The way to get things done is not to mind who gets the credit for doing them. Benjamin Jowett

In the book “The Go Giver” Bob Burg outlines what he calls the Law of Receptivity – only by being open to receiving do we allow others the opportunity to give.

This was my biggest takeaway from the book.

The quote above reminded me of this.

When we don’t worry about getting the credit or about who does what, when we are open to have others do for us or on our behalf; we give them the opportunity to give and be of service.

So much of our happiness is dependent on our ability to be of useful service.

We get more done and create more happiness when we open to others helping (and getting the credit).

Some of my favorite Mavidea moments have been the times when a Mavidean gets the credit for being of service to someone.

Look for opportunities to help others be of service. For opportunities to work together and forget about who gets the credit.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Yesterday I watched most of the final round of The Masters (golf tournament) on the line.

In the end, Tiger Woods completed one of sports all time greatest comeback stories by winning after his fall from grace and many injuries that have kept him off his game for a long time.

What struck me most was the crowd’s reaction.

They celebrated.

They cheered.

They forgave.

Tiger is an imperfect champion who has done things most people would have a hard time forgiving.

But the crowd was with him. They forgave his transgressions and welcomed his show of excellence.

It seemed fitting to me that this would happen the Sunday before Easter.

God has done the same thing for all of us.

He knows all the little faults and transgressions. Each of them feels to Him as egregious as anything Tiger has done.

And yet….

Anytime we show up for Him with excellence he stands and cheers. Chants our name. Tears of joy cover His face.

At least that’s how I imagine it.

He’s a fan of the best of version of you. As if you were the only one playing the game.

Watching the crowd treat Tiger like that reminded me just how lucky I am to know a God that feels the same for me.

If you think I’ve taken too much a leap here in connecting all this to God (that seems like me), think instead about your closest loved ones.

Think about cheering like that for them.

Think about performing for them in a way that deserves cheering.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/79DijItQXMM

This song is catchy and kind of fun and it illustrates the main characters downfall – pride.

CS Lewis identified pride as the major obstacle in becoming our best self.

Here’s a quote:

What but to thank God for the “excellent absurdity” which enables us, if it so happen, to play great parts without pride and little ones without dejection, rejecting nothing through that false modesty which is only another form of pride, and never, when we occupy for a moment the centre of the stage, forgetting that the play would have gone off just as well without us . . . This is the spirit which ought to govern even the smallest and most temporary assumptions of the higher place . . .

Every time I read his thoughts on pride I am reminded that I still have work to do.

Challenge yourself – take a hard line on pride.

Work to remove its effects completely in your life.

Maybe start by reading some CS Lewis….

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://seths.blog/2019/03/busy-is-not-the-point/

Saw this great post from Seth Godin the other day and a few things stood out. In particular:

“No points for busy.

Points for successful prioritization. Points for efficiency and productivity. Points for doing work that matters.

No points for busy.”

Busy doing what? That’s a question I try to ask myself frequently.

What really ate up your day?

What are you really spending your time on?

When I look hard at answering these questions two things stand out:

I waste more time than I would care to admit and using time as the excuse for not doing something meaningful is just that – an excuse.

And that I spend a lot of time doing “ordinary” things.

Driving to work.

Taking a shower.

Doing the dishes.

Instructing (sometimes too loudly) the children.

I end up feeling challenged to add meaning to the little stuff of life.

The Bible says “rejoice always, pray continuously and give thanks in all circumstances”.

Always, continuously and all seem pretty inclusive to me – this means I need to find it in me to find joy, pray and be thankful even when brushing my teeth or taking out the trash.

Busy doing what? Hopefully being joyful, praying and being thankful.

What are you busy doing?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Today, Annie turns 10. I found the email below that I sent out on her 8th birthday….

Today marks Annie’s 8th birthday.

She is such an awesome kid.

She is also a middle child. I’ve tried to use this as a teaching moment for her over the years.

It’s easy to feel like being the middle child means not quite getting to do what the oldest gets to do while not quite getting the attention the youngest gets.

I’ve encouraged Annie to adopt a different attitude.

I often tell her “You have a special role in our family. You are the only one that gets to be a big sister AND a little sister.”

It’s so easy in life to compare ourselves to others and think about what we don’t have or what would like instead of what we have.

But I’m convinced that God has a special role and place for each of us.

For some of us, all that stands in the way of embracing that role is a change of attitude.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://www.facebook.com/nancy.starczyk/posts/10157696697934881

Brian O shared this link with me yesterday.

It’s a great picture of what it looks like to let go of our excuses and push through.

Imagine competing at the highest level and having to do so with shoes you found in the garbage.

Life is full of garbage shoes.

Things that don’t quite go your way.

Opportunities that seem to be out of reach.

We can make excuses or we can push through.

Choose to push through today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. – Eleanor Roosevelt

This quote reminded me of playing video games when I was younger. The moment when you are “reset” and you are given new life (or lives) to start over with.

It’s the moment when the past failures are moved on from and you begin again anew.

It’s a new day. You have been given 24 more hours to work with. Let’s get started.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/Dp7KfG9AjaY

Joy to the world.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 New International Version (NIV)

This is one of my favorite Bible verses, and the rejoice always has been stuck in my mind lately.

I don’t know about you, but I fall short on the “rejoice always” one more than the other two.

Look for joy today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Faith is allowing ourselves to be seized by the things we do not see. – Martin Luther

In “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill he talked a lot about faith. He told the stories of Edison, Ford and others like them to illustrate that these success stories were born through extreme faith. They all latched on to a vision of the future and never lost faith that it would come to be reality.

The quote above reminded me of this because of his use of the word seized.

Many of the great success stories could be written using that description.

Henry Ford was seized by the idea of creating an affordable car.

Thomas Edison was seized by the idea of creating a light bulb.

The question for each of us is: What has seized me?

Are we seized by worry, jealousy, and fear?

Or are we seized by prosperity, contentment and joy?

We do not have to invent the next light bulb to be able to have faith in a big idea that will seize us and lead us to success and happiness.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all. – George Christoph Lichtenberg

I like this quote even though I have a sneaky suspicion it might be a little sarcastic.

Arnold keeps talking to the leadership group about being “self-quieted” and this quote reminded me of that.

The Bible talks about giving up one’s life – this is what I think it is really suggesting – letting go of the selfish desires and opinions that keep us from real selfless service and connection with others.

Imagine what it might look like to have no opinions.

Imagine what it might look like to really be self-quieted.

Imagine a life spent selflessly in service through love.

It wouldn’t be easy. It might not be possible to bat 1,000 on this one.

I’m not even sure that I’m capable of really describing it – but I am sure that there is something worth pursuing there.

That the end result of a more self-quieted life is better than the end result of a life with more selfishness and ego.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – I’m doubtful that having zero opinions is really the path to selflessness and bliss. I’m sure that opinions are not the culprit. I also suspect that most of us could use some improvement on our opinions of our opinions.