https://youtu.be/moSFlvxnbgk

This seemed appropriate given some cold and wintery weather expected to continue this weekend.

Let it go. Part of starting a new year is letting the old stuff go.

Learn the life lesson and move forward.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts. – John Wooden

Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. – C. S. Lewis

This quote from John Wooden reminded me of one of my favorite CS Lewis quotes.

Courage counts because it’s what gets you through when things get hard.

And only by pushing through when things get hard do we grow.

Courage counts when your honesty is tested.

Courage counts when you can be patient or give in.

Courage counts when you have to pick an apple over that donut.

Courage counts when you tell someone no in order to honor your previous yes.

In these small moments, a courageous person is built.

Make it a great day.

Jake

One month down already in 2021. Time for honest reflection on how you are doing.

Sit down with your accountability partner and take an honest look at how it’s going.

Be brutally honest.

Face the facts.

Grit your teeth and bare down and get to work if you haven’t made any progress.

Celebrate the wins if you’ve had them.

Resolve to make February an even better month.

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

What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

There is beauty and meaning in difficulty.

Life hasn’t been easy for many over the last year. Some probably feel like they’ve been wandering through the desert.

Some have made the choice to find joy and beauty in the difficulty while others have wallowed in self-pity and despair.

Which end of the spectrum have you been on?

What might you do to find more beauty and joy?

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/mye1aCskFcM

We all know that MC Hammer is the place to go when looking for wisdom.

Ok, maybe not, but he got this one right.

Many of the conversations I’ve had with others in the last year fall into the category of “worried about the future”.

The future of country…

The future of our family….

The future of our business….

The election. The economy. The environment. Violence. Racism.

Lots to worry about.

Hammer says we have no choice but to pray – every day. Our ability to change the future feels so small and insignificant. The proper response – make ourselves smaller. Get on our knees and admit our inability to control everything and reach out to God for the strength and wisdom to do our part.

You’ve got to pray to make it today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Don’t think, just do. – Horace

Simple and sweet.

What popped into your head after you read that quote?

Something nagging in the back of your mind?

Something you’ve been meaning to do?

Something you wish you could do?

Get started. Take a step today. Take two if you’re feeling ambitious.

Make it a great day.

Jake

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough. – Meister Eckhart

Gratitude is a great way to get started on a new day and a new year.

Find something to be thankful for today.

Say it. Out loud.

I’m thankful for….

If it’s a person – tell them.

Make it a great day.

Jake

If you would be loved, love, and be loveable. – Benjamin Franklin

Simple, straightforward advice from Mr. Franklin on this one.

We all desired to be loved.

In order to be loved we should love others.

In order to be loved we should endeavor to become loveable.

Start working in this direction. Today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe in the most. That people are basically good; that honor, courage, and virtue mean everything; that power and money, money and power mean nothing; that good always triumphs over evil; and I want you to remember this, that love… true love never dies. You remember that, boy. You remember that. Doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. You see, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in. – Hub McCann – Secondhand Lions

We watched Secondhand Lions with the kids over the weekend, and these lines stuck out to me as they do every time I watch the movie.

The movie is about a young boy who has been let down by his mother who has to learn to believe that there may, in fact, be good in the world.

We are all like this boy from time to time. We need to be reminded that there is good in the world. That some things are worth believing in.

Today it’s all too easy to go through our days full of cynicism and suspiciousness. It’s true that evil forces are at work against us.

But joy and love are worth fighting for.

Good will win out in the end.

God loves us.

Choose to be a believer today. Act as if true love never dies.

Make it a great day.

Jake