Author: jakedavis1910

Daily Attitude Email 2 17 15

"I said not long before that work and weakness are comforters. But sweat is the kindest creature of the three – far better than philosophy, as a cure for ill thoughts." – CS Lewis, Til We Have Faces

This line really stuck with me as I am reading through this book.

If you ever find yourself down, get sweaty.

Just find something to do that gets you sweaty.

Walk around the block.

Do a million pushups.

Lift weights.

Get your mind off of what is troubling you and onto to something else.

Often our worries and troubles overtake us because we allow them to dominate our thoughts. But it’s hard to let them dominate your thoughts when you are busy doing something challenging.

Plus, exercise is like good for you or something.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 2 16 15

Jim Rohn has a speech entitled “I am a wealthy man because….”

One of the reasons he considered himself wealthy was his heritage.

President’s Day is today and it reminded me of the wealthy heritage we enjoy.

We enjoy the fruits of hundreds of years of great men and women working on our behalf. They have put the infrastructure in place for us to live and enjoy our lives the way we do.

They fought wars we don’t have to fight.

They fought evil we don’t have to face.

They stood for something we now get to stand on.

We will also have our battles to fight, our evil to face and we must choose something to stand for. But we get to do so from a position of strength because of our past.

Today is a great day to be thankful for our heritage and our presidents.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 2 12 15

Love will draw an elephant through a key-hole. – Samuel Richardson

How many movies have you seen where the basic premise is that “love will conquer all”?

We seem to have an inherent belief that love can and will do the impossible.

As a Christian, I believe there is a really good reason for this, but today’s email isn’t about why it is.

Today’s email is just a simple reminder to keep believing.

Don’t give in to cynicism or negative thoughts.

Don’t let your heart turn cold and unbelieving.

Lean in to your belief that love always wins and that love is something worth fighting for.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 2 11 15

“And as ridiculous as it may sound, sometimes all any of us needs in life is for someone to hold our hand and walk next to us.” ― James Frey, The Final Testament of the Holy Bible

It’s never too early to write something for Valentine’s Day, right?

Came across this quote and it reminded me of Valentine’s Day and all that is good about it.

This quote applies to all good relationships, not just the one you would call your Valentine, but it certainly reminded me of mine.

It’s amazing the amount of resilience and grit we can show when we know that someone else will be there waiting for us at the end.

Win or lose.

Failure or triumph.

Tail between our legs or walking tall.

Knowing they will be there through thick and thin creates such a powerful feeling.

If you’ve already found your special Valentine, thank them for this.

If you’ve already found your special Valentine, be there for them.

If you haven’t found your special Valentine, practice on your friends.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The Phrase That Pays

MS – Fortitude includes both kinds of courage – the kind that faces danger as well as the kind that ‘sticks it’ under pain. – C.S. Lewis

BAD – “Love is holy because it is like grace–the worthiness of its object is never really what matters.” – Marilyn Robinson

EB* – “My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the heck she is.” – Ellen DeGeneres

JW* – All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.- Charles M. Schulz

JD – If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you. – A. A. Milne

Winnie the Pooh has circled back onto the kids favorites list at our house.

There is something about such a simple and idealistic mind as Pooh’s that just makes you smile.

We can’t be that way all of the time, but a little simplemindedness is good for us sometimes.

Enjoy something simple today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 2 10 15

“It takes a lot of time to be a genius. You have to sit around so much, doing nothing, really doing nothing.” ― Gertrude Stein

When was the last time you did nothing? Really nothing.

In today’s world full of constant entertainment and constant opportunity to be stimulated in some way, it is difficult to just sit quietly.

But that’s why it is probably more important now than it was in Gertrude’s time.

Because of all the distractions we need to make time to sit and do nothing.

We need that break from a constantly having our attention on something.

When could you make a little do nothing time?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 2 9 15

Below is a short story that most of us have probably heard before.

The story illustrates for us one of the most important choices we have in life.

How will we react when things don’t go our way?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Once upon a time a daughter complained to her father that her life was miserable and that she didn’t know how she was going to make it. She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and ground coffee beans in the third pot.

He then let them sit and boil, without saying a word to his daughter. The daughter, moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he was doing.

After twenty minutes he turned off the burners. He took the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

He then ladled the coffee out and placed it in a cup. Turning to her he asked. “Daughter, what do you see?”

“Potatoes, eggs, and coffee,” she hastily replied.

“Look closer,” he said, “and touch the potatoes.” She did and noted that they were soft. He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile to her face.

“Father, what does this mean?” she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs and coffee beans had each faced the same adversity– the boiling water.

However, each one reacted differently.

The potato went in strong, hard, and unrelenting, but in boiling water, it became soft and weak.

The egg was fragile, with the thin outer shell protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created something new.

“Which are you,” he asked his daughter. “When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee bean? “