Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Continuing the theme of movies, I thought of the saying above.

Perhaps a part of our fascination with movies is what they tell us about our own lives. When we see the characters struggle and triumph it gives us a glimpse into ourselves.

We see our potential and our failings, our weakness and our strength.

We are faced with the best and worst of ourselves.

In this way, we can learn and grow though the stories we see unfold on screen.

In this opportunity for growth we see the true beauty inherent in all good art forms, that challenge to our current way of thinking. The challenge of accepting our current reality or embracing a new one.

When faced with this new reality we can shrink from it or grow and change to meet it.

As you think of your favorite movies and characters, think of your own opportunities for growth.

Think of art is imitating your own reality, and what needs to be dene.

And then do it. Seize the day.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Rannulph Junuh: You really love this game, don’t you?

Hardy Greaves: It’s the greatest game there is.

Rannulph Junuh: You really think so?

Hardy Greaves: Ask anybody. It’s fun. It’s hard and you stand out there on that green, green grass, and it’s just you and the ball and there ain’t nobody to beat up on but yourself; just like Mister Newnan keeps hittin’ himself with the golf club every time he gets angry. He’s broken his toe three times on account of it. It’s the only game I know that you can call a penalty on yourself, if you’re honest, which most people are. There just ain’t no other game like it.

This back and forth from “The Legend of Bagger Vance” is one of my favorites.

Yesterday I got to watch most of the last round of the British Open. It always serves as a reminder of the great things about golf.

The Open is a great reminder that golf is a game with a long history. And that in order to be successful today, you will be well served if you understand the past.

It is also a reminder of the shear beauty of golf courses, each a unique expression of the greatness of nature.

Big golf tournaments are also a reminder of the inherent difficulties of golf. The best players in the world are challenged with the most difficult of circumstances and the champion is the person who deals with adversity the best.

What strikes me the most usually during the British Open is the seeming fickleness of it. The courses in Scotland are notorious for random bounces and unpredictability.

Like life, you aren’t guaranteed a fair shake. It is about making the most of whatever bounce you do get.

I know that golf isn’t for everybody, but the lessons learned from it can be.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, then nothing else matters.– Former Sen. Alan Simpson

JM – What….is the air speed velocity of an un-laden swalllow? – The BridgeKeeper

EB – To the extreme, I rock a mic like a vandal. – Vanilla Ice

JW – The best way to remember your wife’s birthday is to forget it once. – E Joseph Cossman

I really liked the above quote on integrity.

Simple, but profound.

Integrity stems from integer which is in essence a way of calling something whole or complete.

Without integrity, we are not whole. It is an all or nothing proposition. It is either whole or broken.

It’s tempting to pretend like gray areas exist or that we had a good excuse when our integrity is broken. But none of that matters, it is or it isn’t whole.

Admittedly, maintaining integrity is difficult and not something that many of us (if any) are able to do in all situations and in circumstances.

But those are the best character traits to strive for. Just because it is difficult doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be actively working every day to move closer to that standard.

Make it a great weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/Kr0tTbTbmVA

This week’s warm weather was a great reminder that summer is upon us.

Probably showing my age a little, but this song reminds me of high school summers. Driving around with friends with no place to go.

It’s a great reminder to me to find more time for friendships.

Make the most of the time you get with your friends.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. -The Princess Diaries

One of my favorite things about movies is that they can use fiction and fantasy to show us what something like courage looks like.

Courage is a lot easier to notice when a noble knight is battling a dragon.

But the quote above reminded me of the courage that happens everyday that we don’t even notice.

We don’t notice that the waitress at dinner is a single mom picking up a second shift to make ends meet.

We don’t notice the stranger in the grocery store who lost 75 pounds and changed his life forever.

Courage is all around us. Each and every one of us must face up to our fears, and decide that something else, is more important.

Make it a courageous day.

Jake

I’d imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn’t be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason too. ~ Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) in "Hugo" (2011).

After the quote from Secretariat, I thought I would find another good movie quote. I didn’t realize just how many there are.

This one really spoke to me. It reminded of one of the most positive and inspiring thoughts we can think: each of us was uniquely and wonderfully made for a specific purpose.

Regardless of how things have gone for you So far, this truth should keep you moving forward.

Viktor Frankl used this belief to turn his fine in a Nazi Concentration camp into a positive experience and a lifetime of follow up work and books.

Having a purpose can be such a positive and driving force in our lives.

Spend a few moments today contemplating what that purpose maybe for you.

Make it a great day.

Jake

This is not about going back. This is about life being ahead of you and you run at it! Because you never know how far you can run unless you run. –Penny Chenery

Last night Meaghan and I watched Secretariat. Good movie, I would recommend it.

The quote above stuck out to me.

Our lives and our future are in front of us, we can choose to run at it or run from it.

Each of our lives are filled with potential. We must choose to reach that potential.

Is there something you should stop running from?

A particular habit, goal, or issue that needs focus?

Is there Something you need to start running towards?

Some goal, habit, or issue that needs you to be moving full speed ahead?

Make the choice to start running towards something good.

Make it a great day.

Jake

If you’re not happy with the place God has placed you right now, you won’t be happy as it continues to grow because you’ll always fall into the trap of “when and then” thinking – “When I get such and such, then I’ll be happy.” If everybody used contentment as an excuse for laziness, who would build the churches that reach the people? Who would care about world hunger? Who would fight for justice and equality? Who would even go out and get an education? The third grader who says, “I’ve learned to be content with whatever stage I’m at,” never goes on to the fourth grade. We cannot confuse contentment and laziness.

The paragraph above was in a newsletter I read and I thought it hit the nail on the head.

An important balance to reach in life lies between ambition and contentment.

The ambitious side of us is always looking for more. Bigger. Better. Faster.

The contented side of us is happy where we are.

Without ambition there is no growth, without contentment there is no happiness.

We must be content but not lazy.

We must be ambitious but not overly zealous and impatient.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Somehow forgot to send this out on Friday.

JD – Business is never so healthy as when, like a chicken, it must do a certain amount of scratching for what it gets. – Henry Ford

EB – Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records. – William Arthur Ward

JM – Being a geek is about being honest. About what you enjoy. And not being afraid to demonstrate that affection. It means never having to play it cool about how much you like something. It’s basically a license to emote on a somewhat childish level rather than behave like a supposed adult. Being a geek is extremely liberating. – Simon Pegg

JW* – Ok, I’m really screwed up – I’m in a bond-bind or whatever you call it. – Ron Artest

http://youtu.be/ENPkLAeMJ5E

Might not quite qualify as a toe tapper, but I thought of Mavidea when I heard it.

I have often used the “running against the wind” analogy when describing the process of starting a small business during one of the toughest recessions in recent history.

Two main thoughts run through my mind as I think about running against the wind.

First, every step of the way you get stronger. Adding that little (or a lot) bit of resistance builds up our strength.

Second….just wait until that wind turns. That strength and resilience built up during the hard times will make things feel so much easier when things change.

As with most things, this comes with a caveat. Wisdom and judgment must be used. Sometimes running against the wind is actually the worst course of action.

Ask yourself if it is worth it. Ask yourself if being stronger in that particular area is desirable. Look ahead and see if that end goal is worth it.

Make it a great day.

Jake