http://youtu.be/b7k0a5hYnSI

Found this one on a site listing someone’s top 15 songs to inspire and motivate.

Here is what the blogger wrote:

Why I like this song: Unwritten to me is a reminder that we can write the story of our life exactly as we wish. I think it makes a good morning song, as you could relate it to shaping your day ahead.

What a great thought.

Hopefully this email catches you early enough so that you can spend a few minutes thinking about what you are going to write in the blank page of your life that is today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

What lies behind you and in front of you are tiny matters compared to what lies within you. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

We tend to spend a lot of time focused on what could have been or what we would like to be. Both can be very useful, but this quote puts things into perspective.

They are both tiny matters compared to the greatness within us.

Inside each and every one of us lies greatness.

Each and every moment is a chance to embrace it or deny it.

We choose, moment by moment, happiness or bitterness.

We choose, moment by moment, responsibility or excuses.

We choose, moment by moment, selflessness and service or selfishness and ego.

It is in these choices that we define ourselves and create our past and future. It is in these choices we have the opportunity to embrace that greatness that lies within us.

Make it a great day.

Jake

"I used to say, ‘Things cost too much.’ Then my teacher straightened me out on that by saying, ‘The problem isn’t that things cost too much. The problem is that you can’t afford it.’ That’s when I finally understood that the problem wasn’t ‘it’ – the problem was ‘me.’" — Jim Rohn

One simple thought for you today.

Think of something in your life where you are blaming “it” instead of “me”.

Take some kind of positive action today towards taking responsibility for this area of your life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. – C. S. Lewis

We have had the pleasure of adding a couple new people at Mavidea over the last few months.

Each one has been an inspiration to me.

New people bring with them new possibilities.

They inspire me to think of new goals for us as a group.

And each one has brought with them their own unique personality, talents and aspirations. Something that only they possess.

These newbies have also reminded me just how much I appreciate all of our “old” (that’s right, I called you old) employees.

Watching our team of awesome people bring in a new person and show them the ropes is a testament of just how special a place Mavidea really is.

As I get older, I am reminded frequently of the girl scout saying “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” (You have to sing it to do it right)

We all have people, circumstances and seasons come and go in our life.

Embrace both the old and the new.

Cherish the old memories while conquering new and uncharted territory.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“This is not the dress rehearsal. This is it.”

This line was on Parenthood the other night. The woman who said was in the middle of her chemo treatments and was encouraging her friend to “go for it”.

What a great reminder about life.

There are no do-overs.

Life seems to be a constant push-pull between contentment in the short term and steady progress towards worthy long term goals.

It is in the balance of those two that success is found.

Is there an area of your life you are treating as a dress rehearsal?

Something where you aren’t going for it, just dabbling a little.

Pick today to go all out in pursuit of your dreams.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – Either you run the day or the day runs you. Jim Rohn

JM – I am and always will be an optimist. The hoper of far flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams. – The Eleventh Doctor

JW – If you want to be happy, be. Leo Tolstoy

EB – What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others. Confucius

MS – Our life is what our thoughts make it. – Marcus Aurelius

Bunch of great quotes today.

Overall, for some reason today I am just feeling overly thankful.

Thankful for all of you.

Thankful for a great family.

Thankful for the opportunities.

Just thankful.

And for me, that thankfulness tends to bring with it a sense of peace.

We have so many things to be thankful about, how could everything not work out in the end?

Find something to be thankful for today.

Make it a great weekend.

Jake

I finally got to watch The Hobbit a few weeks ago and there was a line that stuck out. One of the characters asks Gandalf why he brought a Hobbit along.

Here is Gandalf’s response:

Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay… small acts of kindness and love. Why Bilbo Baggins? That’s because I am afraid and he gives me courage.

The small everyday deeds of ordinary folk keeps the darkness at bay.

The power of all us and our small everyday kindness add up to a whole lot of positive.

This goes back to the 51% rule: at any given point the world is at least 51% good.

It is in the small things that the score gets racked up for the good guys.

Make it a point to rack up some points for the good guys today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

We are all looking for someone or something to tell us how we are ok, lovable and acceptable.

If we look in the wrong direction, it will lead us in the wrong direction.

Andy Stanley

Andy Stanley’s latest podcast series has been about the comparison trap. The trap of comparing ourselves to others.

The quote above really stood out for me.

It reminded me of how when you are driving a car and you turn to look in a particular direction the natural tendency is to steer the car in that direction as well.

The same applies here. Be careful what and who you look toward, you likely will start steering your life that direction.

Make it a great day.

Jake

There is no key to happiness, the door is always open. – Mother Theresa

What a great reminder for us as we go about our day.

It is tempting to think of happiness as something trapped behind a locked door. Some spend their lives banging on the door or cursing the door for stopping them from reaching their happiness.

I imagine the moment when God shows the truth to us and we realize the door was open the whole time, we simply had to knock.

In his story of his time at a Nazi concentration camp Viktor Frankl paints this picture so vividly. He tells the story of inmates that were able to still find happiness in this extreme and deprived environment.

Their captors held the key to everything they thought determined their happiness. All their material wealth, their social status, and even their family were taken away. And yet some of them still found happiness.

The door is always open. Even to those with nothing to offer in return. Even to those with no prospect of a future.

Don’t let today go by without some happiness. You need only knock.

Make it a great day.

Jake