BAD – If 50 million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.― Anatole France

JD – Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everybody else. – Margaret Mead

JW* – Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. – Mark Twain

MS – We are what we believe we are. – CS Lewis

EB – Jjjjjjjjjjjjjjuuuuuuuuuuuusssssssssttttttttt a bit outside. – Bob Uecker

I found the quote from Margaret Mead and it summed up something I think about a lot.

Life is about adding value to those around us. Only when we lose our life in service to others do we gain it back (and more) in the important things (family, love, happiness, etc.).

I wonder if part of the reason this is true is the fact that we are all unique.

And my uniqueness is no better or worse than your uniqueness.

The uniqueness of someone doesn’t show up in their stuff, their bank account or how they look.

It shows up when they uniquely apply it in service to others.

That’s when the magic happens.

You are unique. Uniquely gifted to serve others in a very specific way. Seek it out. Find it. Hold on to it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We recently watched the final season of “How I Met Your Mother” on the Netflix. In the final episode, Ted says “love is what we do best.”

When we love someone and put their needs before ours, we are also at our best.

When we allow love to crush our selfish desires and ego, we are at our best.

We are all born with a need to be loved and never outgrow it.

We all are born with the capacity for extraordinary love and need only find the proper outlets.

Think about what this means in your life right now.

Who deserves your best?

Tell someone you love them today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

BAD – I’m the least competitive person I know. – Brandon Raper

JW – I can smell colors. That’s how wide awake I am. – Brandon Raper

MS* – Fibbage. More, more more!!!!!!!!!! – Brandon Raper

EB – I had coffee this morning and I hate coffee. Coffee is the worst. I can still taste it in my mouth. – Brandon Raper

JD – Pizza – Brandon Raper

Yesterday, Brandon had the misfortune of interrupting our leadership team meeting.

That promptly inspired us to send out our favorite Brandon quotes.

Enjoy.

Jake

When I was younger, I played a lot of basketball. That was most of what me and my friends did with our free time.

As is probably typical, somewhere along the way I stopped playing. And then last winter I got out on the court again and remembered just how much fun it is.

It was a great reminder that just because we become adults we don’t always have to act like one.

We can play games like we did when we were kids.

We can read books from when we were kids.

We can watch movies from when we were kids.

Is there something that you haven’t done since you were younger that would be a positive thing to add back in to your life?

Find something “kid-like” to do today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Breathing room – the space between our current pace and our limits.

At Mavidea, Breathing Room is our current rallying cry. It’s what we decided our organization most needed right now.

The above definition of breathing room comes from Andy Stanley’s series on the topic.

Yesterday in the sales meeting we watched the first few minutes of the first part of his series on Breathing Room.

At the end of the first few minutes, he hits everyone with a question:

What are you afraid of?

We tend to overcommit and overextend ourselves out of fear.

We say yes to too many activities because we want them to like us.

We say yes to too much stuff because we want them to like us.

We say yes to too many meetings because we don’t want to miss an opportunity.

We leave ourselves with no breathing room.

At Mavidea, we have accepted the challenge of finding some Breathing Room. Of deciding what is IN and what is OUT when it comes to our schedules, our money and our processes. We are going to create some space between our current pace and our limits.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Fortune favors the bold.

Today is Columbus Day. A day to remember the explorer who first landed in North America.

The quote above reminds me of Columbus.

Finding America was actually a big mistake. Columbus had made a major miscalculation. He was way off.

Because he was willing to take a risk he ended up finding something else instead.

His mistake led to his greatness.

What area of your life needs some boldness?

How many mistakes have you made lately?

We must be willing to be bold in order to experience greatness in our lives.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/waacof2saZw

You’re unbelievable.

Don’t ever forget that.

Your capacity for love, faith, hope, kindness, growth, imagination, and many other wonderful qualities is unbelievable.

Let this be your theme song today.

Not in a conceited or self-aggrandizing way, but in a comfortable in your own skin kind of way.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Invite people into your life who don’t look or act like you. You might find they challenge your assumptions and make you grow. – Mellody Hobson

This reminds me of the advice given by Zig Ziglar – spend time with someone under 5 and over 70.

Whether it is someone’s age or background or simply their likes and dislikes; we can all grow and learn by being around someone different than us.

Who are you currently spending time with that is different than you?

Do you need to seek and find a relationship to challenge yourself in this area?

Some quick ideas on how we might do this:

Travel

Volunteer

Attend an event you wouldn’t normally attend

Visit a nursing home

Volunteer in the nursery at church

Make it a great day.

Jake

It takes as much effort to move in a circle as it does to move forward.

Sometimes we mistake activity and busyness for progress when really we aren’t getting anywhere.

This is why goals are so important. We need check points along the way to make sure we are heading towards something and not just in a circle.

Next time you get a chance, take a step back and see if you are really moving forward or not.

Objectively look at the numbers and don’t let yourself off the hook.

And then make an adjustment if you need to.

Don’t keep doing the same things.

Make it a great day.

Jake

EB – "Mine’s the best ever" – JW

JW – “Your momma is so hairy, she only speaks Wookie!” – Ethan Warmbir

MS – Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. – C. S. Lewis

JD – "A million dollars sounds like a lot, I know. Especially when you’re young. But you can’t let money erode your principles or you’ll wind up with nothing."

Sammy Keyes And The Dead Giveaway by Wendelin Van Draanen

BAD – It isn’t what happens to us that causes us to suffer; it’s what we say to ourselves about what happens. – Pema Chodron

A million dollars sure does seem like a lot, but something I have been thinking about lately is how much money we are likely to be responsible for over our lifetime.

If you work from when you are 18 until you are 68 (50 years) and if you average $20,000 per year you will have made $1,000,000 over your life time.

This shows the power of our everyday decisions.

It shows the power of having a monthly budget.

You are likely to responsible for $1,000,000 or more in your life. The question is, what are you going to do with it?

And the same thing goes for your time and other resources in your life.

We don’t seem to have much time, money or resources, but if you add it up, it will be more than it seems.

We are all stewards of abundant resources. Let’s manage them well.

Make it a great day.

Jake