"I think that surviving those we love must be among life’s worst experiences. My uncle Ken Hayward – a man of wisdom and courage who, in his eighty-three-year lifetime, led squadrons of men through countless air battles and city councils through difficult change – has just buried an aged five-pound dog. And he is distraught beyond belief."

This line from "An American Caddie in St. Andrews" by Oliver Horovitz really stuck with me.

Something we all have in common is that we will "survive someone we love" at some point. And, I suppose, we will all find ourselves "distraught beyond belief" as well.

There is a positive side to this realization.

We can remember to be thankful for those we love.

We can cherish our memories and create new ones that will live with us forever.

We can slow down and bend down for that all important conversation with a bouncing 5 year old.

We can tell those we love that we love, right now.

No one is guaranteed tomorrow. We all must make the most of today.

Make the most of today.

Jake​

"Have you even been in the middle of a city, and looked up at a clear nighttime sky? What do you see? Not much; maybe a star or two. Or even during the day, what do you see? If it’s a clear day you probably won’t end up seeing much because the sun will blind you. But how about when you are drawn back into the country, or a place where light is absent; what do you see? You see MILLIONS of stars. The funny thing? They have always been there. Never once did they leave. But in life, when we are surrounded by the fast pace of our busyness, and when things are going well and the sun in shining, we don’t see the stars. It is only when things go dark, and you find yourself cold, confused, and alone, that you look up to see the OVERWHELMING light that lies in a starry nighttime sky. God has always been there, and always will be…whether you see Him working or not. Let us not forget the He who is always lovingly looking down on us, guiding us in each step we take." ​

Looking up a nighttime sky is always a humbling experience for me. Thinking of all that lies out there, beyond me and my little, busy world.

This quote was a great reminder to embrace all of those little lights and all the possibilities that lie in front of us.

A great reminder to open our eyes to all the beauty and capabilities that exist around us. To open our minds to the opportunities missed because of all the busyness of our everyday lives.

Make it a point today to look up at the sky tonight and think a little differently about what might be next in your life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages. – Henry Ford

Inside of this quote lies a great truth about happiness and success. It might even be the point at which they collide, but I’m not quite smart enough to understand how that might work.

The truth is that in order to make our way in this world we must be of service to others, and the more service to others we provide the more we are rewarded.

This isn’t just a money principle, either.

It applies to lots of the things we value in life: relationships, society, education, family and many others.

It’s easy to get caught up in the trap of looking to your employer, your government, your family or someone else to provide for you. And that even works, kind of.

But most are left feeling empty and shortchanged.

Only when we become our best and then give it away to others are we rewarded in the ways we desire.

Is there an area of your life where you are waiting for rewards?

What are you doing today to become your best?

What are you doing today to give your best in service in that area?

Make it a great day.

Jake

​

JD – You cannot take the mild approach to the weeds in your garden. You’ve got to hate weeds enough to kill them. Weeds are not something you handle; weeds are something you devastate. — Jim Rohn

EB* – Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of someone else. – Judy Garland

JW – "Begin at the beginning" the king said, very gravely, "and go on until you come to the end; then stop." – Lewis Carroll, Alice In Wonderland

MS – I have been doing marriage counseling for about fifteen years and I realized that what makes one person feel loved, doesn’t make another person feel loved. – Gary Chapman

http://youtu.be/xIjobdArtiA

The Alice in Wonderland quote reminded me of this scene from the Sound of Music “Let’s start at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start.”

What a great way to look at your goals. Start at the beginning, keep going until you come to the end.

It almost seems too easy.

Spend a minute today and think about a goal of yours. Think of where to start. Get started.

Don’t make it too hard, don’t overcomplicate it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/y6Sxv-sUYtM

Yesterday was International Day of Happiness, and I missed it with the Daily Attitude Email.

Good thing too because it gave me a good excuse to make up for it by sending this song out again.

I dare you to have a bad day with this song playing in your head.

I was listening to this last night and the girls were dancing around and I couldn’t help but think about the rest of the people this video has made happy.

