JD – Before God we are all equally wise – and equally foolish. – Albert Einstein

JW – Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. – Psalm 55:22 NIV

EB – The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

MS – If God can work through me, he can work through anyone. Francis of Assisi

The quote from EB above has been written on the sales white board in my office since Meaghan put the board together for me last month.

All we have to work with is the present.

In order to see our goals happen and to see our dreams come true we have to do the best we can with the time we have.

How we spend today matters.

What we choose to do with our time matters.

Today matters.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Tranquility is a Choice. So is Anxiety. The entire world around us may be in Turmoil. But if we want to be Peaceful within, WE CAN." – Unknown

At some point, a lot of the world got this one mixed up.

For some, it is almost a goal to create more anxiety and worry.

We tend to see it as a badge of honor to be the most busy or the most complicated or the most worried.

We watch TV shows and movies that highlight the dramatic parts of life.

We somehow get it in our head that this is the way things are.

But it’s not the way it has to be.

We can choose tranquility and peace.

We can relax and smile.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/MFzDaBzBlL0

This is a great video that is worth the time.

An engineer’s friends play a trick on him and “reverse” his bicycle. They changed the direction the handlebars turn.

He learns the literal truth behind the idea of you can never forget how to ride a bike.

And we can learn a few lessons from this experiment too.

We are never too old to learn something new.

Learning isn’t always easy.

Things might not be as they seem.

Question what you know.

Challenge yourself.

Have fun along the way.

Make it a great day.

Jake

From what we get, we can make a living; what we give, however, makes a life. – Arthur Ashe

I thought this would be a good reminder to start off the week.

A reminder that by focusing on giving first we can have a better life.

Look at your calendar for the week.

Any major opportunities to give stand out?

Look at your task list for the week.

Any chances for giving a little more?

If nothing stands out, add something.

Make sure giving makes it on the list for the week.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/htgr3pvBr-I

Hold the line.

When I heard those words I think more of the desperate struggle to hold the line in some movie (think Braveheart).

We all have moments when we have to hold the line.

We have to hold the line and stick with our diet.

We have to hold the line and not buy that widget we really want.

We have to hold the line and do the discipline we committed to.

Hold the line today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – "Individual commitment to a group effort–that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work." –Vince Lombardi

EB* – "Remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability." –Patrick Lencioni

MS* – "It takes two flints to make a fire." –Louisa May Alcott

JW* – "The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison." –James Cash Penney

Since I forgot to gather quotes from everyone on Tuesday, I thought I would share a few teamwork quotes on their behalf.

It’s amazing what can be accomplished when we work together.

I’ve been lucky to be a part of a really great team at work and at home.

If you’ve been lucky like me, make it a point to tell them about it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. – Winston Churchill

Are you willing to fail?

Are you really stretching yourself enough to make failure possible?

Most of us don’t step far enough out of our comfort zone enough to make failure possible. We manage and mitigate our risk so that we don’t have to face failure.

We insulate ourselves from the uncomfortable feelings associated with failing.

Instead, let’s turn that idea upside down.

Let’s embrace failure with enthusiasm.

Let’s risk failure in order to achieve something worthwhile.

Step outside of your comfort zone. If failure isn’t a possibility, maybe you could aim a little higher.

I know you have heard this before and a lot of this is cliché. I know you already know all this.

Did something come to mind while you were reading this?

Is there a risk you should be taking?

Write it down. Right now. Put it somewhere you can see it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

What the hell did you do all day?

I imagine this being said on a sitcom. Husband comes home and says it to the wife. Hilarious fight and swapping of roles ensues and everyone gets a good laugh.

But what if someone really asked you this question?

Would you be happy with your response?

Really think about it. What the hell did you do all day?

Check your FaceBox feed?

Exercise?

Check your email?

Had a meaningful conversation with an important person in your life?

Putz around on the internet?

Slowed down and enjoyed the weather?

Watched TV?

When you really think about it, did you make progress on your goals? Did you spend your day in a way that is going to put you in a position to win long term?

Lots of questions today. Just trying to get you to think about how you are spending your time and challenge you a little.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The second day of school may be as important as the first.

Making the decision to keep going is as important as making the decision to get started.

Somehow we have to find it in ourselves to just keep going.

To keep ourselves moving towards our goals.

To make progress every day.

To enjoy the process.

Make it a great day.

Jake

First day of school again.

First day of school is another of life’s important sign posts along the way. An event that bears some remembering and paying a little extra attention.

I think the reason the first day of school sticks out in life is that is a good example of some of life’s bigger themes.

Meeting new friends.

Reuniting with old friends.

Learning new things and growing.

Challenging yourself.

Risking the bad stuff in order to get to the good.

As you see your friends and others post their first day of school pics on the FaceBox, think about the important lessons and themes from your first days of school from when you were younger.

Make it a great day.

Jake