http://youtu.be/03CTpRexb2o

This weekend we watched Love Actually. This video is the first minute or so of the movie.

What a great perspective.

Some would have us believe that we are all going to hell in a hand basket. That humans are just one evolutionary notch above poo-slinging monkeys, ready to take advantage of our fellow humans at every opportunity.

But if you look a little closer, you find something different.

Love actually is all around us.

I believe this to be another example of finding what you are looking for.

If you look for hatred, selfishness and sadness, you will find them.

If you look for love, service, and selflessness, you will find them.

What are you looking for?

Make it a great day.

Jake

JW – You can only hold your stomach in for so many years.– Burt Reynolds

JM* – Must be Burt Reynolds or something.

EB – Figure it out. Work smarter, not harder. Make a plan. Move some things around. Adjust priorities. Just get it done and give me a status report. – Dogbert (thanks, Chris Nichols)

JD – Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all that you want. – Jim Rohn

Found this Jim Rohn quote and it reminded me of the Jim Collins “genius of the and” idea.

It may seem counterintuitive, but we must be happy with what have AND driven for better and bigger results.

This goes for all areas of our lives from our health to our wealth.

Think about how this applies to you.

Is there something in your life that you should be happy with but aren’t today?

Is there an area of your life you should be striving for more but aren’t?

Make it a great day and weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/GuKuw71YBbI

All the running in this song reminded me of the Roger Bannister 4 minute mile story.

Before Roger Bannister ran a sub 4 minute mile there were those that said it was impossible. That the human body wasn’t capable of running that fast for that long. That trying to do so might actually cause his death.

After he set that new record we realized a few things.

Maybe we should be careful when using the word impossible.

Maybe human beings were capable of more than we give ourselves credit for.

Most of the barriers and limitations in our lives are self-imposed.

What is your 4 minute mile? Where are you limiting yourself?

Make it a great day.

Jake

Money flows from those who make poor choices to those who make wise choices. – Dave Ramsey

The above is me paraphrasing some of last week’s class in Financial Peace University.

Money goes where it is treated best and appreciated most.

One of the most interesting things about money is that is a great metaphor for a lot of the important things in life. We just talk about money more because it is easier to count. At the end of the day when it comes to money you can answer the “how did I do?” question with “let’s count it up and find out.”

I think the same concepts apply to the other values we hold dear in our lives, they just aren’t as easy to count.

In the case of the quote above, we must take care of those things we value if we wish for them to stay around.

If we value our relationships, we must invest in them.

If we value our health, we must invest in our health.

If we value wisdom, we must invest in growth and learning.

In order to end up with those things we value, we must become the kind of person that attracts and takes care of those valuables.

If we value trust, we must be trustworthy.

If we value truth, we must be honest.

If we value responsibility, we must be responsible.

If we value love, we must be lovable.

Imagine something you desire. It could be anything from a new car, to the love of your life. Now imagine the kind of person that deserves that new car or the love of that awesome man/woman. Now get to work shaping yourself into that new form.

Make it a great day.

Jake

How we start the day often sets the tone for the rest of the day.

I heard someone describe it like this.

Our hearts are like a sponge. Overnight they dry out and in the morning they soak up the most of whatever our heart first comes in contact with.

We have the option to soak up positivity and thankfulness or we can fill ourselves with pessimism and thoughts of lack.

I know that my days start off better when I fill the beginning of the day with exercise, writing and reading something positive.

Think about your average morning. What could you add that might get things off to a better start.

Could you say little prayer of gratitude?

Could you squeeze in 5 minutes of meditation?

Could you read a couple of minutes of a positive book?

Could you….fill in the blank with something meaningful for you.

How we start our day matters, hope yours is off to a great start today.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you. – Jim Rohn

I liked this quote because it had a little bit of defiance in it.

If we wish for the better life, at some point we have to say to ourselves, “not me, not anymore.”

We have to make the conscious decision that the life led by most others is not what we want for ourselves. We want something better.

And if we get fired up enough about it to see it through with discipline and consistency, the better life is out there for us.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – Make sure your feet are in the right spot and then stand firm. – Abraham Lincoln

EB* – You know you are love because you can’t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams. – Dr. Seuss

JM – Don’t cry because it is over, smile because it happened. – Dr. Seuss

JW – A diamond is nothing more than a chunk of coal that has stuck to its job. – Malcolm Forbes

Mr. Mathy reminded me today that Dr. Seuss’s birthday is this weekend.

In case you don’t know it already, I love Dr. Seuss. Most nights when it is time to pick the book for bed time at our house I push the girls pretty hard on picking a Dr. Seuss book.

To me, his books embody what is so great about books.

Books take important life concepts and weave them into a story that keeps you engaged long enough to hopefully learn an important life lesson.

Dr. Seuss does this through funny characters, rhymes and fanciful stories. Sci-fi authors do this through science and imagining what is possible. Biographers do this through the lives of the person they studied. Business books do this through studying business characters.

Another great example is Jim Collins. He has written a bunch of best-selling business books. But I believe his real goal is to convince others that disciplined applied over a long period of time produces greatness.

These examples prove to me why reading is so fundamentally important. We can use someone else’s understanding of the world to inform our own and to make better choices in the future. Not their choices, but ours.

Make it a great weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/rAfcBwYuNDU

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. – Martin Luther King, Jr.

All is love.

What a great thought to start today.

Find a quick moment this moment to think about all the love in your life, and in that moment, be thankful.

Make it a great day.

Jake

One of the interesting ideas presented in Jim Collin’s books is the concept he calls “the genius of the and”. The other side of this is what he calls the “tyranny of the or”.

He talks about how the companies they studied figured out how to put together two things that seemed like they were opposites or at least heading in different directions.

Instead of saying profits or customer service they figured out how to deliver profits and excellent service.

Instead of thinking low cost or high quality they figured out to how to deliver high quality products and a low cost.

This thought has been popping into my head a lot in the office lately around some of the discussions I have had with others about areas we need to improve at Mavidea. As we work through difficult problems like increasing client retention, improved margins and profitability we must remember the genius of the and.

Maybe more importantly is how you could apply it in your personal life.

Some areas I thought of as examples:

Living for today and building for the future.

Being assertive and putting yourself first and doing unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Being driven towards goals and accomplishment and being happy with what you have.

Being patient and being action oriented.

I would love to hear some examples from all of you, so share them today if you have a chance. What is a “genius of the and” you are working on?

Make it a great day.

Jake