Happy Birthday, Beautiful America!

This is no ordinary song about America, and surprisingly, it’s not even a country song.

(It’s a Dave toe-tapper.)

The lyrics and video are a great reminder not to lose our faith in this sometimes troubled nation.

I love the message of how beautiful America is, has been, and always will be. The spirit that lies in diversity of people and culture, the different landscapes and cityscapes, and the freedom to enjoy it all, are what make her that way.

"Stay Beautiful, Baby.
Stay American, Baby."

A happy and safe 4th to you!

http://youtu.be/wU8SbHTVavA

Meaghan

Up next on my list of great things about America – our Armed Forces.

In the US, the Armed Forces are populated by a group of dedicated volunteers.

The fact that they are volunteers puts them in a unique category. They put others and their country in front of their needs.

We all owe a debt of gratitude to these special volunteers who put their lives on the line for the rest of us.

What does this mean to the rest of us?

It creates an opportunity for us.

An opportunity to show our gratitude, to be sure.

But also an opportunity to honor the sacrifice of those special volunteers.

We can honor their sacrifice by making the most of it.

Making the most of our freedoms by becoming the best we can be in service to others.

How can you serve others today in a way that honors the sacrifices of our troops?

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – Still looking for volunteers for writing the daily attitude email next week. Specifically, I need a volunteer for Tuesday and Wednesday. ​

I once heard a comedian say that his dad complained about America and how it didn’t have it’s own culture. About how all the different cultures lived together but kept some or all of their original heritage.

The comedians punch line was: "Dad, that is their culture."

In America we have a unique opportunity as we live and work with those from different cultures.

We can embrace others and their unique view on the world.

Whether you call it a salad bowl or a melting pot, America is a better dish with all the flavors.

You have a unique part in this process. To bring the best of yourself and your culture to the table.

By being our best every day, we add to the richness and greatness of American culture.

The best results come from the best ingredients, let’s embrace being the best we can be. ​

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – Still looking for volunteers to send the daily attitude emails next week while I am out. Send me a note if you want to volunteer.

With the Fourth of July on Friday, I thought I would write this week’s emails about what is great about America.

The first thing I thought of was that America is what we make of it.

We choose whether or not to participate in the political rhetoric or to make meaningful progress with our neighbors even when we disagree.

We choose whether or not to think more or less of those in or out power or to love rich and poor alike.

We choose whether or not to live off of the work of others or to apply ourselves and blaze our own trail.

And the list could go on and on….

As you think about what it means to be an American this week, think of that ideal citizen….and then start working to become that person.

The best place to make a difference is in the mirror.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I will be on vacation starting on Thursday and will be out through next Thursday. Any volunteers to send out the daily attitude email while I am gone? ​

JD – Goals are like a magnet – they pull. And the stronger they are, the more purposeful they are, the bigger they are, the more unique they are, the stronger they pull. – Jim Rohn

BAD – Bad times have a scientific value. These are occasions a good learner would not miss. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

MS – Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value. – Albert Einstein

JW – When there is nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire. – Unknown

EB – Whatever you are, be a good one. – Abraham Lincoln

How hard are your goals pulling you every day?

Do you wake up with a burning desire to make progress towards them?

When you have a moment alone do you immediately feel yourself pulled to make progress?

Setting a clear, exciting and dramatic goal should give you clarity and vitality throughout your day.

If you aren’t feeling that clarity and vitality, maybe you need to up the ante with your goals.

Spend a few minutes reviewing your goals list this weekend and find a goal to turn up the heat on. Then get after it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

This was recently sent to me and I thought that most of us could probably use a dose of reality about making our lives more simple.

We all have a choice when it comes to the stuff that is in our lives.

If it doesn’t add to your life, maybe you need to get rid of it.

Don’t let others or impulse decisions decide for you how much of your life you are investing in stuff you don’t need.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase. -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

I have also heard faith described as "believing that everything will work out for the best in the end."

Do you have this kind of faith in your life?

Do you believe everything will work out for the best in the end?

Do you expect the worst or expect the best?

One of the unique things that comes with the religious version of faith is this very belief.

Faith is also described as a leap.

My challenge for you today:

Take a small leap today.

Believe that today will work out for the best. That it will be a good day and that by the end of it, you will have a smile on your face.

Act as if the day will turn out great. Begin each conversation, email and interaction as if it will all work out for the best.

Don’t let anything challenge this belief, just for today.

And if it works out….maybe try it again tomorrow.

Make it a great day.

Jake

When coaches or parents make consistency their foundation, everyone around them becomes more comfortable and every around them has an opportunity to grow. – John Wooden

This quote is aimed at helping parents and coaches, but I believe it applies to all relationships.

When we are consistent in how we interact with someone, they know what to expect. When they know what to expect, trust can grow. And trust is the foundation of a healthy relationship.

Maybe to take that metaphor further, consistency is the bricks or blocks that build that foundation of trust.

Think about a foundation built out of inconsistently sized and shaped bricks. Might not want to build a home on that one.

As you think about the relationships and life you want to build, think about the size and shape of those bricks of consistency.

Are you consistently honest or deceitful?

Are you consistently wise or foolish?

Are you consistently productive or lazy?

Are you consistently caring or selfish?

Those things we do consistently form the foundation on which everything else is built.

What kind of foundation are you building?

Make it a great day.

Jake

The following was shared in "How to Stop Worrying" by Dale Carnegie:

On the slope of Long’s Peak in Colorado lies the ruin of a gigantic tree. Naturalists tell us that it stood some four hundred years. It was a seedling when Columbus landed at San Salvador, and half grown when Pilgrims settled at Plymouth. During the course of its long life it was struck by lightning fourteen times, and the innumerable avalanches and storms of four centuries thundered past it. It survived them all. In the end, however, an army of beetles attacked the tree and leveled it to the ground. The insects ate their way through the bark and gradually destroyed the inner strength of the tree by their tiny but incessant attacks. A forest giant which age had not withered, nor lightning blasted, nor storms subdued, fell at last before beetles so small a man could crush them between his forefinger and his thumb.

After this short story, he summarizes for his readers:

Let’s not allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. Remember, "Life is too short to be little,"

I know this isn’t telling you anything you didn’t already know, but I think we can all use a reminder.

Think of one little beetle that you are letting eat away at your life. And then smash it between your finger and your thumb.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS – I know I have said this before, but I will say it again….."How to Stop Worrying" is a super awesome book and you should read it. ​

When we get better, things get better.

Investing in your own personal development is a key discipline to build into your life.

If you want to get different results, you have to become a different person.

We attract the life and lifestyle we have based on the kind of person we are.

As you look at what kind of life you want, what kind of person will you have to become?

Are you consistently investing time towards becoming that person?

What is one thing you can do today to become more like that person?

We all have the opportunity to get better. There is room for improvement in all of us.

The key is to get started and then consistently make progress.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​