Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it. – Dumbledore

Mr. Roush shared this quote with me and I wanted to pass it on.

Our words do have some magic in them.

In Harry Potter words have literal magic and create explosions, transformations and other impactful changes.

In our world their magic isn’t quite so obvious and immediate most of the time, but the effects are just as powerful.

Watch what words you choose. Both with yourself and with others.

Pay attention to the results you are creating through the words you choose.

If you want to see different results, begin choosing different words.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/gHGNqifB2do

This video is a bit funky, but the message from Les Brown is a good one.

The line that struck me was “declare all-out war on the rut that you are in”.

Sometimes the only way forward from where you are is a period of all-out effort. A period where you pull out all the stops.

Is there something that’s been nagging at you for a long time that needs that kind of attention?

Have you been stuck in a rut and unable to quit that bad habit or start that new one?

If so, get started today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. – Theodore Roosevelt

MS – In proportion as man rises in the intellectual scale, does he give prominence to mental and moral enjoyments in conjunction with his daily meals. -H Clay Trumbull

EB – Yeah, thanks for being a team player.

JW – For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. – James 3:16

JR* – Love is the greatest refreshment in life. – Pablo Picasso

What if we enjoyed our intellectual and personal growth as much as we did our meals?

Jim Rohn says “Miss a meal, but don’t miss a book!”

I’ve always been a curious fellow and always looking to grow and learn, but I don’t know that I’ve ever missed a meal….

Maybe we don’t need to miss a meal.

Maybe if we could just desire learning and growth as we do that next meal.

I encourage you to find something inspirational and challenging enough to read that you look forward to it in this way.

And then share that with all of us.

If you’ve already had a similar experience with a book, send everyone the title to jumpstart them on their way.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We must replace the fear of the unknown with curiosity about the future.

I think our tendency is to look at all of the what if’s of life through a risk-reducing /risk-averse mindset.

To start, maybe removing all of our fears is unrealistic. Maybe we just add in some curiosity.

Think about those situations where you have some apprehension about the future.

Now add in a little curiosity. A little bit of “I can’t wait to see how this goes….”

Each day and each new challenge is an opportunity to learn and grow if we are curious or stand back and fret if we are fearful.

Be a little more curious today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/VcjzHMhBtf0

Don’t stop believing.

We all reach a point with our goals and vision of the future where we are tempted to stop believing in our picture of the future.

Don’t.

Keep picturing that better future.

Write it down (again if you need to).

Rekindle those feelings you first had when you set the goal.

Get your mind back into that state of mind you had when first had when you were fired up and just getting started.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We must give more in order to get more. It is the generous giving of ourselves that produces the generous harvest. – Orison Swett Marden

As you think about the harvest you would like in your life, consider this question:

Are you giving enough?

Make it a great day.

Jake

You can’t plow a field by turning it over in your mind. – Gordon B. Hinckley

I tend to over analyze things.

Trying to think about all the angles, what is the best way to do something, etc.

But this thoughtfulness must be balanced with action.

As I get a little older, I am beginning to think that you don’t want to balance these two out.

There must be a bias towards action.

The scale needs to tip towards doing something.

Is there something in your life that you are over-thinking?

Do you need to take some action today?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. – Albus Dumbledore

Maggie has been reading a few of the Harry Potter books lately and so we watched some of the first movie over the weekend.

The books and movies do such a great job of taking you into a different world.

But they also do a great job of weaving in universal truths like the one from the quote above.

We can take inspiration and encouragement from the Harry Potter series.

If you aren’t already, I would encourage you to pick up a fiction book or book series.

Learn lessons and hone your personal philosophy by comparing it to the imagined world you are reading about.

Weigh their choices as if they were your own.

Face their fears as if they were yours.

Be inspired by their success.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It’s so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to. ~Annie Gottlier

Attitude is such an important determinate of where we end up in life.

Lately, the example that pops into my head is ice cream vs exercise.

Imagine two different possible attitudes.

The first one says:

I had a bad day, I need some ice cream.

I had a great day, let’s celebrate with some ice cream.

I’ll exercise tomorrow.

I don’t have the energy to exercise.

The second one says:

I had a bad day, I need to go for a run.

I had a great day, let’s all go for a walk.

I don’t need any ice cream today.

If I eat some ice cream I’ll just feel bad later.

Before everyone gets mad at me, I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad for eating ice cream. Eat all the ice cream you want.

My thought has been more about how we much of an impact if we could turn some of the “have to’s” of life into “want to’s”.

What if we could feel as good about exercising as we do about eating ice cream?

What if could feel as good about saving as we do about spending?

What if we could feel as good about reading and studying as we do about watching TV?

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://youtu.be/N_lCmBvYMRs

Last week I asked for “What is your favorite song and why?”

Someone sent me this one and said “she was so proud to be an American”.

We aren’t a perfect nation and we have our faults, but I am proud to be an American too and this song reminded me of that once again. Maybe it will do the same for you.

Make it a great day.

Jake