To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

This was next on the list of quotes on service.

This quote covers so much and says a lot already, so I will keep it brief.

“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.”

What a great definition of service. Making life easier for others.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – The next best thing to being wise one-self is to live in a circle of those who are. – C.S. Lewis

KJ – You have everything you need to build something far bigger than yourself. – Seth Godin

JW – The bamboo which bends in stronger than the oak which resists. —Japanese Proverb

EB – I’m going to miss Kim being here every day! – Wise Man

JM – What do a bicycle and Viagra have in common?

Before you ask JM for the answer to that question you have to agree not to sue…..

I love the idea behind the Seth Godin quote above.

Begin today with what you have to build the future you want.

You have everything you need.

You don’t need to wait for this or that or the other in order to get started.

Move forward. Start right now.

Make it a great weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/TP4nEfJGX7M

Had to send this one out this morning in honor of the extra cool morning we are having.

When it is really cold like this in the winter or really hot in the summer I try to focus on one thing.

I am reminded that I am alive and healthy and can feel the discomfort associated with each.

The temporary discomfort reminds me of just how lucky I am to live in comfort the rest of the time.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a months, get married. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, serve others.” ~ Chinese proverb

Happiness for a lifetime. Sounds pretty good, huh?

Our search for a lifetime of happiness is often sidetracked by all the shiny objects in our lives.

Newer, cooler stuff.

The newest, coolest gadget.

Money.

Our favorite TV show.

None of this is bad in and of itself. It all just needs a little perspective

This quote puts it all into perspective.

What if we focused on serving others instead?

We can build our own happiness brick by brick. One act of service for others at a time.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“Doing nothing for others is the undoing of one’s self. We must be purposely kind and generous, or we miss the best part of existence. The heart that goes out of itself gets large and full of joy. This is the great secret of the inner life. We do ourselves the most good doing something for others.” ~ Horace Mann

This quote encompasses a lot of the important parts of service.

First, service is core to being a human being. Not doing service for others is the undoing of part of your essence.

Next, we must purposeful about service. We must seek out opportunities to serve others.

Only by extending beyond our own selfish desires and wants can we grow to our full potential.

And in the end, we do ourselves the most good by doing something good for others.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“The purpose of life is not to win. The purpose of life is to grow and to share. When you come to look back on all that you have done in life, you will get more satisfaction from the pleasure you have brought into other people’s lives than you will from the times that you outdid and defeated them.” ~ Harold Kushner

Last week we announced our purpose here at Mavidea: to have fun serving others.

Coincidentally I recently read a blog post by John Maxwell with is favorite quotes on service.

So, I am going to share his quotes and my thoughts on each one over the next week or so.

Really liked this one to start out with.

We are too often tempted to look at the relationships in our lives as win-lose scenarios where we are either the victor or the victim.

Instead we should look at the relationships in our lives as opportunities to serve. In this service we will find the pleasure he speaks of in this quote.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Last up in the list of Jim Rohn principles to live by: don’t ever stop in your pursuit of a legacy.

Maybe another way to put this is “it’s never too late to start building or add to your legacy.”

No matter our age, we can make a change and add to our legacy.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – Start from wherever you are and with whatever you’ve got. – Jim Rohn

EB* – The sun is always shining somewhere. Sometimes, you just gotta get above the storm clouds to see it. – Billy Cox

JW – Motivation will always beat mere talent. Norman R. Augustine

JM – Are lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter. Martin Luther King, Jr.

KJ – The key to success is to focus our conscious mind on things we desire, not things we fear. Brian Tracy

The quote above from Jim Rohn reminded me of Mavidea.

We had our first Town Hall meeting yesterday (which went swimmingly) and there was a lot of engagement around ideas for getting and being better.

As we undertake the process of going from a good company to becoming a great one, I thought Jim’s quote fit us pretty well.

We aren’t perfect today. We don’t have everything lined up perfectly to make the leap to become a great company.

But we can begin today with what we have.

We can build on the successes we have had so far.

We can learn from the mistakes we have made.

The key is to get started and keep going.

We have started. And we will keep going.

We might as well enjoy the ride.

Make it a great weekend.

Jake

http://youtu.be/iBktYJsJq-E

Next up in the Jim Rohn list of principles to live by in order to leave a legacy: don’t give up when you fail.

I picked this song because of the recurring “nothing’s gonna keep you down” (and I might have been a little bit of a Karate Kid fan when I was a kid).

Failure is part of life. We all fail at some point. The difference between those who are successful and those who are not are the ones who do not give up.

This is part of why having inspiring goals and a positive attitude are so important.

When we fail, they make it much easier to keep going. It would be easy to give up if you didn’t have an inspiring purpose and view on life.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all. – Sam Ewing

Next up in the list of Jim Rohn’s principles to leave a legacy: hard work is never a waste.

Jim Follows that up with "No one will say, “It is too bad he was such a good, hard worker.” But

if you aren’t, they will surely say, “It’s too bad he was so lazy—he could have been so much more!” Hard work will leave a grand legacy. Give it your all on your trip around the earth. You will do a lot good and leave a terrific legacy."

I have come up with my own new personal mantra for the "hard work" in life when it presents itself: embrace it.

Embrace the hard work of eating healthy and exercising.

Embrace the hard work of budgeting and managing money.

Embrace the hard work of building a great company.

Embrace the hard work of nurturing loving long term relationships.

What hard work in your life do you need to embrace?

Make it a great day.

Jake