I thought of Pharrell himself and how happy it must make someone to create, sing and dance like he does.

I thought of all the people that helped him produce and create this and how much fun that must have been.

I thought of the 128 million other people who have watched this video online, many with their loved ones near; everyone smiling ear to ear.

Wow. There is a lot power in this one short music video. And it is one of many.

Inside of each of these lies a pearl of hope.

Hope for our happiness.

Hope for the future.

Hope for adding to the lives of our fellow human beings.

Hope that evil and malice will be defeated.

Hope that our lives do have meaning and transcendence beyond our day to day to do lists.

I hope you make it a great day.

Jake ​

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." – Joshua J. Marine

The challenges in our lives are actually opportunities to find and create meaning in our lives.

It’s not what happens to you, it’s what you do about it.

With each new challenge, we have the choice to make – face it and overcome and create more meaning or give in and create more regret.

Which will today bring for you – meaning or regret?

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. – Socrates

What a great way to look at the habits we have and the habits we would like to have.

As you look at the habits of your life, are you focusing your energy on fighting the old instead of building new ones?

Are you focusing on old eating habits instead of building a new exercise habit?

Are you focusing on going to bed early instead of getting up earlier?

Are you focusing on old spending habits instead of building a habit of doing a budget every month?

Our old habits are intertwined with our new, but by focusing our efforts on the new, positive habit we can move forward faster toward our long term goals.

Something I’ve noticed is that new positive habits tend to crowd out the old negative ones.

Exercising regularly makes us want to eat better.

Getting up early makes it easier to get to bed on time.

Keeping a budget and tracking our expenses makes it easier to control our spending.

Pick something you want to change and find a new, positive habit to drive the change. Let the old, negative habits die off when they are crowded out by the new.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

Today is Oliver’s first birthday. Hard to believe our little guy is officially one.

With each passing year for each of our little one’s young lives, I am reminded of a couple of really important.

First, I am reminded of how lucky I am. Not only to have happy and healthy kids, but to be married to the best mom and wife in the biz.

Next, I am reminded of all the potential that each of them (and each of you) possess. With each passing year I imagine each of them and all the possibilities their future holds and I am amazed.

I am also reminded of how bright our future is. We here all this talk about how things are so bad and "it just ain’t what it used to be." I disagree. When I look at my kids (and the vast majority of the other kids I talk to), I can’t help but picture a future that "ain’t what it used to be" because it is so much better.

I could go on and on, but I will end with this reminder:

Our time is limited. We don’t have a never-ending supply of time. As each year passes, I am reminded more and more to make the most of the time I have with these three special kiddos (and all of you).

Happy Birthday to Oliver.

Make it a great day.

Jake ​

May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I went in search of Irish quotes and proverbs.

This one in particular struck at the heart of what I believe to be one of the most endearing of the Irish idiosyncrasies, hospitality.

The Irish are well known for their hospitality and welcoming nature.

I have come to think this is part of what leads to their general cheeriness. Life is best lived through service and hospitality towards others.

When we put others first our best shines through.

Make it a great day filled with happy hospitality.

Jake

Here are some of the other great Irish sayings I found:

It’s easier to halve the potato when there’s love.

May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks. May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright, happy hours that stay with you all the year long.

Lose an hour in the morning and you’ll be looking for it all day.

If you buy what you don’t need you might have to sell what you do.

Better good manners than good looks.

You’ll never plough a field by turning it over in your mind.

Pity him who makes an opinion a certainty.

BAD – People are not problems to be solved. They are mysteries to be explored. – Eugene Peterson

JW – Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. – William James

MS – A good plan violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week. – George S. Patton

EB* – No one else ‘makes us angry.’ We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. – Jim Rohn

JD – The secret to change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. – Socrates

I really liked the quote that Jamie W shared from William James.

I have been reading a story of a young man and his experiences caddying at St. Andrews.

This William James quote reminded me of the biggest lesson I have learned so far: open your eyes to all of the possibilities that are available to you and then follow your passion.

We have more room to run than we thought.

Make it a great day.

Jake