Alex got us talking about this classic the other day so I thought everyone should get to listen.
It always reminds me of weddings.
A bunch of people being willing to get out on the dance floor and have fun together.
It may look goofy and they may not know the steps, but there are smiles all around.
Do something fun and goofy today.
Make it a great day.
Jake
PS – If you would like to shoot a video of you doing the electric slide and send it to me, I’d be glad to send it to the group.
The most accurate measure of your maturity is how well you react to another person’s brokenness. ~ Peter Haas
This quote represents quite the challenge.
We all wish to be mature.
We all want to be the best version of ourselves.
All too often we let ourselves react to the brokenness of those around in less than ideal ways.
We are all broken in some way or another.
We all fall short of perfection.
It’s how we react to the brokenness of others that defines our character.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Below is a story that illustrates an important point – we all desire to be loved. Most (all?) of the people you meet today will be thinking or expressing this thought in some way.
Read the story and think about how you could show love today.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Do You Want Me?
by Park York
I rise early on this Friday, as I do every day, to prepare coffee and mix a protein shake. The television news plays quietly in the corner. Flossie, my wife, is still asleep.
Sometime after eight, she begins floating out of slumber. I bring the shake to her bedside, put the straw in her mouth, and give her cheek a little pat as she begins to drink. Slowly the liquid recedes.
I sit there holding the glass, thinking about the past eight years. At first, she asked only an occasional incoherent or irrelevant question; otherwise she was normal. I tried for two years to find out what was wrong. She grew agitated, restless, defensive; she was constantly tired and unable to hold a conversation.
At last, a neurologist diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease. He said he wasn’t sure–a firm diagnosis could come only from examining brain tissue after death. There is no known cause for this malady. And no known cure.
I enrolled Flossie in a day care center for adults. But she kept wandering off the property. We medicated her to keep her calm. Perhaps from receiving too much of one drug, she suffered a violent seizure that left her immeasurably worse: lethargic, incontinent, and unable to speak clearly or care for herself. My anguish gradually became resignation. I gave up all plans of retirement travel, recreation, visits to see grandchildren–the golden era older people dream about.
The years have passed, and my days have become routine, demanding, lonely, seemingly without accomplishment to measure. Flossie has gradually dropped in strength and weight, from 125 pounds to 86. I take some time to work with a support group and to attend church, but the daily needs keep me feeding, bathing, diapering, changing beds, cleaning house, fixing meals, dressing and undressing her, and doing whatever else a nurse and homemaker does, morning to night.
Occasionally, a word bubbles up from the muddled processes of Flossie’s diseased brain. Sometimes relevant, sometimes the name of a family member, or the name of an object. Just a single word.
On this Friday morning, after she finishes her shake, I give her some apple juice, then massage her arms and caress her forehead and cheeks. Most of the time her eyes are closed, but today she looks up at me, and suddenly her mouth forms four words in a row.
“Do you want me?” Perfect enunciation, softly spoken. I want to jump for joy. “Of course I want you,
Flossie!” I say, hugging and kissing her. And so, after months of total silence, she has put together the most sincere question a human being can ask. She speaks, in a way, for people everywhere: those shackled by sin, addiction, hunger, thirst, mental illness, physical pain–frightened, enervated people afraid of the answer, but desperate enough to frame the question anyway.
And, Flossie, I can answer you even more specifically. It may be difficult for you to understand what’s happening. That’s why I’m here, to minister God’s love to you, to bring you wholeness, comfort, and release. Mine are the hands God uses to do His work, just as He uses others’ hands in other places. In spite of our shortcomings, we strive to make people free, well, and happy, blessing them with hope for the future while bringing protein shakes every morning.
. . .
Unlike so many people today, this gentleman who so gently cared for his wife clearly understood the meaning of commitment. As her mind and body deteriorated with no hope for a cure, he willingly abandoned the hopes and dreams he had worked to achieve. She needed him desperately, and he would be there for her, even though she could give nothing back–not even a rational “thank you.” This, in all its magnificence– and sorrow–is the meaning of love.
No doubt you have dreams of your own for the rest of your married life. Just remember that God may have other plans that depend on your unswerving commitment to each other–no matter what.
– James C Dobson
* “Do You Want Me?” by Park York. Taken from the June 1989 issue of the Christian Herald. Reprinted by permission of the Christian Herald.
Reminder only this morning.
Today is the start of Q4.
If you’ve got some goals or plans you wanted to finish this year, the clock is ticking.
Make it a great day.
Jake
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
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.
Jakeu
This is Annie’s favorite song lately.
I think she likes the inspirational video clips the most.
But I’d like to suggest one change.
Change all the I’s to We’s.
Champions don’t exist without a “we” involved.
It can’t be done on your own.
You become a champion by being part of a great team.
Make it a great day.
Jake
The dog that trots about finds a bone. – Golda Meir
Action is required if progress is desired.
Struggling with something?
Find a way to get up and move around.
Go look for a book to read.
Go look for a mentor.
Go look for a new customer.
Go walk around the block.
Go make a new friend.
Get moving.
Make it a great day.
Jake
“There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater.
But sometimes it doesn’t.
Sometimes it is nothing more than gritting your teeth through pain, and the work of every day, the slow walk toward a better life.
That is the sort of bravery I must have now.”
― Veronica Roth, Allegiant
Most of us don’t live our lives on the high wire – most of us aren’t cops, firefighters, soldiers, etc. (a big thank you to all of them!) risking our lives in daring fashion to save and protect those around us.
Most of us need the second kind of courage and bravery mentioned above.
The courage to stand up the day to day struggles to be a less selfish and more kind person.
The courage to stand up to a culture and peer pressures that can lead us away from our own values.
The courage to be the kind of husband, father, friend, coworker we’d really like to be.
Today, I’d like to encourage you to look for the little moments of courage and to be brave in those moments.
It might take all the courage you can muster to say “no” to that cupcake after lunch.
It might take all the courage you can muster to be kind to that person who doesn’t deserve it.
You can do it. You can push through. Even if just a little.
You can build your courage muscle. Little by little. Day by day.
Make it a great day.
Jake
"It’s never crowded along the extra mile." – Wayne Dyer
We feel a tremendous pressure to “fit in” and “be normal”.
We fall into the trap of “doing what everyone else is doing” only to find ourselves disappointed.
We try to be like “most people”.
Only to find out that:
“Most people” are overweight.
“Most people” are in debt.
“Most people” are getting a divorce.
“Most people” hate their job.
“Most people” are ruled by their stuff.
It’s taken me a long time to realize this, but I don’t want to be like “most people”.
And I don’t think you should either.
What is something you could start doing today to move away from trying to be like “most people”? What’s a small, positive step away from the crowd that makes sense for you?
Make it a great day.
Jake
Saturday marked 9 years since I sent this first daily attitude email.
Thank you.
Thank you for letting me send you emails so often and for so long.
Thanks for all the comments and encouragement over the years.
Thanks for reading.
Sending this has been very helpful for me and hopefully somewhat helpful to you as well.
They all haven’t been great, but the process and journey has been.
Thanks for making it all worthwhile.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Practical Steps for Friendship, Unity and Intimacy in Your Marriage
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