Garbage in. Garbage out.

This famous programming saying has many applications to the rest of our lives as well.

It probably most obviously applies to what we read, watch and listen to.

But what if we looked at ourselves as the program?

We are programmed to respond in a certain way. Going beyond the way you are programmed requires reprogramming.

Your daily habits can be thought of as a sort of program that produces certain results.

If you want to change the results, you have to change the daily habits.

If you want to lose weight, you have to change your diet.

If you want to get more done, you have to change what you do.

If you want to spend more time with loved ones, you have to change your schedule.

What change(s) do you need to make?

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

Children aren’t very good at listening to their elders, but they never fail at imitating them. – James Ballwin

I heard this quote recently and with three little kids at home it immediately stuck with me.

The quote wasn’t for parents though, it was for leaders.

And in some sense, we are all leaders. We all have someone following us in some respect.

That’s why this quote matters so much.

When influencing those around us to be and do their best, it is our actions that will drive the biggest impact.

And when we see less than desirable results, we must first look in the mirror.

If you saw someone imitating your behaviors would you be proud or embarrassed?

If you saw someone else following your diet plan would you be encouraged or discouraged?

If you saw someone else following your money plan would you be hopeful or dismayed?

If you saw someone else talk to their spouse the way you talk to yours would you be happy for them or worried for them?

This is why personal development and improvement is such an important force. Not only do you get the benefits, but so do those around you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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JD – The jerk store called, they are running out of you.

EB* – What’s the difference, you’re their all-time best seller.

MS – Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think. – Patrick Lencioni

BAD – It is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things. – Henry David Thoreau

JW – If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you will never get it done. – The Master – Bruce Lee

The quotes above from Thoreau and Bruce Lee remind me of one of the great balancing acts of life.

We must balance between lunging from desperate action to desperate action while making sure we don’t spend too much time thinking about a thing while nothing gets done.

We must act, with wisdom and thoughtfulness.

We must think and ponder, with action as the result.

Is there an area of your life where you are out of balance?

Too many impulsive decisions at the grocery store that ruin your diet and budget?

Too much planning and thinking about the perfect workout plan while your pants size grows?

Thinking really hard about the right thing to say to mend that broken heart/relationship while it slowly withers away?

Saying “yes” to every request for your time while missing the deadlines/objectives you have already set?

Life is a balance between thinking and acting. Look closely to see if you need more balance. And then take action to get it straightened out.

Make it a great weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/xHRkHFxD-xY

These lines really stuck out to me:

I got my city right behind me, if I fall, they got me.

Learn from that failure, gain humility, and then we keep marching.

Reminded me of Mavidea. We all have Mavidea right behind us, every day. And they have our back.

When we fail, we gain the humility of realizing we don’t know everything and there is more to learn.

And then we keep marching. We never quit.

As we face uncertain times, the first step is looking adversity in the eye and deciding not to quit.

Every step after is a step towards victory.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

Andy Stanley – empty my cup

My job is not to fill other people’s cups, it is to empty mine.

It will never be enough to fill theirs, but it allows all the good stuff to get put back into yours.

At last week’s LeaderCast, Andy Stanley shared an interesting analogy that I thought was really important for us to understand.

My paraphrase for what he said: My job is not to fill other people’s cups, it is to empty mine. It will never be enough to fill theirs, but it allows all the good stuff to get put back into yours.

He was speaking specifically about leadership, but I think it might just be true for all relationships.

Our job is fill our cup with positive thoughts, emotions, feelings and activities.

Then pour those out on others.

Not because we are filling their cup, but because we want to add to the happiness of those we care about.

Our happiness does not depend on others around us, it depends on the level to which we do our best to serve and love them.

We must do our best out of service and love, that is the only part we control.

Is there a relationship in your life where the other person’s happiness (or lack thereof) control’s too much of yours?

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages. – Henry Ford

In honor of Small Business Week, I thought I would write something unique to small businesses. As I was thinking about what is positive and special about small businesses, I thought of this quote from Henry Ford.

Part of the magic of small business is that there are less steps between the customer who pays the wages and those who earn those wages.

The smaller the organization, the smaller the gap.

And the more closely tied are the wages and the work, the more those doing the work want and strive to deliver value.

When you put good people in a position to succeed, the results are always amazing.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

You can’t selectively numb emotions. – Brene Brown

After hearing about Brene Brown in the training we received a few weeks ago, I went out and found and listened to her TED Talks.

I think this quote came from her talk on vulnerability: https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.

The idea that we can’t selectively numb emotions really struck with me. I couldn’t shake the idea that the reason so many spend their lives in mediocrity might be that they have chosen to numb themselves as a result of some bad experience.

Whether we numb ourselves with a serious dependency like drugs or with something seemingly innocent like cupcakes (hey, what’s he got against cupcakes?), the result is the same: we also can’t feel as much joy and happiness in the good moments.

