JD – The heart of marriage is memories; and if the two of you happen to have the same ones and can savor your reruns, then your marriage is a gift from the gods. – Bill Cosby
JW – Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain. -Vivian Greene
EB – You’ll never get a Purple Heart hiding in a fox hole….follow me. – Captain Henry P Crowe
MS* – If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
BAD – Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. – Henry Ford

The Vivian Greene quote is one of my favorites.

It represents a high point of human maturity – finding happiness and purpose even in less than ideal conditions.

It’s a challenge all of us face daily.

Life has plenty of storms for us to wait out until things get better.

But it also has plenty of rain for us to dance in.

We choose.

Make it a great day, whether it is raining or the sun is shining.

Jake

http://youtu.be/inPnVL41N_c

Sending this one out today because it reminds me of Meaghan and our wedding.

Tomorrow is our 12th anniversary.

The song reminds me of two important things that I have learned in 12 years of marriage.

Now that we found love….

I emphasized found because finding the love of your life isn’t guaranteed. Truly, the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me was when a beautiful young woman walked into my dorm room in Watterson Towers freshman year at ISU.

We are the lucky ones and I hope to never forget that or take it for granted.

What are we going to do with it….

When you are blessed with something so big, the right thing to do is to do something with it.

And when I think about the best thing we have done with it, I think of the word share.

We have shared that love with each other all these years.

We have shared that love with our friends and family.

We have shared that love with Maggie, Annie and Oliver.

I thank God every day for my bride, Meaghan. I can’t imagine my life without her.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

So, if you want to change the world, start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud.

This story is my favorite of the short ones shared by William McRaven about his time in Navy SEAL basic training.

It is a story about the power of hope.

Never underestimate the power of a little hope.

Never miss a chance to be the one to give a little hope.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Here is the text of this part of the speech:

The ninth week of training is referred to as "Hell Week." It is six days of no sleep, constant physical and mental harassment and one special day at the Mud Flats — the Mud Flats are the area between San Diego and Tijuana where the water runs off and creates the Tijuana slues — a swampy patch of terrain where the mud will engulf you.

It is on Wednesday of Hell Week that you paddle down to the mud flats and spend the next 15 hours trying to survive the freezing cold mud, the howling wind and the incessant pressure to quit from the instructors.

As the sun began to set that Wednesday evening, my training class, having committed some "egregious infraction of the rules" was ordered into the mud.

The mud consumed each man till there was nothing visible but our heads. The instructors told us we could leave the mud if only five men would quit — just five men — and we could get out of the oppressive cold.

Looking around the mud flat it was apparent that some students were about to give up. It was still over eight hours till the sun came up — eight more hours of bone chilling cold.

The chattering teeth and shivering moans of the trainees were so loud it was hard to hear anything and then, one voice began to echo through the night — one voice raised in song.

The song was terribly out of tune, but sung with great enthusiasm.

One voice became two and two became three and before long everyone in the class was singing.

We knew that if one man could rise above the misery then others could as well.

The instructors threatened us with more time in the mud if we kept up the singing, but the singing persisted.

And somehow, the mud seemed a little warmer, the wind a little tamer and the dawn not so far away.

If I have learned anything in my time traveling the world, it is the power of hope. The power of one person — Washington, Lincoln, King, Mandela and even a young girl from Pakistan, Malala — one person can change the world by giving people hope.

So, if you want to change the world, start singing when you’re up to your neck in mud. ​

If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment.

More words of wisdom from William McRaven’s commencement speech.

He tells the story (below) of how during a particular training exercise there is a moment that requires their very best in order to succeed.

Jim Collins said it by saying that not all time is created equal.

There are moments in our lives that require more from us.

More patience.

More skill.

More endurance.

More love.

More grit.

And these moments can define us. They can be the difference between victory and defeat.

We get to choose whether we give it our all or give in.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Here is this section of the speech:

As Navy SEALs one of our jobs is to conduct underwater attacks against enemy shipping. We practiced this technique extensively during basic training.

The ship attack mission is where a pair of SEAL divers is dropped off outside an enemy harbor and then swims well over two miles underwater using nothing but a depth gauge and a compass to get to their target.

