“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.” – Dwight Eisenhower

Here at Mavidea (and a lot of other places) the end of the year is planning time.

The planning process isn’t an easy one and it takes quite a bit of time.

And then, by the end of the first quarter, some important part of the plan has been altered in a major way.

In the end, it is all about the process. It is about stepping back, deciding what is important and clarifying what you plan to do.

The end of the year is a great time to do this personally as well.

Sit down over the holidays and sketch out a plan for 2013.

Decide what is important.

Decide what you are going to do.

Decide what you are not going to do.

And then write it down somewhere and revisit it over the course of the year.

(Don’t forget to get your spouse involved if you are married.)

Merry Christmas.

Jake

PS – Looking for volunteers to send out the daily attitude email next week on the 26th, 27th, 28th, and again on the 31st. Just send me a note with what day you would like to send. Thanks in advance.

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. – Norman Vincent Peale

Officially one week to Christmas and counting.

Things really are more beautiful and softer this time of year. Everyone has their decorations up and people are beginning to wear warmer clothing to fend off the cold.

My sincere wish for everyone this Christmas is a few moments of peace and quiet to enjoy it.

Schedules are usually hectic this time of year and it is easy to miss out on the beauty and softness of it all.

Steal away for a moment (if only in your mind) and step back to take in the sights and sounds of Christmas. Capture that in your memory.

Merry Christmas.

Jake

I am struck by something that seems to be ever-present and never-ending wherever and whenever the human race is faced with tragedy. I think it can be summed up in a single, simple phrase… ‘Hope springs eternal.’ — Jim Rohn

As I thought about what to write in the wake of the tragedy in CT, I kept coming back to an email I sent earlier explaining my 51% rule.

I have included the email below.

Even in the wake of such a horrible tragedy, good is still winning. We must never forget that.

Make it a great day.

Jake

This week I am going to write about some “Jakeisms” that I try to use to keep a positive attitude.

The first one is one that I think about a lot but probably haven’t said to all of you.

I call it the 51% Rule. It is one my core beliefs that at any given point in time the world is more good than bad (51%).

For every person that cuts you off in traffic and flips you the bird, there are 10 jamming out to their favorite song, signing loud and smiling from ear to ear.

For every malnourished and under appreciated child, there are thousands whose parents love them more than anything in the world.

For every company that is ripping off customers or treating employees badly, there are thousands of Mavidea’s making a positive impact in their community every day.

For every abused or belittled child, there are thousands of dads and moms squeezing their little one a little tighter today, tucking them in at night and signing one extra song before bed.

For every rape or murder, there are thousands of policemen, firefighters and soldiers giving their lives to protect others.

For every Adolf Hitler, there are millions of Allied troops who left their loved ones at home and bravely fought against evil to ensure the freedom of all.

When I think of anything bad that has or will happen, I think of the 51% rule and how AT THE VERY LEAST the world is more good than bad and that I need to focus on the good.

The best part of the 51% rule….good has already won. All we have to do is determine the margin of victory. No pressure, no need to be perfect, just try and run up the score.

So, as you are going about your day today, think of something good to do for someone else and chalk up another win for the good guys.

Jake

EB Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think. Patrick Lencioni

JW – Push harder, you won’t die. And if you do? Who cares, you’ll be dead.

JM – In a hole in the ground, there lived a Hobbit. JRR Tolkien

JS Twas the twelve days of Christmas.now it is only eleven.

KJ* – ‎Walk away from the 97% crowd. Don’t use their excuses. Take charge of your own life. — Jim Rohn

JD Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the problem. Jim Rohn

http://youtu.be/9Fjik78LapA

All I have to say is wow.

Merry Christmas.

Jake

"Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I sent this quote out earlier but searched it out again as I thought about today’s daily attitude email.

I am just beginning the third of Norman Vincent Peale’s books in the collection I am reading.

The title says a lot "Enthusiasm Make the Difference."

