Author: jakedavis1910

Daily Attitude Email 1 23 14

The size of the person is more important than the size of the problem. No matter what you are facing, no matter the size of the obstacle, you can overcome. The key is to grow yourself so that you – your strengths, your skills, your character, your resources – are bigger and better than your problem! – Chris Widener

What a great thought.

Grow yourself so that most of life’s problems shrink by comparison.

That $1000 bill from the hospital doesn’t seem like as much of a problem when you have money in savings.

That customer shutting down their business doesn’t seem as big when you have 100 more.

That train that has you stopped on the way to your meeting doesn’t seem so bad when you are early.

We will all face problems in life. Some will be big and some will be small. That will never change.

Our view on them can change.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 1 22 14

If you chase two rabbits, you will not catch either one. – Russian Proverb

Just started listening to “The One Thing” and this quote was on the outside of the book.

I have written a lot about the power of focus so I won’t focus (see what I did there) on that for today’s email.

Instead, I want to challenge you to think about the rabbits.

How many rabbits are you chasing?

Look at how you spend your time.

Look at which relationships you are investing time in.

Look at what you think about all the time (this one is going to require some serious yoga moves).

Look at how you spend your money.

I had an interesting conversation with someone recently where he was articulating some struggles he was having juggling several priorities. Hearing him describe the situation made it completely clear that he just needed to decide what was most important right now.

He simply had to choose.

It was clear only after he had articulated the situation to me.

Find a way to tell someone how many rabbits you are chasing. Or just write it down.

I bet you will be surprised at the results.

Then take action. Make the hard choice. Choose one thing over another.

You deserve it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 1 21 14

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day, I thought I would share one of his quotes I think of frequently.

This quote is my reminder of two important to dos.

First, to look for the little things to do for others. I don’t sweep streets, but there are little things that I can do every day to be of service to others. It doesn’t matter how small. Any time you have that moment of “what’s next”, try to think of something to do for someone else.

Second, no matter how small something seems, do it with a positive attitude and the best you can.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 1 20 14

Yesterday was Meaghan’s (my wife) birthday. It was a great day to remember how lucky I am to have married such a beautiful younger woman.

But it also reminded me of something that maybe we can all learn from Meaghan.

For those of you that don’t know, Meaghan is retired (meaning she stays home with our kids).

Since very early on in our marriage (and probably before that) she knew she was going to stay home with the kids. She just knew she was meant to raise kids.

There is a lot of power in knowing something like that.

If someone had offered her a high paying job, she would have said no.

It wouldn’t matter what the offer was, she knew what she should be doing.

That kind of clarity is hard to come by. Most of us spend our time bouncing from idea to idea, unsure of our path.

So, what is the lesson here (besides “be more like Meaghan”)?

If you don’t have that kind of clarity around your purpose, get it.

Talk to others and ask them.

Read books and see what they have to say.

Spend some quiet time searching for the answer.

It will be worth it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

The Phrase That Pays (Tony Edition)

JD – Tony’s is still the only interview I have ever had to put on hold until the candidate stopped laughing.

EB – I still have not recovered from Tony attempting to squeeze the life out of me. I now know what a blank feels like.

JW – I will eat you. – Tony Brook

MS* – Wow, that really made a dent in the budget when we added in the line item to replace/replenish the Nerf Arsenal after Tony leaves.

One of the best things about Mavidea is the relationships we create with each other.

Tony has put in his two weeks and is moving on.

It is better to have worked together and lost than never to have worked together at all….

Each person that comes through the doors at Mavidea leaves a permanent mark on Mavidea, the Mavideans they work with and our customers. And Tony has certainly done that.

Each day is a new opportunity to make that impact a positive one for you, your team and our customers. I am thankful that Tony chose to make so many positive impacts over the years.

We will certainly miss Tony around here, but we were also very blessed to have worked with him.

End of Tony love fest.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 1 16 14

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/19/the-17-most-awesome-lego_n_468640.html

I had the thought the other day that your vocabulary is the Legos of your mind.

By putting together different words and concepts you can create a mental image of your current reality and a picture of the future realities that are possible for you.

Jim Rohn uses this concept to explain why many end up in prison. Their vocabulary and view on the world are so small that they end up in a cell the size of their vision.

Similar to Legos, the possibilities for combination and building something unique are almost endless.

So, what to do about it?

Read. Listen. Watch.

The opportunities to learn and grow your vocabulary are out there. Seek and ye shall find.

Having trouble with creating a vision for your life?

Having a hard time seeing how you can get past an obstacle?

Having difficulty seeing the new you after the achievement of your goals?

Go find the words. Go find the building blocks.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 1 15 14

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I came home last night and Meaghan had written this on the chalkboard in our kitchen (just imagine it as being super cute and you will get the mental picture).

Above the quote she had written “2014” (with a heart for the 0, again, imagine it as super cute).

What a great way to start the year.

What if every day of the year got better than the last?

What if this year was a year of continual improvement and happiness for you?

What if you had the choice?

Choose wisely.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 1 14 14

When you realize your time is limited, you begin to limit your time. – Andy Stanley

In a recent podcast from Andy he was talking about managing our time and priorities and this line stuck out to me.

Only when we see the hourglass and the sand running through it do we start to look at our time differently.

The priorities become clearer, the time wasters more obvious and those that are most important more important.

Spend a moment today and go through the mental exercise of picturing an hour glass with sand running through it and then imagine that represents your life. Your days are numbered.

The only question left is: what are you going to do with them?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 1 13 14

http://youtu.be/7l_tFa4-5OM

We are at the point where it is easy to lose steam on your New Year’s resolutions and give up.

This reminded of the video above from Finding Nemo where Dory explains that they need to “just keep swimming.”

When you lose focus or enthusiasm towards your goals, just keep swimming.

Lost the first 5 pounds, but the second isn’t coming as easy. Just keep swimming.

Made it through the first week or so on your new budget, but now that new cool thing is coming out. Just keep swimming.

Whatever your goal, just keep swimming.

Make it a great day.

Jake