During the entire swim, even well below the surface there is some light that comes through. It is comforting to know that there is open water above you.

But as you approach the ship, which is tied to a pier, the light begins to fade. The steel structure of the ship blocks the moonlight — it blocks the surrounding street lamps — it blocks all ambient light.

To be successful in your mission, you have to swim under the ship and find the keel, the centerline and the deepest part of the ship.

This is your objective. But the keel is also the darkest part of the ship, where you cannot see your hand in front of your face, where the noise from the ship’s machinery is deafening and where it is easy to get disoriented and fail.

Every SEAL knows that under the keel, at the darkest moment of the mission, is the time when you must be calm, composed — when all your tactical skills, your physical power and all your inner strength must be brought to bear.

If you want to change the world, you must be your very best in the darkest moment. ​

So, If you want to change the world, don’t back down from the sharks.

Another lesson learned by William McRaven in his Navy SEAL training.

Sharks and bullies are a fact of life. At some point, we all will be faced with the decision of whether or not to stand up to them.

And each of us will have a moment when we need to summon up all the courage we can muster and decide not to back down.

Not just for our own sake, but because it is the right thing to do.

It doesn’t have to be the traditional bully from the playground.

It could be a disease and you could be supporting a local chapter of an organization to fund research and search for a cure.

It could be a political issue you feel strongly about and you could be making your voice heard.

It could be supporting our troops as they stand up to the bullies all over the world for us.

It could be any kind of wrong that requires that the forces of good stand up.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Here is the text from the speech:

During the land warfare phase of training, the students are flown out to San Clemente Island which lies off the coast of San Diego.

The waters off San Clemente are a breeding ground for the great white sharks. To pass SEAL training there are a series of long swims that must be completed. One is the night swim.

Before the swim the instructors joyfully brief the trainees on all the species of sharks that inhabit the waters off San Clemente.

They assure you, however, that no student has ever been eaten by a shark — at least not recently.

But, you are also taught that if a shark begins to circle your position, stand your ground. Do not swim away. Do not act afraid.

And if the shark, hungry for a midnight snack, darts towards you, then summon up all your strength and punch him in the snout and he will turn and swim away.

There are a lot of sharks in the world. If you hope to complete the swim you will have to deal with them.

So, If you want to change the world, don’t back down from the sharks. ​

If you want to change the world sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.

Risk. In order to experience the best of life, we all must take some risks.

The price we pay for anything of value in our lives is a combination of the time and risk involved.

Weigh carefully the price of those things you are pursuing in your life to make sure they are worth it.

And then go for it. If it’s worth it, it’s worth it. Don’t let anything hold you back.

Is there an obstacle you need to slide down head first in your life?

Decide today to take the plunge.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Here is the text of this section of his speech:

At least twice a week, the trainees were required to run the obstacle course. The obstacle course contained 25 obstacles including a 10-foot high wall, a 30-foot cargo net, and a barbed wire crawl to name a few.

But the most challenging obstacle was the slide for life. It had a three level 30 foot tower at one end and a one level tower at the other. In between was a 200-foot long rope.

You had to climb the three tiered tower and once at the top, you grabbed the rope, swung underneath the rope and pulled yourself hand over hand until you got to the other end.

The record for the obstacle course had stood for years when my class began training in 1977.

The record seemed unbeatable, until one day, a student decided to go down the slide for life head first.

Instead of swinging his body underneath the rope and inching his way down, he bravely mounted the TOP of the rope and thrust himself forward.

It was a dangerous move — seemingly foolish, and fraught with risk. Failure could mean injury and being dropped from the training.

Without hesitation the student slid down the rope perilously fast, instead of several minutes, it only took him half that time and by the end of the course he had broken the record.

If you want to change the world sometimes you have to slide down the obstacle head first.
​

JW – No matter how slow you go, you’re still lapping everybody on the couch.

JW – We sleep safely at night because rough men stand ready to visit violence on those who would harm us. – Winston Churchill

BAD – Nothing will work, unless you do. – Maya Angelou

MS – Integrate your vocation and your identity by thinking of your life as a journey rather than a destination. – Rabbi Daniel Lapin

EB – With thumb in the air Rowen says, "Wook, mommy, at my bugah, it has a wadybug in it!"

