Continuing the theme of why I love America today. Next up on the list is the generosity of the American people.

I recently heard an interview with Bono where he was thanking the American people who through donations and governmental support had saved 900,000 lives in Africa.

That’s a big number.

Generosity is also in all of the little things that I see over and over again.

I see our staff come together and put on a whiffle ball tournament for the daughter of a deceased coworker.

I see our small church give back to our little community.

I see soup kitchens and food pantries serving the hungry.

And they all begin with generosity. I know this trait isn’t unique to Americans, but it is something we do exceedingly well.

I am very thankful to live in a country where so many of my fellow citizens give of themselves to help others.

Make it a great day.

Jake

4th of July week this week so I thought a good theme for the week would be things that are great about America.

First up is the diversity of cultures in America and their mixture.

I heard an Asian comedian once who said his dad was complaining about there being no culture in America and everyone had their own culture. The comedian responded that that is the culture.

In America, we can eat at an authentic Thai restaurant in Bloomington, IL. We can eat all kinds of different foods from a long list of different cultures.

Think about that. Half a world away from her homeland, an enterprising woman can open and run a successful restaurant in part because we are accepting and curious about her and her culture.

We also have the unique benefit of being a mix of cultures.

In our little family we have a mix of German, Irish and English culture and heritage.

Very different and unique cultures by themselves, but likely a very common mix here in the US.

Let’s all take a minute to be thankful for the unique and different people and cultures we get to experience here in America.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JW – The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do, the hard part is doing it. – Norman Schwarzkopf

JD – Thought is the sculptor, who can create the person you want to be. – Henry David Thoreau

JM* – I sure am going to miss Sheryl.

EB* – I am going to miss Sheryl the most.

Sheryl’s last day has reminded me of one of unique and key elements of what we are doing here at Mavidea: relationships.

Mavidea has allowed all of us to create great relationships that probably wouldn’t have happened otherwise.

The other day I saw Sheryl and Jason Lerblance walking together somewhere downtown here and thought to myself “what an interesting side effect, two would be strangers enjoying time together”.

And I am sure this is just one small example.

Where else would Sheryl have met and become friends with a rag-tag groups of geeks providing IT and web services to our clients?

Your hard work and efforts at Mavidea have created the opportunity for so many new and wonderful relationships.

I know my life has been enriched by the relationships formed here.

Take a minute today to be thankful for the good relationships in your life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/xnzDIKmEPxo

In honor of Sheryl’s last day, I thought I would send this out in her honor.

When I have asked her about Mavidea in the past, she consistently mentions enjoying working with us young people (probably because she is so young).

As Sheryl looks into retirement and maybe begins defining young a little differently I thought I would share some of my favorite youthful traits that Mavideans exhibit.

Enthusiasm! Sorry, couldn’t resist the exclamation mark.

Passion

Drive

Ambition

Growth

Fun

And those are just a few to start. The list illustrates a point about youth. None of those had to do with actual age, they were all a state of mind.

For Sheryl specifically, I sincerely hope that you can continue to be young of heart and mind.

For those of not retiring today, keep the youthfulness going in your heart and mind.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"Character isn’t inherited. One builds it daily by the way one thinks and acts, thought by thought, action by action."

– Helen Gahagan Douglas

One of the most encouraging themes I keeping coming across is that of building character and discipline.

Good habits build the enthusiasm and momentum to build more good habits.

Good choices build the character and backbone to make more good decisions.

Good thoughts build more and more good thoughts.

This is especially encouraging to me when I think of just how far I have to go. I often get impatient and would like to be awesome right now, today.

But if I can just focus on building that next discipline then I can begin that process of growth and achievement today.

I can’t do tomorrow’s work today. I can’t make tomorrow’s improvements today.

I can begin to build character today.

I can begin to build discipline today.

For those of you on the list who are a finished product, you can just move on to your next activity for the day.

For those of you with a little bit of room left for improvement, think about what decisions and actions you can take today to build that character or discipline you desire.

Make it a great day.

Jake

There is only one class in the community that thinks more about money than the rich, and that is the poor. The poor can think of nothing else. – Oscar Wilde

This quote tells the story of the power of the mind.

