I love my dad. He takes me to Bloomington Blaze games and he takes me to his work. His name is Jacob. – Margaret J Davis

Our oldest daughter wrote this and it made it into the Pantagraph this week.

And while it is tempting to use today’s email to brag on Maggie and her brilliance or my brilliance as a father, I am going to take a slightly different angle.

Those few words made my day.

Those simple phrases made my day.

And those little things I have done for and with Maggie made her day.

Seeing this written down from her and the way it made me feel made me realize how important those little things can be.

We can choose to do little extra things for others and make their day.

This next part I don’t know for sure, but I am guessing that if you made it a habit of doing nice little things for others for an entire lifetime you might just get to the end of your life full of love and happiness.

Each day is a renewal of opportunity.

The opportunity to make small, meaningful impacts on those we encounter.

Seize the opportunity.

Merry Christmas,

Jake

Trust is the byproduct of integrity. – Zig Ziglar

Many of you have seen me draw Andy Stanley’s "trust vs suspicion" illustration lately, so when I saw this Zig Ziglar quote it reminded me of the next logical question.

Once we identify the importance of trust and situations where it is missing, how do we build more trust?

I think Zig has hit the nail on the head in this quote and it answers the question well.

Trust is the natural byproduct of a relationship built on integrity.

As we deal with different expectations, integrity can build a foundation for all of us to work from.

If others can always expect the highest integrity from you, trust will be built and maintained much more easily.

Relationships with others can be difficult enough without having to throw in the difficulties that arise from a lack of integrity.

Now for the really hard question.

Are there relationships in your life where trust is lacking because of a lack of personal integrity on your part?

Is there someone who being more truthful with is needed?

Is there a customer or prospect that needs to hear something from you that they don’t want to hear?

Is there a coworker that needs to hear the truth about why you can’t help out on that important project?

Make the hard choice to build integrity in everything you do.

Merry Christmas,

Jake

Saturday was Pearl Harbor Day.

It feels more and more each year that we sit at a unique period of time in history.

Those that lived through and fought in the last great war are slowly, but surely passing away. And along with them go their memories.

I was reading an article about a memorial service for survivors and no one quoted was less than 90 years old.

And on the other side of the spectrum, we have a society of young people documenting every time they eat through social media.

We have a unique opportunity to value our past and those that have sacrificed and to learn from their experiences. Every day, it slips through our fingers a little more.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – Difficulties break some men but make others. – Nelson Mandela

EB – Oh yeah…I’ve heard Kim curse.

JW – If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough. – Mario Andretti

MS – Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It’s thinking of yourself less. – CS Lewis

KJ – If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. – Maya Angelou

Nelson Mandela’s passing bring to light all of the positive contributions he has made to our world.

The quote from above was actually taken from a letter he wrote to his wife while in prison.

To write that during a moment of difficulty like that is awe inspiring.

Irregardless of the size and severity, we all faces difficulties.

And we all have the choice, they can make us or break us.

Which will you choose?

Make it a great weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/L2urlriwjcg

The most wonderful time of the year.

What a great attitude to have about this unique time of the year around Christmas.

We have the choice this Christmas. We can choose to make it the best of the year.

We can choose to enjoy the cool, peaceful evenings.

We can choose to enjoy the sights and sounds.

We can choose the gift giving and receiving.

We can choose to enjoy the time with friends and family.

We get to choose.

What will you choose?

Make it a great day.

Jake

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. – Dale Carnegie

Saw this quote on the FaceBox and thought it would be a good follow up to yesterday’s post.

Too many spend the holiday season feeling lonely and dejected. For many, this is the saddest time of the year.

As you interact with others, show interest in them. Ask questions. Acknowledge them.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Maybe you have had that moment when you’re updating your status and you realize that every status is a variation on a single request: will someone please acknowledge me?

This was in a cartoon inside of an article I was reading yesterday and I thought it was insightful.

We all have an inherent need to be valued and acknowledged.

The article was discussing healthy social media use and how some are maybe getting a little too focused on the number of likes they are aren’t getting in that sphere.

And while I think we need to be careful of negative or hurtful instances of seeking acknowledgement, there is also an opportunity.

When we realize that simply acknowledging someone can make someone’s day brighter, it becomes easier to see how we can positively impact the world.

Simply positively acknowledging others as we go about our day.

Noticing the waiter or waitresses name and using it when you address them can brighten their day.

Making a dumb joke as ride in the elevator with a stranger.

Calling a friend and catching up.

Find a way to positively acknowledge someone during your day today and see what happens.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Here is a link to the full article for those that are curious:

https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20131202164917-2293140-this-so-called-digital-life-re-evaluating-the-value-of-time-spent-in-social-networks?trk=api*a171147*s179395*&_mSplash=1

The world is but a canvas to our imagination. – Henry David Thoreau

Another Thoreau quote today. Saw this one at the entrepreneurship day at ISU a few weeks back.

Watching those young entrepreneurs, it really did feel like the world was their canvas.

One of the best things about interacting with students is that I leave every time convinced that there is so much potential in them and this world that anything is possible. We need only imagine it and then begin the work of putting the paint brush to the canvas.

As you look at your life is there an area or an idea where you have forgotten this or lost your enthusiasm.

Maybe a goal that you were all fired up about but then lost your steam.

Maybe a business you wanted to start someday but then you lost the enthusiasm for it.

Maybe an exercise regimen that ended with equipment in storage in the basement.

Whatever your goal/dream/imagination, get back to it.

Put some paint on the brush and start creating your dream on the canvas of life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone." Henry David Thoreau

As we approach/continue the shopping season, this was a great reminder of what Christmas is really about.

It is about our love for family, friends and others.

We can afford to “let alone” all the stuff, the shopping, and the decorations.

We can’t afford to let alone the relationships, the children, the husbands and wives or the family.

Life is a balancing act of focus. Shifting our focus over time as what is most important shifts.

It’s easy to lose focus over the holidays. To just chalk up the month of December as a loss when it comes to meeting our goals and spending our time wisely.

Let’s choose to be different this year. Let’s choose our own fate this December.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/1ylsBNWofns

Technically a day off but couldn’t resist sending this one out after Mr. Trotter posted it on the FaceBox.

Awesome accents, awesome song.

What a great time of year.

Make it a great day.

Jake