MS – For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity. – CS Lewis

BAD – We run things, things don’t run we. – Miley Cyrus

EB – Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul. – Douglas MacArthur

JD – Getting knocked down in life is a given. Getting up and moving forward is a choice. – Zig Ziglar

JD – The price of hating other human beings is loving oneself less. – Eldridge Cleaver

Doubled up on the quotes this week.

It is amazing the impact a little insight can have in your life.

It’s like dialing the numbers into a lock, maybe you just need that last number.

And maybe a short quote could do it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/7m-1ba0N2N0

Here today and gone tomorrow.

Life is short, even at the longest.

Let’s take advantage of it.

Does this remind you of something that you need to get started on?

Get going. Today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

​

If you want to change the world, don’t be afraid of the circuses.

A circus was an extra two hours of workouts a SEAL trainee would have to do if they didn’t meet standards on their daily tests.

McRaven talks of how those who consistently had to go through the extra circuses ended up being stronger and better. As long as they didn’t quit.

The lesson comes through clear as a bell. Embrace the extra work and lessons that come from failure.

We will all fail at one point or another. The question is what will you learn from it?

Maybe you are overweight and are now going to have to diet and exercise much harder to make up for poor choices in the past.

Maybe your in debt and behind on your bills and your budget isn’t going to be much fun until you pay off the debts.

Maybe your marriage isn’t doing so well and it is going to take a lot of hard work to rebuild trust and love in that relationship.

Whatever your challenge, use it to make you stronger.

We all will face adversity. Successful people use those moments to build inner strength and experience.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Here is the text of this section of his speech:

Every day during training you were challenged with multiple physical events-long runs, long swims, obstacle courses, hours of calisthenics-something designed to test your mettle.

Every event had standards — times you had to meet. If you failed to meet those standards your name was posted on a list and at the end of the day those on the list were invited to-a "circus."

A circus was two hours of additional calisthenics — designed to wear you down, to break your spirit, to force you to quit.

No one wanted a circus.

A circus meant that for that day you didn’t measure up. A circus meant more fatigue — and more fatigue meant that the following day would be more difficult-and more circuses were likely.

But at some time during SEAL training, everyone — everyone-made the circus list.

But an interesting thing happened to those who were constantly on the list. Over time those students — who did two hours of extra calisthenics — got stronger and stronger.

The pain of the circuses built inner strength — built physical resiliency.

Life is filled with circuses.

You will fail. You will likely fail often. It will be painful. It will be discouraging. At times it will test you to your very core.

But if you want to change the world, don’t be afraid of the circuses.
​

If you want to change the world get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward.

You will have to read the text below to get his reference to a sugar cookie.

His point is that no matter how hard you try, sometimes things just don’t work out. You have to make the conscious decision to move forward anyway.

Life is full of little setbacks. Things that don’t go the way you want them to.

Each setback comes with a choice: give up or keep going.

These are the choices that separate success from failure.

Failure doesn’t come from not being perfect, it comes from giving up.

Which will you choose?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Here is the text from his speech:

Several times a week, the instructors would line up the class and do a uniform inspection. It was exceptionally thorough.

Your hat had to be perfectly starched, your uniform immaculately pressed and your belt buckle shiny and void of any smudges.

But it seemed that no matter how much effort you put into starching your hat, or pressing your uniform or polishing your belt buckle — it just wasn’t good enough.

The instructors would find "something" wrong.

For failing the uniform inspection, the student had to run, fully clothed into the surfzone and then, wet from head to toe, roll around on the beach until every part of your body was covered with sand.

The effect was known as a "sugar cookie." You stayed in that uniform the rest of the day — cold, wet and sandy.

There were many a student who just couldn’t accept the fact that all their effort was in vain. That no matter how hard they tried to get the uniform right — it was unappreciated.

Those students didn’t make it through training.

Those students didn’t understand the purpose of the drill. You were never going to succeed. You were never going to have a perfect uniform.

Sometimes no matter how well you prepare or how well you perform you still end up as a sugar cookie.

It’s just the way life is sometimes.

If you want to change the world get over being a sugar cookie and keep moving forward. ​