http://youtu.be/Bj1AesMfIf8

Another song to get those spring thoughts going.

Here comes the sun. I am always amazed at what a difference a little sunshine can make in everyone’s moods.

And as we look forward to our move at Mavidea, there is certainly a lot more sunshine in our future.

As the weather begins to turn and the sun shines brighter, warmer and for a little bit longer each day remember to slow down enough to enjoy it.

Take a moment to step outside and just take it in.

Turn off the radio in the car for a minute and just look at the view.

Get up a few minutes early and find a place to see the sunrise.

Enjoy it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70UF82nysIU

Michael Cluney sent me this great video.

What a great reminder of two important things about life.

First, at some point you will get knocked down. It happens to all of us. Whether someone else trips us up or we trip on our own two feet, we will end up on the ground.

Second, after you fall you have a decision to make. You can decide to take it as a loss. You could decide to whine and moan. You could decide to take it easy since there is no way you can win now.

Or you could decide to win anyway. You can use the fall as a spark that sends you flying past everyone else on your way to the win.

It’s your choice.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. – Ferdinand Foch

Can you remember a time when you were on fire about someone or something?

Did you let small things get you down or did you press forward?

Did you wake up and drearily start your day?

Did you wait for things to come to you (impatiently)?

Probably not.

You moved right past the small stuff, not even noticing because you were so focused.

You woke up on fire and started thinking immediately about your goal.

You moved toward your desire relentlessly.

If you don’t have something you are on fire about right now, seek it out. Begin looking. Make finding that something your goal for now.

Make it a great day.

Jake

MS – “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”

-C.S. Lewis

BAD – It is our choices… that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. – J.K. Rowling

JW – IOWA, 75% vowels, 100% awesome. – In honor of Brian Trotter

JD – If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

EB* – Time is nature’s way of keeping everything from happening at once. – Woody Allen

Meaghan has started reading the Harry Potter series with Maggie.

In my opinion (which may in fact be worthless in this area) good fiction is fiction that uses a creative and fantastic story to show us and teach us about the important stuff in life.

Dr. Seuss did it so well and I think the Harry Potter series does as well.

Friendship.

Selflessness.

Honor.

Integrity.

Honesty.

Courage.

Themes like these run all through the great novels and stories we like to watch, read and talk about. We all can see a better version of ourselves in the heroes of movies and books.

We leave inspired to be and do better knowing that it is possible and that it is possible for us.

Find a story that inspires you. Watch the movie. Read the book. Get inspired. Take action.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Yesterday was Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

I have already written many times about how much we like Dr. Seuss at the Davis household.

Today, I thought I would highlight something that his birthday reminds me of: legacy.

Dr. Seuss has left a legacy that will be remembered for many generations. A legacy full of wonderful stories for children and grown ups alike.

Stories that weave important life lessons with whimsical poems and lyrics that take difficult subjects and make them clear for small children (and adults).

One of the important decisions we each face is what kind of legacy we will leave.

Our actions will leave an impression. They will make an impact.

We choose what kind of impact we make in the myriad of daily choices we face.

What kind of legacy are you leaving?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. – Karl Barth

This one is so simple and good, it stands for itself.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/s7dTBoW5H9k

At the Davis house we have a bit of a case of spring fever going around.

We are all looking forward to sunny, warm days.

I realize this is a bit premature, but we can dream can’t we?

Make it a great day.

Jake

To cause an avalanche you can shake a mountain or find the right place to drop a snowflake. – Unknown

Simple idea today.

Where could you drop a snowflake that would cause the biggest impact?

It could be a phone call to a friend.

A kind word to a coworker.

A moment or two extra with the kids.

A quick text to your spouse.

Five minutes reading a book.

Five minutes exercising.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“It is no use saying to the tired ‘mental muscles’… ‘I will give you a good rest,’ ‘I will go for a long walk,’ or ‘I will lie down and think of nothing.’ The mind keeps busy just the same. If it has been weighing and measuring, it goes on weighing and measuring. If it has been worrying, it goes on worrying…It is useless to argue with the mind in this condition…A gifted American psychologist has said, ‘worry is a spasm of the emotion; the mind catches hold to something and will not let it go.’ One can only gently insinuate something else into its convulsive grasp. And if this something else is rightly chosen, if it is really attended by the illumination of another field of interest, gradually, and often quite swiftly, the old undue grip relaxes and the process of recuperation and repair begins.” – Winston Churchill

The Art of Manliness blog has been doing a series of posts on Winston Churchill. This post was discussing the benefits of having a hobby.

Our mind works best when it is given periods of rest and distraction.

Worry and anxiety arise when we can’t stop thinking about something and don’t get any rest or distraction from those thoughts.

Find an engaging hobby. Engage your mental capacities in something besides worry and anxiousness.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JW – In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don’t try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present. – Lao Tzu

MS – Charity means ‘Love, in the Christian sense’. -C.S. Lewis

EB – It’s like deja-vu, all over again. -Yogi Berra

BAD* – The towels were so thick there I could hardly close my suitcase. – Yogi Berra

JD – Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing. – Oscar Wilde

I liked EB’s Yogi quote so much I put one in for BethAnne since she is gone this week (on vacation, stealing towels).

If you haven’t ever done it, go out and search for Yogi Berra quotes.

You will get a few good laughs out of it, but you will also have a few moments were you think there might just be something smart inside of that silliness.

It’s almost like Dr. Seuss, a lesson inside a silly package.

Don’t forget to look for the lessons in the silly packages.

Make it a great day.

Jake