In order to become rich, you must place in your mind positive thoughts about wealth and achievement in the area of finances.

But the opposite is also true. The quote above says that the poor actually think about money more than the rich. Any guess as to the nature of those thoughts?

The mind is a rich fertile soil where we can plant and cultivate beautiful flowers and abundant crops. Or we can let the weeds and negativity in life take over. We can even plant weeds if we choose.

The hardest part is being mature enough to realize that the results you see today are because of the planting you have done in the past.

You must reap what you have sown, without complaint.

Take an honest assessment of the major areas of your life: relationships, physical, emotional, financial, spiritual. Try to understand the thought processes that have led to those results and then adjust.

Add a little more of the good stuff you got growing.

Do a little weeding with the bad stuff that crept in.

Stop planting what you don’t want more of.

The sooner you get started the sooner harvest will come.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Hardship often prepares an ordinary person for an extraordinary destiny. CS Lewis

Many of the stories of successful people also include a period of hardship.

Many have escaped abusive situations and used these difficulties to drive them forward.

I once heard Condoleeza Rice say "It is a privilege to struggle."

Struggle and difficulty are common to all of us. We may not have the same degree or difficulty, but we all have experienced difficulty.

Through our struggles and strife we able to relate with our fellow men and women who experience the same.

Just as struggle and difficulty are common, so is the antidote.

Inside of each of us is the capability to dream and then create a new future for ourselves. One that is away from our current struggles and hardships. One that is away from the current pain.

Encourage and grab on to those dreams of yours. Start working to make them a reality. Begin to let go of the struggles and hardship.

And make it a great day.

Jake

An ant on the move does more than the dozing ox. – Lao Tzu

I don’t know about you but this one sparked an interesting mental picture. A sleeping ox next to a tiny little any busily carrying a leaf.

An important part of being successful and happy is being action oriented.

An interesting realization I think I have come to lately is that is more of the “tortoise vs the hare” kind of action instead of the “bull in the china shop”.

The slow and steady and continual progress will win out in the end.

I have challenged myself lately to find smaller goals that lead up to the bigger goals.

Think about a half dozen long term goals that you have, the really big ones.

And then work on finding small, incremental steps you can take today that will lead to meeting those goals.

Want to be rich? Start saving and investing every month.

Want to be physically fit? Start exercising for x minutes x days a week.

Want to be wise? Start reading something smart for 5 minutes a day.

Whatever your long term aspirations, find something small and steady that will get you there and get started….today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JM* – Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success. – Stephen A. Brennan

EB* – Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth. – Zig Ziglar

JW* – Positive thinking won’t let you do anything, but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. – Zig Ziglar

JD – Income seldom exceeds personal development. – Jim Rohn

I didn’t get quotes from everyone this morning so I got to go out and find ones I liked for everyone.

I especially liked “Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth.”

Just as a kind word said at the right time can do someone so much good, a critical word can do the same.

As you think about yourself and your assessment of your worth, does someone else’s comments or inability to see your worth weigh too heavily?

Challenge yourself to see your value differently. Be honest and positive about the areas of improvement, but don’t forget just how valuable and unique you really are.

One of the great things about this email list is that I personally know everyone on it. And I know it to be true for each and every one of you.

YOU are valuable. You are unique and talented in a way that is true of no one else on this planet.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Make it a great weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/o4VSdGzxSTw

Sent this out in honor of Vince Vaughn’s character in “The Internship”.

Funny movie about two guys who lose their sales jobs and decide to start back at square one and become interns at Google.

I’ve always been a believer in internship programs. They create that unique mix between people with experience and those rascally young whippersnappers.

For all the worry about the world going to hell in a hand basket because of “kids today”, I come away thinking the opposite when I interact with the interns we have had at Mavidea.

When I think of them, one word pops into my head: potential.

They remind me of the inherent potential placed inside each of us and the endless possibilities that lay before us.

And for those of us who aren’t the proverbial “spring chickens”, interacting with interns can be a great reminder to recapture a little bit of that youthful enthusiasm.

Make it a great day.

Jake