Failure is not the enemy – fear is. – Carla Needleman
Great way of saying this simple truth.
Action and forward progress require failure.
It isn’t possible to move forward without failing along the way.
Failure is a part of the process.
Giving in to fear keeps us from engaging in the process.
What are you afraid of?
Is there some way to turn this around?
Make it a great day.
Jake
Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day. You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. – Dallas Willard
Thought this would be a good idea to start the week off.
Why is it that we choose such a hectic, hurried pace and attitude?
How can you eliminate some hurry and add some peace to your week?
Make it a great day.
Jake
Saw this song on a positive way to start your day list and liked the title….
Ready or not the day is starting.
Better get on it.
Make it a great day.
Jake
The gain is not the having of children; it is the discovery of love and how to be loving. – Polly Berrien Berends
The gain in any relationship is not in having it but in the fruit of that good relationship.
We were made for relationship.
Good relationships bear fruit.
Want more fruit?
Be thankful for what you have.
Take responsibility for your portion, forget the rest.
Be on the lookout for new opportunities.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction. – Anne Frank
Satisfaction lies on the other side of work and discipline.
Want to be satisfied with your relationships? Work on them.
Want to be satisfied with your health? Work on it.
Want to be satisfied with your money? Work on it.
The Bible adds a good thought to this when it encourages us to work with joy, as if we are working for the Lord.
Work doesn’t have to be drudgery. It doesn’t have to be suffered through.
Some of my best memories are times when I was hard at work.
Get to work.
Make it a great day.
Jake
God doesn’t want anything from us, he wants things for us. – Andy Stanley
Andy said this in his latest podcast and it really stuck out to me.
Some of my best moments have been when I have gotten myself to have this attitude towards others.
When we can get ourselves to the point of not wanting something from those around us to wanting something for those people we are at our best.
I try to specifically do this in sales and negotiation situations.
I imagine the other person as another child of God’s and imagine what He wants for them and then I work to try to get them there.
Don’t read too much into this, it doesn’t take long in those conversations to get back to worrying about what I want or something else, but I’m working on it.
If you are already great at this, turn it up a notch today.
If you aren’t, try it in a couple of small interactions.
If you think I’m a little weird, thanks for reading any way.
Make it a great day.
Jake
What if someone would be blessed by what I have to share and they miss out because I hide it? ~ Holley Gerth
Making the world a better place requires taking a chance.
It requires putting yourself out there.
It works out most of the time, but not all of the time.
We aren’t guaranteed a win every time we step on the field.
We are guaranteed heartache and disappointment if we don’t.
Make a choice to step out and share what is special about you.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Two good reminders here.
First – smile. A lot.
Smile all day long.
Smile so much people think you are weird.
Second – tell the people around you that make you smile that you are thankful for them.
We all have someone that makes us smile.
Say thank you.
Make it a great day.
Jake
In the sales world, one of the secrets to success is a concept I call "one more phone call".
The idea is that at the end of the day when you are ready to pack things up and head home, you make one more phone call.
I have heard many successful salespeople say that this little trick is what made the difference in their sales career.
I know all of us aren’t necessarily in sales, but we can use this same principle to be more successful.
Think about what is your "one more phone call".
What little thing can you do every day to push you over the edge?
Pick something and try it for a week and try it out.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Today’s email falls into the category of “another weird Jake-ism”, so bear with me a little.
One thing I do when faced with an important or potentially anxious situation is to “zoom out”.
I mentally picture zooming out from “above” and picture the group of others I’ll be interacting with.
Typically, this leads me to ask myself the question “What’s the big picture here? What’s really important here?”
I’m sure this probably falls into the “weird” category, but every time I end up feeling a lot better because the answers to the above questions help me put things into perspectives.
Typically the answers that I come back with are things like:
Relationships and kindness matter more than getting my way.
My wife and kids are the most important relationships and I’m pretty sure they like me.
Everyone in the room is a child of God, just like me. Treat them as such.
How can I be of service?
Hopefully this helps you a little as you go about your day.
Take a minute before your next meeting or next important conversation.
Make it a great day.
Jake
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