We recently watched “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” and it reminded me of this email I had sent a few years back.

https://youtu.be/5zCy3EWs9Q0

Let’s go.

No excuses.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“What’s done is done. There is no need to speak to Edmund about what has passed.” – Aslan from “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”

I was watching this movie recently and heard these lines and they really stuck out to me.

In the movie, Edmund’s character had just made it back after committing an act of treachery. Aslan gave him a “talking to” and then told everyone else the lines above.

We all need someone who can give us the stern talking to when we’ve stepped out of line.

But that isn’t what really stuck out to me.

What stuck out to me in particular was the idea of letting the past be the past. No need to talk about it again.

From both perspectives.

If we are the one needing forgiveness, to let things go and move forward. Not to dwell on our mistakes but to learn from them and move forward.

If we are the ones forgiving, to not bring it up again. To let our loved ones grow and move forward from their past.

Let go of past transgressions. What’s done is done. No need to speak of it again.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I believe that every human mind feels pleasure in doing good to another. Thomas Jefferson

What a great thought for the day.

We can be happier if we do good for others.

Lucky for us the opportunities for this good are all around.

Do something good for someone today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught. – Winston Churchill

It takes humility to open yourself up to being taught.

In order to learn, our mind has to be open to new ideas and ways of doing things.

If you find you are stuck on something and can’t seem to start that new habit, kick that old habit or move into a higher gear; maybe that you are stuck on your own pride.

Maybe pride is stopping you from seeing that piece of information or person who can help you through.

Next step you feel stuck, look to see if your pride is in the way. Then move right past it and ask for help.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter his loneliness. – Norman Cousins

Quotes like this remind me to reach out.

Reach out to loved ones.

Reach out to friends.

Be nice to the waitress.

Hold the door for the stranger.

Smile at the passerby.

It seems a little less lonely when a kind act is being offered.

Shatter some loneliness today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/c6rP-YP4c5I

We watched Zootopia last night and this song stuck out to me again.

It’s a great reminder to try new things, make mistakes, learn and grow.

What’s something new you could try?

Make it a great day.

Jake

“But you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

I live with a couple of Harry Potter super fans so there is a lot of Potter talk around the house. Like all good novels, the Potter series includes some good life lessons along the way.

This quote is a great reminder for all of us.

Often the darkness in our lives could be quickly vanquished if we could just find the strength to turn on the light.

We wallow and stew about how dark it is, forgetting the light switch is right inside of us.

Turn on the light today.

Focus on the bright, wonderful light inside of you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Real joy comes not from ease or riches or from the praise of men, but from doing something worthwhile." – Wilfred Grenfell

It’s easy to get caught up in chasing stuff and the respect and admiration of others.

But real joy comes from doing something worthwhile.

Worthwhile is open for interpretation though, so we lose sight of the important in exchange for the tangible and temporary.

We lose sight of the fact that our relationships are worthwhile.

Things like hanging out with the kids, taking your spouse on a date, or spending time with a friend.

How are you spending your time?

Are you doing something worthwhile?

Make it a great day.

Jake

There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. – Franklin D. Roosevelt

Going forward is the key.

It’s funny, we sure are good at convincing ourselves of the need to stand still.

We hem and haw and put things off.

We worry and calculate.

We let small obstacles become mountains.

If only we could apply all that creativity to moving forward.

What have you been stuck on?

What has been excused and explained away only to standstill?

Move forward today.

Make it a great day.

Jake