http://youtu.be/6TOnzKMaAP4

You is kind.

You is smart.

You is important.

For those of you who don’t know this scene, it is from “The Help”. It is a really dramatic moment in the (very good) movie where racial tensions have come to a head.

Amidst all the turmoil, the 9 words above really stuck out to me. By teaching these three short lines to that little girl, the nanny in the scene likely had a more profound impact on that girl than anything else.

What we say to ourselves and believe about ourselves is really important.

The soundtrack in our head determines where we think we are capable of going.

Imagine if someone had placed these three simple lines into your head when you were little.

Now imagine if you planted them in there for yourself, today.

What difference might that make in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years?

For those of us who have the chance to influence a young one (or more), what if you started with them today? What if you made that investment?

For all of us, what if you found someone and just said a simple kind word to them?

Remember:

You is kind.

You is smart.

You is important.

Make it a great day.

Jake

I was searching for something else and this daily attitude email came up in the search results.

Thought I would send it out again today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Daily Attitude Email 8 21 13

A baby is born with a need to be loved – and never outgrows it. – Frank A. Clark

Today is the first day of school. A day of mixed emotions, lots of pictures and the all-important FaceBox post of the smiley little ones with their backpacks on.

Sending them off into the unknown and hoping for the best as your little ones move on and up through the grades is an emotional experience (at least it has been in our house so far).

Being married to a retired teacher (stay at home mom) each year also brings to mind thoughts of the teachers and staff at the school and my extreme gratitude and thankfulness for all they do for us. It is truly a great responsibility to watch over the shaping and molding of those young minds.

As I thought about the teachers and staff and came across the quote above I was reminded of the awesome responsibility each of us has for those we interact with on a daily basis. We may not be teaching little kids to read and write but our interactions with those we come across impact them.

Each person we meet was once someone’s baby. They were born with a need to be loved and still haven’t outgrown it. Their mom and dad have seen them leave the nest and now they are out in the real world, with us. Their parents trusted their most important cargo in our care.

They want appreciation, warmth, sincerity, honesty and all of the other great things in life just like you and me.

We have a choice as we go about each day.

Do we seize the opportunity to love and care for others or do we focus on ourselves and our own needs?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Life is not happening to you, it is happening for you.

I saw this somewhere recently and while I’m still not sure I completely get it, it struck me as containing some wisdom (can’t wait until I am wise enough to understand these things).

Life is not happening to you. I have written often of the freedom that comes with taking responsibility for your life. I am of the belief that this is the major step in becoming more mature.

Life is happening for you. I don’t think this is meant in a selfish or self-centered way. Not in a way that everyone and everything should be made to bend to your every whim.

I think of it more of an opportunity.

Life is happening for you in that it is an opportunity for you.

An opportunity for you to become the best you.

An opportunity for you to serve.

An opportunity for you to love.

Life is happening for you to take advantage of these opportunities.

Let’s get started.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – Must be the crystals in the atmosphere. – Nick Glimsdahl

EB – Sometimes I just wanna sue some dudes pants off just so I can put them on and take a selfie and post it to FaceBook. #hopethatdudehaslongjohns #coldweathergoosebumps #dudelookslikealady #arethosepinkundies?

JW – Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. – Albert Einstein

MS – Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God, do you learn. – CS Lewis

The Albert Einstein quote above hit me as I struggle with this one.

I tend to get a little over-analytical and overthink things.

Sometimes thing really need to be made more simple, not over analyzed.

The real wisdom in the quote is the recognition of the other side of the coin.

Some things are inherently complex and take a lifetime to figure out. That’s why I think God came up with the scheme of being married for the rest of your life. It takes that long to “figure out” your spouse. (I know, I am full of hilarious jokes).

Next time you are worrying about or over-analyzing something, just ask yourself this question:

Have I made this as simple as possible and not any simpler?

Remove the clutter from your thought process.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/HxEYqiJ1Klw

This is a really powerful song about how you spend your life.

As you listen to the song, think about how you are living your life.

Make it a great Friday.

Jake

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

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

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