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

Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand. – Thomas Carlyle

In "How to Stop Worrying" Dale Carnegie used this quote to illustrate one of the many ideas in the book.

He calls this living in "Day-Tight" compartments.

By not letting tomorrow’s problems become todays, we are able to live our lives much happier and also much more productively.

He also talks about the Lord’s Prayer and how the prayer asks "Give us this day our daily bread". Carnegie goes on to say "Today’s bread is the only kind we can possibly eat."

Today’s customers are the only ones we can help.

Today’s hugs and kisses for the kids are the only ones we can give.

Today’s phone call to a loved one is the only one we can make.

We can only do today’s work. Tomorrow’s is for tomorrow.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

JD – Some people take better care of their pets than they do themselves. Their animals can run like the wind and they can barely make it up a flight of stairs. – Jim Rohn

EB – It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin

MS – So much of life is choosing between things that are good and things that are the best. – Arnold Lovin

JW – The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground. – Author Unknown

BAD – Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. – Philippians 2:1-4 MSG

Verses like the ones from Philippians above really strike me.

They show me two things.

First, mankind has had to be reminded of the basics of being nice, agreeable and generally unselfish for a very, very long time. For me to expect it to be any different for me or the others I interact with borders on foolishness.

Second, simple truths never grow old. Selflessness as a virtue will never grow old. Love for one another will never grow old.

They may take on different forms and come through social media instead of sitting around a campfire in the desert, but they are still there.

Both of these points combine to make maybe the most important point.

What are you going to do about it?

Are you going to choose selfishness or selflessness? Hate or love? Yourself first or others first?

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/d-seebMbckw

The best of times or the worst of times?

You pick.

I am pretty sure that throughout history there have been people declaring the present age to be both the best and the worst of times.

But who is right?

Maybe this is a bit naïve, but I can’t see how you could lose thinking these are the best of times.

If they are, you win.

If they aren’t, maybe at the very least you lived a little happier along the way. You win.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

"All you can do is all you can do, but all you can do is enough! " A.L. Williams

What a great attitude to have.

We all have the same 24 hours in a day, the question is "What are you going to do with it?"

If we consistently do all that we can, we will find out that it is enough.

There is a tendency to underestimate what you can do over the long haul. Small, consistent steps forward really do add up.

Think about a long term goal of yours. Then think of "all you can do" for today….then do it.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me. – Fred Rogers

Last night I was walking out of Wal-Mart and saw a guy walking in holding a little girl in his arms and they both had smiles so wide they could eat a banana sidewise (stole that one from good ol’ Zig Ziglar).

It struck me just how special the smiles, laughter and happiness of children really is.

My happiness thought for all of us today….spend a little time with someone under 10.

Ask them questions.

Let them ask you questions.

Do whatever they want to do.

Embrace the silliness.

And never forget that no matter how mean or nasty someone is to you, they were a silly little kid at one point. They just lost that part of themselves.

Let’s help each other find this part. Let’s laugh and be silly.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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