Again today I found something written by someone else that says things more powerfully than I can.

The end is great….yours is the earth and everything that’s in it.

Anything is possible…..if.

Make it a great day.

Jake

If by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;

If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,

if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

When searching for something to write about this morning I found this short story and thought I would share it instead.

Interesting exercise….how do you think you would do?

Jake

When my brother and I we were children we spent a few weeks each summer in the countryside. Our childless uncle owned a big house there and didn´t mind having children around, so of course our parents were happy to loan us for a few days at a time.

Our uncle was a geologist and loved to go on long walks to find stones to his collection

at the university. More often than not we followed him. He had a housekeeper who could cook like an angel and always gave uncle a big basket full of good food for those trips. We didn´t mind sharing the goodies so we eagerly waited for those excursions.

One day we left early and this time uncle had bought us backpacks.

– You can help me carry the samples, he explained.

Sure, why not. The whole day we then walked around the countryside and every now and again uncle put stones in our bags. We were a bit surprised he also took some stones out from our bags at times, but figured he had just found better samples than the ones we already had.

Still, when we reached the house in late afternoon, we were beat. The backpacks were so heavy we gave a big sigh of relief when we thumped them on the porch. Yet uncle´s backpack was half empty.

– Why did you give us so many stones? we asked.

– I didn´t. You did, he said cryptically.

He waited for a while before continuing:

– You did not know it, but I made you go through a little attitude test today.

– What do you mean with attitude test? we wanted to know.

– It is something someone once did to me – and I shall always remember it. You see I listened to every word you said. And when ever you were complaining about anyone or anything, I added a stone to your bags. And when ever you talked about something in an attitude of gratitude and positive thinking, I took off a stone. And now look at your backpacks.

We did. They were almost bursting at their seams.

– I hope you remember this little attitude test. You see your negative thoughts are like stones. You carry them on in your mind just like those stones in a backbag. The more negative thoughts, the heavier your mind is. A positive thought, however, cancels a negative one. So look at those bags and start paying attention to what you say and how you say it.

This little lesson was one of the most important I ever had and I remember uncle with great love for teaching us one of the most important lessons in life – the power of attitude.

What if you tried this little exercise too for one day? No need to use stones or backpacks- you could buy little plastic pearls (you know – the kind you can use to make your own jewelry). You might put the pearls in one pocket and move to the other when you recognize a negative thought. And then take the pearl out when you think positively.

And I don´t mean that if you pay attention to something in your life that doesn´t work that would be counted as a negative thought. No – the point is not to avoid difficult subjects.

Instead pay attention on your emotions – when you think of the thing, do you approach it with "this will never work"- or with "I´ll figure this one out" -attitude? It might reveal do you see yourself as a victim or as someone who is actively doing something about your life´s issues. (We all have issues, so that in itself is not alarming or a sign your life would be any worse than someone else´s).

An interesting experiment to say the least!

The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you’re willing to pay the price. – Vince Lombardi

All success, achieving anything of value, requires hard work.

Whether it be hard work on yourself and self-improvement or hard work in a particular field or on a particular task, it is a requirement.

If you are going to work hard, you might as well make it worth it.

I think those that are happiest are the ones that whose passion for the “work” in their life makes it seem like there isn’t any “work” being done at all. I don’t think they like to do everything associated with their passion, but they do have a passion for the overarching vision and result they are working towards.

What excites you? What would get you out of bed early and staying up late? What would make any kind of work bearable?

Do you have something in your life that would make all the hard work worth it?

Make it a great week.

Jake

This week’s homework in the Jim Rohn one year to success program is on Time Management. Part of the reading was the excerpt below and centered around the movie Groundhog Day. I read it and had to share since today is Groundhog Day.

There are some really powerful points in there.

Make it a great day.

Jake

——————————————————————————-

 

When reviewing this week’s lesson, I’m reminded of my all-time favorite movie, Groundhog Day. I’ve noticed over the years that when I mention Groundhog Day, I get a variety of reactions. Some people saw the movie and thought it was either cute or maybe even silly; many comment that they enjoyed it. But I’ve also found several (about a dozen) kindred souls out there who share my utmost appreciation for it.

 

Although I find the movie funny and clever, I most appreciate the overriding premise. Groundhog Day tells the story of a self-centered and self-serving man who tries to take advantage of a glitch in time (he repeats the same day over and over again) by getting what he thinks will satisfy himself through manipulation and pretending to be somebody he isn’t.

 

In the short term, he seems to succeed, gaining the temporal without gaining meaning, but eventually it leaves him in complete despair. It is only through coming to the end of himself and his making a decision to work on himself and to begin serving others—versus merely taking from others—that he not only finds happiness and fulfillment, but also attracts and achieves his goals (including the girl and love).