And maybe when we can’t feel as much joy in the moments of our highest triumphs, we don’t work so hard for them, or maybe their just not worth it.

Then we settle.

We settle for less joy because it means less pain.

We settle for less money because it means less risk.

We settle for less relationship because it means less heartbreak.

We settle for less life because we might lose ours.

Hopefully this TED talk can serve as a wake up call for you (if you needed one, or a good reminder if you needed one of those). Are you not allowing yourself to be vulnerable enough to really reach your potential?

Make it a great day.

Jake

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The natural state of motherhood is unselfishness. When you become a mother, you are no longer the center of your own universe. You relinquish that position to your children. – Jessica Lange

What a great quote about motherhood.

I’ve never been a mother, but it seems to me that there is a magical moment (it happened with our three the moment they were born) where a mother stops being a regular person and starts being a mom.

A moment when a woman makes a decision to always put their little ones needs before their own, or at the very least realizes that that’s how it should be.

In this way, motherhood serves as an example of what human beings are capable of.

By placing the needs of their children first, mothers are capable of amazing things.

Getting very little sleep.

Always eating last.

Eyes in the back of their head.

Holding down two jobs.

Monumental acts of strength while protecting their children.

Mothers serve as proof of how great each of us can be when we live and love selflessly.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

http://youtu.be/sYi7uEvEEmk

Lovely day.

This is one of those that I truly hope gets stuck in everybody’s head today.

Imagine if every time your brain wondered off Bill Withers came in with “lovely day”.

Make it a lovely day.

Jake

Today I thought I would share the advice below about being better at your job.

Make it a great day.

Jake

How do you get better at your job?  By Harvey Mackay

When I am hired to speak to a company or association, I typically talk ahead of time to six to eight people who will be in the audience to get a better sense of the group. I ask them a series of questions about creative selling, teamwork, negotiations, how they get close to their customers and so on. Then I surprise them and ask what they do to get better at their jobs?

Over the years some of the typical answers I’ve received include: going back to school to learn new skills or get another degree, joining trade organizations and attending events, networking, listening to speakers, reading everything they can get their hands on, being more available, working harder and smarter, improving people skills and many more.         

These are all great ideas, but I’d like to add to the list and share some of my ideas on what you can do to get better at your job.

1. Improve your time management. Most people fail because they let time manage them rather than managing their time. Time becomes a crook. Often it’s the people who make the worst use of their time who complain there is never enough of it.

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3. 1.Get organized. This will not only improve your productivity, but it will streamline your life, lower your stress and save you money. The Wall Street Journal reported that the average U.S. executive wastes six weeks per year retrieving misplaced information from messy desks and files. (I’m still working on this.)

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5. 2. Stay positive. Positive thinking is more than just a tagline; it changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I’m positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better. Positive thinking turns obstacles into opportunities.

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7. 3. Write down your goals. Goals not only give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. Goals tend to tap the deeper resources and draw the best out of life. Achieving goals produces significant accomplishments.

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10. 4. Learn to compromise. When you observe the politics in Washington, compromise appears to be a lost art. Maybe that’s because it often is looked upon as weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. Business involves constant compromise – negotiating contracts, hiring, closing sales and so on. Compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that each party thinks they got the biggest piece.

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13. 5. Exercise your mind and body. Taking care of business starts with taking care of yourself. Exercise makes me feel better and gives me energy to work more productively. My philosophy is exercise doesn’t take time; it makes time.

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15. 6. Develop your confidence. Confidence doesn’t come naturally to most people. Even the most successful people have struggled with it in their careers. The good news is that you can develop confidence just like any muscle or character trait. Some tips: improve your skills, keep track of your success, practice being assertive and step out of your comfort zone.

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17. 7. Improve your relationship with your boss. A good relationship with your boss is the foundation of a successful career. Your boss is the person most likely to recognize your contributions and achievements and potentially recommend you for promotions. Strive for a positive work environment.

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19. 8. Surround yourself with mentors and coaches. You can’t do it all by yourself. Seek out the very best help you can find to take your game to the next level. On the flip side, don’t shy away from mentoring younger workers because business is a team sport.

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21. 9. Practice public speaking. Most people dread public speaking but there are few skills more important. Public speaking improves your confidence and communication skills and helps you think better on your feet. How you say things can be as important as what you say. Join Toastmasters International, one of the best-kept secrets in the world. (I did.)

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23. 10. Learn to love feedback. You can learn from anyone if you are open to accepting feedback from not only your manager but from colleagues and customers. If you really believe in yourself, you’ll be open to criticism, learn from it and improve your performance.

The main thing is that you keep working on you. Life is like riding a bicycle. You don’t fall off unless you stop pedaling.