“I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

Psalm 139:14

I f I (JCD) were to draw a caricature of an adult experiencing a lifelong crisis of confidence, I would depict a bowed, weary traveler. Over his shoulder, I would place the end of a mile‐long chain attached to tons of garbage. Inscribed on each piece of junk would be the details of some humiliation–a failure, a rejection, an embarrassment from the past. The traveler could let go of the chain, but he is convinced that he must drag that heavy load throughout life.

The above came from email list I am on.

I really liked this mental picture as a reminder that we can let go of all the junk holding us back.

We really don’t have to beat ourselves up over all the dumb stuff we’ve done in the past.

We really don’t have to beat ourselves up over the weight we’ve gained.

We really don’t have to beat ourselves up over the money we’ve wasted.

We should do something about all of those things. Move forward. With reckless abandon and confidence.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/jVsqDdqZb2g

Maggie turns 12 today so I figured I would send out one of favorites lately.

Sure does warm the heart to see our young Maggie smile and sing silly songs.

Happy Birthday to Maggie.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"You can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love." – Jim Carrey

This is one of the best reasons to take risks that I can think of.

What in life is worth failing towards?

We are all going to make mistakes.

Might as well make them in the direction of our dreams.

What should you be taking a chance on today?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Problems are only resolved when solutions are sought. Catherine Pulsife

The blog post below is meant as marriage advice, but I would offer that it applies to all relationships.

Think about the relationships in your life.

Which one might benefit from a change in perspective?

Make it a great day.

Jake

I sat patiently while a gal told me all the terrible things her husband was doing (and not doing). When she slowed and took a breath, I asked her if I could share a perspective. I think she was a bit taken aback (looking for commiseration?). I had something better for her… a new point of view.

When there’s a problem, don’t play the blame game. Team up instead. The blame game makes you helpless to change anything. (It’s all the other person’s fault.) It also makes your spouse the ultimate bad guy and very few people can handle that kind of treatment. Blaming leads to arguing and the arguing never ends.

If you invite your spouse to help you solve a problem (instead of making your spouse the problem) you are more likely to get their help. It’s far easier to be a part of the solution if you are not being blamed/shamed for being the bulk of the problem. And, truthfully, most problems are a result of a number of factors.

If you team up and brainstorm the bits, you’re more likely to hit on possible solutions, reduce the marital friction, and build a happier life together. The next time you find yourself muttering about your husband’s faults, see if you can move the problem off of him and make the problem a project the two of you can work on together.

Change “You’re always late!” to “Sunday mornings bum me out. Can you help me figure out how to make getting ready for church easier and more timely?”

Let “You spend money like water!” become “I’m worried about the state of our finances. Can we brainstorm ideas? Maybe take a Financial Peace University class (http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu )?”

Focus on fixing the problem, never focus on the blame.

Give yourself time to be sad, frustrated and angry. Give yourself time to heal, accept and to grow. Time doesn’t erase anything, but it can provide you with enough space to be able to breathe again. And then one day you wake up and your heart has a little bit of sunshine in it. – Jessica Jensen

Jim Rohn talks about how life needs all the musical notes.

The high notes and the low notes.

Only high notes sounds a little funny.

Only low sounds funny too.

Mix them together and you get something magical.

Finding our way through all of the highs and lows while keeping our head up is an art unto itself.

Keep your head up today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It is not so much our friends’ help that helps us, as the confidence of their help. – Epicurus

Part of the reason service is such an important element in moving us towards fulfillment is the idea from the quote above.

When we help someone, we show them they are loved.

Being of service is showing someone they are worthy of love.

And love is a central need for all of us.

Show some love today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/kMntOjjWMY8

We spend so much time searching for the magical, special moments.

They are all around us everyday, if only we can open our eyes.

If you can’t see any right now, start looking – they’ll find you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/Zr4pnaGS7oI

What a great metaphor for life.

Everyone around us is running their own marathon.

Their all struggling in their own ways.

Their all succeeding in their own ways.

Sometimes they need a pick me up.

Sometimes they need a helping hand.

And this little boy did just that.

Just something simple to give everyone passing by a smile and little boost along their path.

We all have this opportunity as we go about our day, every day.

We can add a little something to those around us and give them a smile and a little boost.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://www.facebook.com/goalcast/videos/1407358209409219/

Great message on this one.

Life is risk and reward.

The list of options is long, but we can only be great when we choose something and invest.

Commitment and discipline are required in order to achieve our goals.

I think we all get this intuitively. We understand that we can’t actually do two things at once and we need to prioritize the important stuff.

But where to start?

It’s easy to get held up on this step.

Two ideas to get you started….

Something nagging at you? Something you keep thinking you are going to do but haven’t gotten to? Get started today.

Say no to something.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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