 

The turning point in the movie is when the main character (Bill Murray) shares his circumstances and despair with the lady he has fallen in love with (Andie MacDowell). He tells her he has to relive the same day over and over again, and that no matter what happens today, tomorrow she will not remember their conversation or time together and will again think he is a jerk (which he is). She then asks him: “Is it such a curse to be able to replay each day over and over again? Think of all the opportunities and things you could do.” The light begins to break through, and from that point on, Bill Murray’s character begins the process of personal development and helping other people. He learns to play the piano and sculpt ice, he reads the great literary classics, learns medical techniques to help a dying man, becomes a captivating reporter who brings a whole city together around his Groundhog Day report—and gets the girl (and she gets him). But he only wins her while in pursuit of his personal development and service to others.

 

We don’t get to relive each day over and over in the literal sense of the word, but every day, in fact, is a new opportunity to take yesterday’s mistakes, shortcomings, as well as victories, and create a new today. Initially, Bill’s character had 24 hours a day he thought he had to just get through, viewing them as simply an opportunity for self-gratification. However, the newly enlightened character saw those same 24 hours as not only an opportunity to become a person of great skill and knowledge, but to truly make a difference in the everyday lives of others.

 

No matter how implausible the concept of reliving the same day over and over is, the power we possess to become someone great and make a difference each day is not just a fantasy or feel-good idea. Rather, it is one of the most real concepts and principles we have the opportunity to embrace, and it is at the heart of the time management battle. Two important questions we need to ask ourselves are:

 

•             What are we investing our time in?

•             What will it make of us and how will it affect others?

 

Make it a powerful and meaningful week!

 

Kyle

P.S. If you haven’t ever seen Groundhog Day, or if it’s been a while, rent the movie and let us know what you think.

Yesterday I had the eye opening and humbling experience of eating lunch with Pastor Shadrach and his wife Violet.

They lead a team in the slums of Mitumba in Kenya that helps orphans and kids with education, food and other necessities of life. They help the poorest of the poor in this world as part of the GOYA charity.

I thought I would share a couple of lessons that I learned listening to them talk about the conditions and children over there.

First, I noticed just how giving that a person (or a couple in this case) can be. They are a shining example of the difference that a small group of people can make in this world. The GOYA team is making a difference in the lives of hundreds of children in the slum and their heart for the children is almost unbelievable.

Second, I was reminded that some people in this world live a life that we can’t imagine. They live in unsanitary conditions, barely eat, and live each day just getting by. But the most eye opening part was that they are striving to do better, just like you and me. They are trying to work towards a better life instead of just giving in and accepting life as they know it.

Third, I was reminded of just how generous we can be here in America. They told the story of how a special offering was taken on Sunday at Eastview Church. They set a goal of raising $40,000. At the end of the day, they had raised over $200,000! In America we are a generous people. We can and do make a difference when we give. Listening to their story of how much was given reminded me that our giving to charities we care about can make all the difference to those in need.

Lastly, I was reminded to be humble and thankful. Thankful that I live in such a wonderful place and get to work with a wonderful group of people and go home to a family that loves me in a home that is warm and has all the amenities that any person could wish for. I was reminded to be humble about just how lucky I am and be as blessed as I am.

Today, remind yourself of just how lucky you are and remember to give to something you believe in.

If you want to learn more about what they have done, here is a link to a video and a link to the GOYA site:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150521773914227

http://www.goyaministries.org/

Jake

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.

Bill Cosby

One of the hardest things to do is to let go of those fears that hold us back.

For some reason, we get stuck on being afraid of failure and of coming up short. We fear making a mistake, choosing the wrong path, or any number of things that might not work out the way we envision.

We must each find our way to move past our fears if we are going to achieve success.

A couple of things I thought of to help along the way:

· You are worth it. A lot of fear comes from thinking that we aren’t worth it and so it won’t work out any way. Each and every one of you is worth it. You are worthy of success.

· You have nothing to fear but fear itself. This infamous line embodies the fact that fear is in our heads. We must control our own thoughts in order to get past the fears in our life.

· Sometimes trying and getting most of the way there will leave you in a much better position than you are now. Want to lose 50 pounds and afraid you won’t get there? I bet you would be happy with losing 40 and “failing” to meet your goal.

· What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Failure can and will happen in your life. Use those moments to get stronger and wiser.

I know a lot of that will come off as a bunch of clichés to some of you, but maybe, just maybe there is some truth in there that applies to you.

There are a lot more reasons to not be afraid of failure, find your own and use it to begin the process of succeeding.

Jake

http://youtu.be/UQ3mjZAqhkA

Last night at Ashlyn Barnlund’s birthday party, we had the desert before dinner. It reminded me of the quote that Les Brown mentions in this short video.

This video is one of my favorite short videos.

Les speaks so powerfully about the relationship between risk, change, growth and happiness.

Spend the minute to watch the video and think carefully about what areas of your life might need a little risk taking and growth.

Jake