https://youtu.be/sSRlQPD6Xiw

Today is Veteran’s Day and yesterday was the Marine Corp’s birthday.

Veteran’s Day and the other holidays celebrating our military took on a whole new light for me a few years ago when a cousin of mine enlisted in the Marines.

I think about it all the time. I pray for him all the time. I hope for his safety both physically and mentally.

What our troops have done and are doing is wonderful and amazing.

We are so lucky to have them protecting and serving our country.

We have a lot to be thankful for.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Love lights more fires than hate extinguishes. – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

This quote reminds me of my “51% theory”. The basic idea is that no matter what, at a bare minimum, the world is always at least 51% good, so good will always win out.

Same thing here.

No matter how much hate tries to extinguish the good that is created by love, it can’t keep up. Love always wins in the long run.

How does this help us?

First, as a reminder that we shouldn’t worry too much. Just like how gravity causes all things to fall, love wins just as reliably.

Second, get busy lighting fires. Now that we know love is going to win, let’s hop on the winning side and try to run up the score.

Lastly, anywhere you see hate at work, get in there with some love to get things going again.

Not that you need them, but just to get you started here are a few ideas that might be worth trying:

Post something that you are thankful for on the FaceBox.

Smile. Then smile some more.

Hugs!

Tell someone you love them.

Pray for a stranger.

Volunteer for something.

Help a coworker with their work.

Call somebody you haven’t spoken to in a while.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD- You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child. Dr. Seuss

JW* – Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities. Dr. Seuss

MS* – Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not. Dr. Seuss

EB* – Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! Dr. Seuss

I forgot to grab a quote from everyone in our meeting so I got to make one up for Mike, Erik and Jamie.

I am lucky enough to have a 7 year who lives at my house and is learning to read and like to read Dr. Seuss books.

It certainly makes me happy to hear that sweet little verse reading the silly and insightful words that Dr. Seuss came up with all those years ago.

The world needs more silly.

My hope for you for today is that some silly finds it way in. That you get to laugh and smile and forget about all of the serious grown up stuff for at least a couple of minutes.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better. – Albert Camus

Well, the election is over. Back to our regularly scheduled programming.

Election day in the US is a great reminder of just how lucky we are.

We have a tremendous opportunity to be better each day.

What are you doing with that chance?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Every child needs someone in their life who is irrationally positive about them.

I heard this on a podcast on parenting I was listening to yesterday and it stuck with me.

The interesting thing about being a parent and reading or learning about parenting is that virtually all of the advice is just as useful when interacting with adults.

Everyone needs someone who is irrationally positive about them.

Someone who believes nothing but the best about them.

Someone who thinks they are awesome.

Someone who is pulling for them.

Someone who is praying for them.

Make it a point today to find someone to be irrationally positive about.

Tell them how great they are.

Encourage them to stick with it.

Show them that you believe in them.

And then do it again tomorrow.

If you don’t have someone in your life like this, I want to know about it. My challenge to you is to let someone know. Let someone take that role in your life. I am 100% certain that person can be found, we just need to look.

Make it a great day.

Jake

People ask me a lot about the values I got from playing for the Cubs for so many years. The value I got out of it was patience. A lot of people these days are not very patient. – Ernie Banks

The Cubs fans’ years of patience finally paid off last week.

It has been amazing to see all the pictures and hear all the stories from the series, the players, and all the fans.

We all want to be a part of something big.

We all want to be a part of excellence.

We all want to win.

Watching the reactions of all the Cubs fans has been a great reminder of how much fun it can be to win.

What can you do to set yourself up for a win this week?

What can you do to help someone else win this week?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Being a Cubs fan builds character.

I just witnessed the Cubs winning the World Series for the first time in – say it with me – one hundred eight years. If you missed it, the seventh and final game had everything a Cub fan expects to see – dazzling plays, great optimism, missed opportunities, shaken confidence, concern, renewed hope, excitement, enthusiasm, exuberance, tension, disappointment, despair, a glimmer of light, great anticipation, more disappointment, resignation, and then – unexpected success!

Just like life.

What was the key to their success? Cubs manager Joe Madden, and every player interviewed after the game, said pretty much the same thing: believe in yourself, remember to have fun, take each day as it comes – one game at a time – and never quit. Ever.

I think that may be the best take away from the whole experience for me. To remember in life, as in baseball, take one day at a time, trust that I have what it takes to be successful, enjoy the journey, and never quit.

Make it a great day, and Go Cubs!

Ron Gould

“It’s an invitation to rearrange everything. It’s the starting place for creation. It’s the bucket of paint that the artist can make into something beautiful. It’s the possibility that things can change – for the better. Another name? Chaos.” – Danielle Strickland, A Beautiful Mess

What a wonderful new perspective to have when things are going a little haywire and not quite in the order or way we expect. When life gets chaotic!

We have believed so long that chaos is bad, but maybe she’s right. Maybe it is just the beginning of something better. Maybe it is an opportunity to create a new sense of order. Maybe chaos is our cue to refocus, take a deep breath and get busy creating a new situation.

Maybe with faith and when handled with love, chaos is a good thing. Maybe it helps us grow and become wiser and stronger and more creative. Maybe some chaos can be welcomed!

Susie Vigil

Today is All Saints’ Day.

A day to remember the saints that have come before us.

Today (and each and every day) we have the unique responsibility of honoring the great men and women who have gone before us.

We have the opportunity to build upon the past in order to create a better future.

We get to choose what to build on and where to build towards.

Be thankful today for those that have come before us.

Do your best in order to honor them.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – Still need 2 volunteers to send out the daily attitude email while I am out this week.