http://youtu.be/YPIA7mpm1wU

Maggie randomly requested to watch and listen to this one last night.

I was thinking afterwards how amazing it is that a silly song could bring together a little 7 year old and an Olympic swim team that was in China.

And this reminded me of a conversation I had once where someone smarter than me was explaining to me the power of music as a "universal language".

How true. Somehow it (maybe this song doesn’t quite reach out to everyone) reaches out to that part of all of us that is uniquely human. Created in a special way, for a special purpose.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

"I have no one else’s judgment to use". Andrew Wiggin

This line was in a book I was reading and it stuck out to me.

It was in response to someone questioning his judgment.

It struck me how quickly we can be in dismissing someone else’s judgment. When, if we were them, we would make the exact same decision.

Not that we should be tolerant of or allow the bad judgment of others to ruin our lives, just that by being more understanding and empathetic we can understand their process and how to work alongside others more cohesively.

It also struck me that I can only use my judgment as well. In that way I am limited.

So, what to do with my limitation?

Build it up. Exercise my judgment muscles.

Read books, take classes, take on more decision making and responsibility.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”-Maya Angelou

What a great, simple thought that can change your life.

How do people feel when you’ve left the room?

How does the waitress feel after waiting on your table?

How does your doctor feel after having you as a patient?

We have many opportunities to change how others feel as we go throughout our day. Why not make sure the answer to all of the questions above is something of value: loved, happy, listened to, blessed, thankful, peaceful, etc.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

“God has not been trying an experiment on my faith or love in order to find out their quality. He knew it already. It was I who didn’t. In this trial He makes us occupy the dock, the witness box, and the bench all at once. He always knew that my temple was a house of cards. His only way of making me realize the fact was to knock it down.”

― C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed

What a powerful thought.

Regardless of where you stand on believing in God and whether or not God places trials in our lives to test us, life will test you at some point.

The older I get the more I wonder how many of my "temples" are really houses of cards.

We see others whose metaphorical card houses have been toppled and quickly jump to conclusions about what they may have done wrong, not noticing we are balancing precariously in a card house ourselves.

But where’s the positive spin, Jake?

First, showing empathy for the weaknesses and follies of others can help us from meeting that same fate.

Second, seeing our house of cards for what it is before it falls can save us a whole lot of heartache.

Take a look at what you are building your beliefs and habits from to make sure they are built on solid footing.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtglLqBiwGI&feature=youtu.be

Jim Rohn – Lesson Of The Seasons (2 of 4)_1.f4v – YouTube The Art Of Exceptional Living by Jim Rohn Copyrighted to Nightingale-Conant Corporation | 1994. Watch now…

​It sure feels like spring has officially sprung.

In this video Jim Rohn talks about making the most of our springs. He says we are only given a handful of them.

As the season changes and life moves forward, take it as a reminder that you only have so many seasons and your job is to make the most of them.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – You don’t need to be perfect to inspire others. Let people be inspired by how you deal with your imperfection. – Wilson Kanadi

JW – Time is what we want most, but what we use worst. – William Penn

MS – I want you to grab hold of this principle because it will change your life — if you will simply make the most of where you are, God will do the rest. -Tony Evans

EB – God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son. – John 3:16

One of my goals over the last few years has been to read more biographies and autobiographies.

Each time I read one that fact that strikes me the most is just how imperfect some of the great men and women have been.

I think the quote above from Wilson Kanadi hits at the heart of why.

People can be inspired by how we deal with our imperfections.

Which of your imperfections might be inspiring to others if you dealt with it more openly and transparently?

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/yJYXItns2ik

What a blessing friends can be.

This song reminds me of just how blessed I am to have the friends I have.

Reach out to an old friend today.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

Live in such a way that if someone were to speak badly of you, no one would believe it. – Bob Beaudine

What a great way to look at what others might say about us.

What if you could live in such a way that you build up so much trust you are always given the benefit of the doubt?

What if you could erase worrying about what others may think of you from your to do list?

I know this might seem a fanciful and maybe even seem impossible.

But when you think about it, I bet we all know someone like this.

That someone you and everyone else knows they can trust.

That someone you know won’t talk about you behind your back.

That someone that if you heard something bad about them you wouldn’t believe it.

Ok….got someone in mind? Reach out to them. Spend more time with them. Find out how they do it.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

During one of his morning walks to work in New York City, David Ogilvy encountered a man begging with a sign around his neck. The sign read: "I am blind," and, as evidenced by his nearly empty cup, the man was not doing very well. Ogilvy removed the man’s sign from around his neck, pulled out a marker and changed the sign to read, "It is spring and I am blind." He hung the sign back around the beggar’s neck and went on his way. On his way home he was pleased to notice the vagrant had a full cap.

This story was mentioned in the book "To Sell is Human" by Daniel Pink.

He used it as an illustration of his point that clarity depends on contrast.

I thought this was a particularly insightful thought that can be applied in many ways.

We can gain clarity on our goals through the contrast of where we are today and where we want to be in the future.

We can gain clarity on what’s important by comparing our blessings with those who are less fortunate.

We can gain clarity when making decisions by contrasting the two options in their extremes.

Clarity is such an important part of moving forward in life. We can only move as far and as fast as we can see clearly.

Is there an area of your life that needs clarity? Is there a way that contrast could provide that clarity?

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/watching-two-old-women-fly-for-the-first-time-is-pure-g-1562267586?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

I saw this video on the FaceBox this weekend and figured I would share with everyone. It’s a little longer, but spend the 10 minutes to watch, I guarantee (98 and 3/4 percent guarantee) you will at least smile if not laugh out loud.

I am sharing the article because I really liked the authors point.

There are so many amazing things around us that we interact with every day, most times without even noticing.

All of these day to day miracles remind of one of my favorite CS Lewis quotes:

“Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.”

I picture words like imagination, creativity, and innovation written in giant crop circles or ancient ruins. Written so large that most can’t see, but shown everyday in their own little ways through cell phones, medical procedures and all of the other modern conveniences we take for granted.

We are all very blessed to live in such times. Take a deep breath at some point today and be thankful for all of the little miracles around you.

Make it a great day.

Jake