

It could be a good year or a not so good year – there are no guarantees of a good/easy time.

Awkwardness and nervousness about all the possibilities – take the risk – it’ll all work out in the end.

New subjects, concepts and ideas – there is always something to learn and growth is possible – but hard.

I’m sure there are a lot more lessons to be had, but it sure feels like I’m still learning these, many years after finishing “school”.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a lot left to learn.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains. – Anne Frank

Maturity check….yep, I still have a ways to go.

For someone in her situation to write or say something like that requires more maturity than I have.

Beauty does remain. If we are mature enough to look for it.

What beauty are you missing?

Make it a great day.

Jake