I am learned many lessons from my children but this has to be one of the biggest ones – enthusiasm makes the difference.

Our two girls have been gifted with abounding enthusiasm. (Must have got it from their mom.)

Observing them and their enthusiasm has shown me just how great life can be when filled with enthusiasm.

If we could all find a way to infuse enthusiasm into our day our lives would be so much better.

Take a minute to think about your level of enthusiasm today.

How do you start the day?

How do you approach the next phone call, task or meeting?

How about breakfast, lunch and dinner times?

How about your exercise program?

How about that book that you are reading?

Look for you enthusiasm for these things and focus on it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

It is feeling a lot more wintery lately and I have been thinking about Jim Rohn’s talk about the seasons.

Below is the email I sent about his explanation on winter.

The thought that pops into my head all the time is “get stronger, get wiser, get better.”

Make it a great (winter) day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/TIsPdoM_xtk

A little bit of a toe tapper this morning.

I saw this commercial the other day and wanted to share. What a powerful concept, every kid with a book in their hands.

I am not an expert on education or learning but it seems to me that reading more is a no brainer.

It expands your vocabulary, opens your mind and instructs you.

And it doesn’t even have to cost you that much if you go to the library.

But for today, let’s forget about you and your goals.

Let’s all make an effort to reach out to and read more to children. If you have kids, read them an extra book this week. If you don’t have kids, volunteer for a program to read to kids.

Make it a great day.

Jake

As costly as it was in the lives of our men and women in uniform, in military assets, and in esteem and pride, Pearl Harbor was a watershed moment for America. – Joe Baca

The anniversary of Pearl Harbor was on Saturday and each year that when it passes I reflect again on that generation and what they have done for us.

I found this paragraph in a blog while reading about “The Greatest Generation”:

“The Bible instructs us to give honor to whom honor is due (Rom. 13:7). Surely this passing generation of ordinary people who did extraordinary things deserves our gratitude and recognition. They won history’s worst war and saved the world. They built the America you and I know and benefit from every day. They may very well be, as Tom Brokaw calls them, “the greatest generation any society has ever produced.”

I am not a historian and so I won’t argue whether or not they were, in fact, “the greatest generation”.

I will agree they were great though.

And the reason I think so is because they gave so much.

They gave their friends, brothers, and sisters in a great war so that the world would remain free.

They gave their youth in service to their country.

They gave their all in rebuilding after the war.

If you ask me, all of that adds up to greatness.

Make it a great day.

Jake

JD – I can’t wait to see Mathy in yellow tights.

EB – Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they’re doing because they care about the team. – Patrick Lencioni

JW – If everything is important, then nothing is. – Patrick Lencioni

KJ – Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.

JS – Hello, old friend, it’s good to see you.

JM -The hero is valorous because he stands up to every threat to his values. – Andrew Bernstein

I loved JM’s quote this morning. Made me want to read whatever book that came out of.

One of the reasons that books and movies are so effective at showing us what valor can look like is that it is easier to understand valor when it is pictured as a hero on his white horse fighting the dragon that is destroying the village.

In real life it usually isn’t that easy.

Valor isn’t obvious when we see a young mom at the store. We don’t get the background that her husband is gone, sick, struggling in some way and it took all she had this morning to get to the store and buy food for the kids.

Valor isn’t obvious when we see the old man sitting alone at the table next to us at lunch. We don’t see his struggle to go on every day after his wife passed away a year ago.

Valor isn’t obvious when we look at the waitress serving our lunch. We don’t see her struggle with physical pain but still go to work on her feet all day to make a living.

Words like valor don’t get thrown around a lot, but valor is all around us.

It would be great to make words like valor, character, faith, hope, courage and other inspiring words part of our regular vocabulary. Imagine how inspired you would be at the end of a day, a week, a year in which you focused on finding these traits (and others like them) in others and living them out yourself.

Make it a great day.

Jake