Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen. Conan O’Brien
I especially like the kind part.
So much of our lives would be richer and better with a little more kindness.
Let’s all work to be a little more kind today.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little. – Edmund Burke
This reminds me of the idea from Andy Stanley who says something like “do for one what you wish you could do for everyone.”
Wish you could help the poor – help just one person today.
Wish you could help children – volunteer to help a kid today.
Wish you could solve world hunger – feed somebody.
Wish there was more peace – let something go today.
We live in a time and place of comfort, of ease, and it requires thought and discipline to actively pursue a different path than selfishness and greed.
Be thoughtful and kind today. Do something meaningful for another person today. It doesn’t have to be huge – just meaningful.
Make it a great day.
Jake
I wanna try even though I could fail
I won’t give up, no I won’t give in
Till I reach the end
And then I’ll start again
No I won’t leave
I wanna try everything
I wanna try even though I could fail
I don’t know about you, but I fail. A lot.
In my old age, I am trying hard to see this as a positive.
It’s only when we let comfort and the status quo take over that we really fail.
We can’t experience the great things in life without trying new things and putting ourselves out there.
Sure, it can be painful. And nobody likes to fail.
But it’s worth it.
Growth and positive momentum requires failure.
What’s something new you could try this weekend?
Make it a great day.
Jake
Looking for something to try….how about dancing?
If you’re going through hell, keep going. – Winston Churchill
I don’t have the context for this quote but I imagine it as Churchill with a cigar in his mouth, a glass of whiskey in his hand, standing over a giant WWII map table thing and barking it to his generals.
We all face hardships.
We all have our tougher battles to face.
Keep going.
If you can’t keep going, ask someone else to pull you through. Just don’t stop.
I don’t know your individual situation.
I’m sure that this advice is much easier to give than to receive (or to do).
But you can do it.
You can push through.
You can slay those demons.
You can push through this current hell.
And if you aren’t battling something right now, find someone to help.
Find someone to pull through to the other side.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Not all time in life is equal. – Jim Collins
Not all time in life is equal. Some moments hold greater significance than others. Some moments require greater attention than others.
Today we are all reminded of one of those moments. September 11th was a moment when the course of history changed.
For those that died, those last moments were unequal.
For those that risked their lives to save others, those moments were unequal.
For those that fought battles on foreign soil in order to make sure it doesn’t happen again, those moments were unequal.
For those that hugged their loved ones a little tighter that night, those moments were unequal.
Not all time in life is equal. Some moments require more of us. They require us to dig deep and perform, love, hope, and have more faith than we have ever had before.
In this time we can create something wonderful.
We can create a nation united.
We can create a family filled with love.
We can create a force for good in this world.
We must take advantage of the unequal times in our lives.
Let’s get started today.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
So much of our experience is born out of our perspective and attitudes.
Two people can look at the same sunset but have a different experience.
Resetting our perspectives to create more joy and happiness is a lifelong pursuit.
Where might a resetting of perspective serve you well?
Do you struggle with contentment and need to change that perspective?
Do you struggle with selfishness and need to change that perspective?
Do you struggle with….?
We can change our perspective by experiencing new things and being thoughtful about the world around us.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Something to get you started….switch from thinking of things happening to you and start thinking of things happening for you.
"Every person you have ever met, every person you will pass in the street today, is going to die. … All are going to lose everything they love in this world. Why would one want to be anything but kind to them in the meantime?" – Sam Harris
Kindness – there is no excuse not to show kindness to others.
Kindness starts at home.
Make a special effort to not waste another day not being kind to those closest to you.
Make it a great day.
Jake
I know I’ve sent this one out a few times over the years, and it still makes me smile every time.
It’s a great reminder to do and be our best.
And it’s also a reminder to celebrate the gifts God has given to each of us.
Make it a great day.
Jake
You is kind.
You is smart.
You is important.
For those of you who don’t know this scene, it is from “The Help”. It is a really dramatic moment in the (very good) movie where racial tensions have come to a head.
Amidst all the turmoil, the 9 words above really stuck out to me. By teaching these three short lines to that little girl, the nanny in the scene likely had a more profound impact on that girl than anything else.
What we say to ourselves and believe about ourselves is really important.
The soundtrack in our head determines where we think we are capable of going.
Imagine if someone had placed these three simple lines into your head when you were little.
Now imagine if you planted them in there for yourself, today.
What difference might that make in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years?
For those of us who have the chance to influence a young one (or more), what if you started with them today? What if you made that investment?
For all of us, what if you found someone and just said a simple kind word to them?
Remember:
You is kind.
You is smart.
You is important.
Make it a great day.
Jake
“Some people say it is wrong to regard life as a game. I don’t think so. Life to me means the greatest of all games.
The danger lies in treating it as a trivial game, a game to be taken lightly, and a game in which the rules don’t matter much.
The rules matter a great deal. The game has to be played fairly, or it is no game at all. And even to win the game is not the chief end.
The chief end is to win honorably and splendidly. To this chief end several things are necessary.
Loyalty is one. Discipline is another. Unselfishness is another. Courage is another. Optimism is another. And Chivalry is another."
The above quote is from Ernest Shackleton.
For some reason quotes from that long ago (he passed away in 1922) really stand out to me.
Seems to me that he hit the nail on the head and he didn’t even have Google or a smartphone to help him.
Read it over a time or two.
Let it sink in a little.
Then get to winning.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Practical Steps for Friendship, Unity and Intimacy in Your Marriage
