https://youtu.be/_7xMfIp-irg

The Beatles get played a lot in our house.

This song is a great reminder that love is all you need.

Each day is an opportunity to prioritize and lean into love.

Whether it be with our spouse or a waitress taking our order, we have the chance to infuse our interactions with love.

Andy Stanley talks about making decisions based on the question “What does love require of me?”

We can choose to treat others with love and make that our priority each day.

In the end, love will lead us to the good in life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I was looking through old daily attitude emails and found one where I shared a bunch of CS Lewis quotes.

Here they are again, sure to be something in this list to get you thinking today.

Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.

Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.

We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.

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

Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind.

Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.

Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.

Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.

Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours.

What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’ Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life." -Mary Kay Ash

We are all in need of encouragement and desire to feel important.

Not in a false or flattering kind of way, but in an authentic and genuine kind of way.

This simple truth can propel all of us towards better and longer lasting relationships.

I know that I’m at my best when I’m genuinely and thoughtfully doing my best to think of and serve the needs of others.

What could you do to make someone feel important today?

What email could you send?

What call could you make?

Who deserves an honest “look you in the eye” thank you?

Make it a point today to make someone else feel important.

Make it a great day.

Jake

What you reap, you also sow.

We have all heard some version of this. Whether we read it in the Bible or a newer version of it in books like “The Go-Giver”, this little truth has been around for a long time.

One of the important things to realize about this is that it is like gravity. It is there whether you are paying attention or not. It is there whether you are purposeful about leveraging it or are just dealing with the consequences of it.

Each and every day, we are sowing seeds that will grow.

We are sowing seeds in each interaction we have with others.

We are sowing seeds through our daily habits.

We are sowing seeds through our thoughts and attitudes.

The question becomes, what are you sowing?

An inexperienced gardener doesn’t know the difference between a carrot seed and a tomato seed. An inexperienced gardener doesn’t know whether the seeds he just planted need lots of sun or room to grow.

This is where most of us get stuck. Without some wisdom and knowledge, we aren’t sure what seeds we are sowing or what to do with them once they are planted.

Fortunately, there is help.

First, we can look at the fruit we currently have. This is a great way to learn what kinds of seeds you are sowing. Take stock in your life. Look around and see what kind of fruits are growing. Then decide if you want more or less of a certain fruit.

Second, we can read books. All kinds of people have written books about their experiences sowing seeds and the fruits they experienced. Reading a book can help you determine whether those seeds you are sowing are carrots or tomatoes and what is the best way to get the most fruit you can from them.

Lastly, we can ask a mentor or coach. Asking someone else to help us identify the seeds we are planting and the fruit we are growing can illustrate how we could do things differently. They can also share their experiences and show us the results they have gotten from sowing similar seeds.

Make it a great day of sowing.

Jake

To see things in the seed, that is genius. Lao Tzu

We all must learn to be patient with ourselves a little.

Be kind and compassionate to yourself.

The new seeds in you require your belief and patience.

Be patient with yourself and the new habits you desire.

Be kind to yourself when things don’t go well.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – Unless you need a kick in the pants….then do that and get on with it. (I wish I always knew which one needed to be applied when.)

https://youtu.be/gte3BoXKwP0

Imagine if you actually had a pocketful of sunshine.

Something that you could access at any time to brighten your mood.

Maybe it isn’t possible to put sunshine in your pocket, but you could probably find something to carry with you to brighten your day.

Some pictures of loved ones.

A piece of jewelry from a loved one.

A bible verse written on a piece of paper.

Make life a little easier on yourself by carrying around a pocketful of sunshine.

Make it a great day.

Jake

No plan survives first contact.

This is a military saying that means the plan always changes after the first contact with the enemy.

The same is true in our personal lives.

No exercise plan survives the first time you get sick.

No diet plan survives first contact with Doritos.

No financial plan survives first contact with a sale at that fancy shoe store.

Ok, that last one was a stretch for me.

This saying seems a little negative at first, but I think it is secretly positive.

Because no plan survives first contact, we need to be adaptable and flexible and never quit.

If you go into it knowing that things won’t be perfect, you won’t have to be so hard on yourself.

You can have a bad day without giving up.

You can make a mistake or two without having to come up with a whole new plan.

Have you let yourself give up on something important because things went less than perfectly?

Is there something important you need to stick with?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Yesterday’s email and day reminded me of when Meaghan’s aunt passed away a few years ago….

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. – Marcus Aurelius

We spent the last few days with family in Florida celebrating the life of Meaghan’s aunt who recently passed away.

As we remembered her, we remembered how she lived, we remembered the good stuff.

I left inspired to create more of that in my life.

More memories.

More relationships.

More adventure.

Might as well.

Anything on your wish list that you should start on today?

Anyone in your life that needs a visit?

Make it a great day.

Jake

My aunt Marlyn passed away over the weekend and it has me thinking about her.

When I was in college about once a month she sent me a card with a $20 bill in it.

It was always the highlight of the day if one of those cards showed up in the mail.

I’m ashamed to admit that I blew all that money and don’t have much to show for it, but the memory has always stuck with me.

She took the time to find a card, put in some money and mail it off to me.

I don’t know if she did this for a hundred people or just me, I just know it made a difference to me.

It always made me feel special and like someone was rooting for me.

And the lesson I learned is to always look out for those little opportunities to show someone they are loved and that you are rooting for them.

Think of somebody in your life that could use a little pick me up….then send them a card with a $20 bill in it (or whatever works).

Be generous.

Be thoughtful.

Do something small, a couple of times, just to get started.

It will make a difference.

They’ll be talking about it when you’re long gone.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day and it always reminds me of this quote from him.

Yesterday was Meaghan’s birthday and she reminded me of this quote all weekend.

It was her birthday and she spent the weekend picking up the slack for and taking care of her sick husband, son and puppy.

Meaghan has been such a great mother and wife and exemplifies this quote all the time.

She does all the little things without complaint and as well as Michaelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry.

And each day all of us have a chance to follow her example and the spirit of the imagined street sweeper.

How could you step up your game on the little stuff you do today?

Make it a great day.

Jake