https://youtu.be/1k8craCGpgs

This song seemed appropriate in honor of Mavidea’s anniversary this week.

Don’t stop believing – that it can and will get better.

That our team, processes, clients and relationships will get better.

Don’t stop believing that a team of people doing business for the right reasons can and will succeed. That our future is bright and worth working for.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are. – Bertolt Brecht

Change is a constant. We will all experience change.

Probably not in the way we want or on the timeframe we prefer, but it will happen.

This is good to know when going through something difficult – it will change.

This is hard to stomach when things are the way you like them – it will change.

Having the perspective of being present is helpful.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Below is an excerpt from Band of Brothers.

It is an amazing story about an amazing group of men.

This story stuck out to me because it shows how difficult battle and war can be for a person, but that hope and love can always win out.

Let’s be thankful for the service of others and spread hope and love wherever we can.

Make it a great day.

Jake

From Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose –

Sgt. Skinny Sisk also had a hard time shaking his war memories. In July 1991, he wrote Winters to explain. "My career after the war was trying to drink away the truckload of Krauts that I had stopped in Holland and the die-hard Nazi that I went up into the Bavarian Alps and killed. Old Moe Alley made a statement that all the killings that I did was going to jump into the bed with me one of these days and they surely did. I had a lot of flash backs after the war and started drinking. Ha! Ha!

Then my sister’s little daughter, four-years old, came into my bedroom (I was too unbearable to the rest of the family, either hung over or drunk) and she told me that Jesus loved me and she loved me and if I would repent God would forgive me for all the men I kept trying to kill all over again.

That little girl got to me. I put her out of my room, told her to go to her mommy. There and then I bowed my head on my mother’s old feather bed and repented and God forgave me for the war and all the other bad things I had done down through the years. I was ordained in the latter part of 1949 into the ministry and believe me, Dick, I haven’t whipped but one man since and he needed it. I have four children, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

The Lord willing and Jesus tarrys and I hope to see you all at the next reunion. If not I’ll see you on the last jump. I know you won’t freeze in the door.

Resending this daily attitude email from around the same time as the original to yesterday’s went out. Bill’s birthday was yesterday this year, but this email still rings true.

Today is my brother Bill’s birthday.

He may not know it but he had a part to play in Mavidea getting to 15 years old too.

Part of my plan if things had gone sour was to move in to my brother’s basement (he owed us from when we let him live in our basement for a while after college). Maybe not the most well thought out plan (I had many like this), but it let me be a little more free with the idea of taking on some risk and making some of the hard choices early on.

Many of you on the DAE list were part of those back up plans and hair brained ideas about how to make this thing work whether you knew it or not. Having loved ones, friends, family, etc. around in case things went sideways made things easier and less stressful (and still do). The list of who deserves a thank you here is too long to type up, but if you’re getting this email – you’re on it.

The point here is that we can risk the small stuff (businesses failing, money, jobs, etc.) if we have the big stuff (relationships, love, family, friendships) in place.

The love and support of family and friends helped Mavidea become something it wouldn’t have been otherwise.

Who needs your love and support?

How many lives might be enriched through this support?

Happy Birthday Uncle Bill and thanks for the support!

Make it a great day.

Jake

Mavidea officially is turned 18!

Here’s a daily attitude email I sent out on our 15th anniversary – still holds true today.

Today is the day we recognize Mavidea’s 15th anniversary (I think we figured out one time it was technically the 4th or something).

Maybe I’m just getting old and nostalgic but I’ve had the opportunity to share a few of the Mavidea stories from over the years in the last few months.

All the stories have something in common – they were moments when we decided the kind of company we were going to be.

We were going to make sure the employees got paid even if the owners didn’t.

We were going to drop everything and drive a hurting employee to the emergency room.

We were going to keep pushing even though it all seems dark, we were out of money and it sure didn’t feel like things were going to change.

We were going to be transparent with staff and share our plans, financials and other business details so that we could all be in it together.

We were going to put people first.

Over time we became Mavidea (and now Maxlider, Technocentra, etc.). We turned into a company that made it to 15 years. We survived the Great Recession, COVID and Erik in a too tight bunny suit. We survived losing our biggest client, losing staff and partners that left.

All through God’s grace and mercy. As the years rack up, I’m more and more thankful for God’s blessings. I feel lucky to be a part of the story that He is telling through our business. ALL of the stories point to Him. Not to the owners, the staff, our brilliant decisions, the technology, the strategy, or any of the other important pieces to the puzzle.

Thanks to all of you who receive this email – even if you don’t work at Mavidea – you’ve been a part of the story. You’ll be part of the future story. The part where it gets really good. The part where we change and grow into something even more amazing.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/dTYOkcRH220?si=MIe-Fa9PTLHjESbc

Searching for a higher love.

Everyone is looking to be full known and still loved.

To have our faults and idiosyncrasies known and accepted.

A good starting point is giving that kind of love to another.

To find it in your heart to love them in spite of all the reasons to hold back.

Choose carefully, but give it all you’ve got.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – for those of us who are Chrisitans we know that only God is capable of the highest form of this kind of love. He knows everything about us and chooses to love us in a way that is uncompromising and is perfect in every way.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23

I saw a pastor speaking on this the other day and he made the point "the fruit is not for the tree".

I liked the new perspective on this verse.

We work together with the Holy Spirit to produce fruit – for others to enjoy.

So that we can be of service to those around us in an exceptional way.

It’s not about us.

It’s about others.

Make it a great day.

Jake

You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. – Jeremy Renner

I’ve been listening to the interview with Jeremy on Joe Rogan. In the interview he tells about the accident he was in and his recovery since then.

He was faced with some very serious injuries and seems to have recovered well and has a great attitude about it all.

We will all face difficulties in life. Some big and some small.

Strength can be found in these difficulties.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – the Bible talks about finding joy in the strength of the Lord. No difficulty is too big for God. His strength can get you through anything.

True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. —Arthur Ashe

To serve others at whatever the cost.

What a great description of Memorial Day.

A day where we celebrate those who paid the ultimate price.

For us.

Because they believed we were worth it. Worth the sacrifice, no matter how great.

Humbling.

Grateful.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/7rAV5OzYO14?si=Z_jVQTRN7cNfGAgt

Come on – get happy.

When we are down or frustrated – hard to hear.

It’s hard to think that we just need to get happy. As if a switch can be flipped.

Life doesn’t appear to work that way.

But there is a way to get happy – it takes small steps continued over a period of time.

Our job is to take the small steps. Again and again.

Towards joy. As a journey, not a destination.

Listen to a song that makes you happy. Take a small step today.

Make it a great day.

Jake