https://youtu.be/pWp6kkz-pnQ

Simple reminder this morning.

Don’t give up.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action. – Frank Tibolt

It’s easy to fall into the trap of waiting around for something else to come along and get us started.

It’s easy to tell ourselves “I’ll get started when…”

We wait around for the perfect day or the inspiration we think will give us the motivation to get over the top.

What if we had it all backwards?

What if our job was to just take some kind of action first?

What kind of small, concrete action can you take today?

Whatever your long term goal is, there is some small, incremental step that can be taken today.

Don’t wait. Get started.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We aim above the mark to hit the mark. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Set your sights high.

Les Brown suggests taking all of your current goals and doubling them.

Why?

Because even if you miss, you will be much further ahead.

And you will start the process of learning to believe that better is possible for you.

You will have setbacks.

Things won’t go quite according to plan.

Aiming high ensures that you will still get somewhere great.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

This CS Lewis quote was in a book I read recently and it reminded me of an important choice we all must make each day.

I don’t know about you, but this quote reminds me of the importance of stepping out towards love each and every day.

Stepping into vulnerability isn’t easy.

Having a broken heart isn’t fun.

The price we pay for love is high.

But it’s worth it.

And the other options are even worse.

When you read this quote, what does it mean to you?

Whatever it inspires or reminds you to do, do it today. Don’t let the sun go down without having stepped forward towards love.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I read an article the other day that had the idea of shortening your resolutions to a month.

Instead of trying to do something permanent or for the whole year or…..fill in the blank, just focus on a month.

Don’t worry about permanent or even what will happen after the end of the month, just commit to one month.

Is there anything that has been lingering on your list?

Something that’s made it on the New Year’s resolution list a couple of years in a row?

Find a small step forward in that direction and commit to making progress for the month.

Commit to tracking all your expenses for the month.

Commit to writing down every single piece of food you eat.

Commit to waking up 30 minutes earlier.

Commit to 10 minutes of reading time.

Make something up that works for you and the commit to it. Just for the month of May.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/slldMEPvUqA

How about that video?

The beat goes on.

Time and life goes on.

When we take a step back and look at the bigger picture we realize that we only have today to make a difference.

Enjoy today.

Do the most you can with it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion." [The Minotaur]” ― Albert Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays

Introspection is another one of those tricky double edged swords in life.

I think of it like looking in a mirror.

If you don’t take a few moments to look in the mirror before leaving for work in the morning, you might just show up disheveled.

But if you spend an hour in the morning staring into the mirror getting every piece of clothing on just right, you just missed an hour of your day.

We all need to take time to look honestly at the mirrors in our lives (our relationships, our bank accounts, the mirror, the scale) and make the necessary course corrections to get where we want to go. We need to deeply understand ourselves in order to make the most of our strengths in service to others.

But we need to spend more of our time focused outwardly. Looking for others in need of service, in need of the love and warmth that only we can bring.

We weren’t created for ourselves. We were created for service to others. We need to look inward to find out what kind of service, but we need to look out to serve.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Today is Administrative Professionals Day.

At Mavidea, that means we get to honor and be thankful for Susie.

Susie is a great example of the many things I try to talk about in these daily attitude emails, but today I will pick on just one of them.

Administrative Professionals Day is a great reminder of the power of service to others.

Susie is a great example of this ideal of service.

She consistently finds ways to help and be of service, both large and small.

She also is of service whether there is credit or kudos to be had or not.

Watching Susie be of service inspires me to follow her example and find ways to serve.

And that is power behind all of these little acts of service – that they inspire others to do more of the same.

Today we are reminded of the special gift of service Susie provides. Let us also be inspired to follow her lead.

Make it a great day.

Jake

This is the most joyful day that ever I saw in my pilgrimage on earth. Donald Cargill

This quote reminded me of two important lessons.

The first is that we choose each day whether it is a joyful one or not.

We get to pick our attitude towards the day, it has no attitude towards us.

The second lesson comes the idea of a pilgrimage.

We are all on our pilgrimage throughout our lives.

We are all going somewhere.

We don’t get to pick whether or not to go on a pilgrimage, we only get to choose the destination.

The days and journey come and go.

We get to pick whether or not is a joyful one.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/2AB9zPfXqQQ

“Sounds like somebody’s got a case of the Mondays.”

It’s funny to me that Monday is the day of the week that is supposed to be the worst day. Seems to me that it should be the best day of the week.

It’s the start of a new week. A clean slate.

Everything is in front of you. Anything is possible.

Think of this week as a trial run. Think of it as a week full of possibilities and new beginnings.

What is the one thing you would like to get done?

Get on it.

Make it a great day.

Jake