God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. – Saint Augustine

Easter was yesterday. Easter is the “big day” of the Christian faith. The day when Christians are reminded of the core focal point of their faith.

The Saint Augustine quote above reminded me of this core focal point. That God loved each of us enough to send his son to die on the cross.

Whether you are a Christian or not, there is also a life lesson in there. And this quote spells it out.

Love and serve others as if they were the only one.

Search today for an opportunity to serve someone else as if they were the only one.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/15pMHi9h8rI

This line stuck out when this came on my Pandora:

“I’m wide awake, so what’s the point of dreaming when your life is great?”

It reminded me of this quote:

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible. – T. E. Lawrence

We all have the chance to act on our dreams and make them our reality.

Take some action towards a life long dream over the weekend.

Do something you have always wanted to do.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

Great quote to start the day off.

Don’t let today going by without starting to improve the world.

If the whole world seems like a bit much, focus on improving someone else’s world.

Find someone today who’s day you can make a little brighter.

And do it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – The man who has no imagination has no wings. – Muhammad Ali

EB* – As the twig is bent the tree inclines. Virgil

MS* – Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. Leo Buscaglia

JW* – The old cathedrals are good, but the great blue dome that hangs over everything is better. Thomas Carlyle

The quote about the bent twig was a great reminder for me.

Sometimes we let something little effect too much of our direction.

We let a relatively small, emotionally heated moment lead to a direction change.

We let a little bit of pain stop us from breaking through to the next level.

We let a little fear pull our whole life towards safety.

Take stock of the little things and put them in their place.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I believe that what we become depends on what our fathers teach us at odd moments, when they aren’t trying to teach us. We are formed by little scraps of wisdom. ~Umberto Eco

Today is my dad’s birthday so I went in search of a quote about being a father.

This is a such a great example of part of being a father. So many of us have random quotes or sayings we have picked up from our dad.

We all have the opportunity to influence others in a similar way.

How we interact with others when we “aren’t trying to teach them” creates “little scraps of wisdom”.

What are you showing to others?

What could you do today to set a better example?

Make it a great day.

Jake

“The underlying questions are, Am I expressing love to my spouse? Is my attitude characterized by love? Am I truly looking out for my spouse’s interests? Is my major concern to meet his or her needs?

If these are my sincere desires, then I must examine my words and my actions. Am I communicating to my spouse (by the way I talk and by what I say) that I am committed to his or her well-being? Do I view my spouse as a gift from God and see myself as God’s agent for building him or her up to become everything He desires? Do my actions reflect my love? When I cook a meal, do I do it as an expression of love to my spouse or do I do it with resentment? When I carry out the garbage, do I do it with an attitude of love or do I complain as I do it?

When my words and actions reflect the love of Christ, I am on the road to having a relationship that not only brings satisfaction to the two of us but also brings pleasure to God. Making life better for my spouse is the theme of love.”

I read this recently and the idea and questions were simple but profound.

I believe this represents a sure fire way to improve any relationship in your life. Just replace spouse with brother, friend, neighbor, co-worker, ex-wife, etc. No matter the relationship, there is a way to be more loving and selfless.

First, review your attitude and desires.

Then, review your actions and words.

This advice was specifically targeted at Christians with the goal of aligning our attitudes and actions with those of Christ, but I think this applies outside the Christian faith as well. Pick a role model and align yourself with that ideal (although if you are just picking one, Christ would be a great place to start).

Relationships are the hardest, most rewarding part of our lives.

They are worth it.

Ask yourself the hard questions.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also. – Harriet Ann Jacobs

Yesterday was the first official day of spring.

Let’s take advantage of the spring. Let our souls revive.

Make it a point to do something this week to revive your soul.

Spend some time in solitude.

Create a piece of art.

Spend some time outside.

Go for a long run.

Read your favorite book.

Whatever it is for you, do it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. – Mahatma Gandhi

JW* – To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity. Douglas Adams

MS* – The thing that lies at the foundation of positive change, the way I see it, is service to a fellow human being. Lee Iacocca

EB* – Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. Muhammad Ali

Gathered a few quotes about service.

Hopefully one of them will inspire and remind you to seek out opportunities to serve others.

No matter how small, service builds greatness.

And that is why all of us can be great.

Our inherent greatness lies in our ability to love and serve others. We are built for a unique service opportunity, we just need to seek it out and make the most of it.

Look for an opportunity to serve.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/LHcP4MWABGY

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I thought I would send out one of my wife’s favorite songs by an Irish band.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Love is never defeated, and I could add, the history of Ireland proves it. – Pope John Paul II

St. Patrick’s Day illustrates one of my favorite things about America.

We celebrate being Irish.

Whether we are Irish or not.

We get together and celebrate all of the good things about being Irish and the good that that culture has added.

Embrace this celebration today. Embrace it every day.

Make it a great day.

Jake