Below is an excerpt from a book titled “Life Begins When You Do.”

What a great way of looking at things.

And what a great way to start a Monday. Your week begins when you do.

Make it a great week.

Jake

An excerpt from

Life Begins When You Do

by Mary Anne Radmacher

Nearly everyone postpones one grand thing or a collection of mighty hopes and dreams.

Between the quote marks of our lives are phrases like these: "When things slow down…when I finish my degree…when I get certified…as I acquire a deeper knowledge base…when I have kids…when the kids are grown…when I get well…when I marry…when I divorce…when I retire…when I get that promotion, that raise, that job, that house, that whatever the fill-in-the blank is for your specific postponing of life…"

Your Life Begins When You Do.

You may think you are postponing the longing of your soul until life aligns itself with your vision, until elements conspire to be more favorable…but as it happens, life just lolls along at the same remarkable consistent and disinterested cadence. Life is impartial. YOUR personal, subjective life (dreams, satisfactions, contentment, achievements, vision, fullness, passion, aspirations) begins when you begin.

From my teens into adulthood, I said, "I want to be an artist." One day I changed the sentence to, "I am an artist." My view changed. Life began. I looked behind me and saw that I had been accidentally living as an artist. I had been laying down a path that was only now visible to eyes that had begun to see. Beginning my life as an artist made my heart’s longing and the small, tentative labors of my hands – visible and tangible. I began by opening the door and simply believing that I could live my dream. I began living that dream by seeing that I could.

Your purpose, that thing that among the many to-dos of your days, is what you must do. Embrace the truth of your purpose each minute of your precious life…for how very true it is that life begins when you do.

If you would dream it

BEGIN it.

If you have an idea

OPEN it.

If there is longing

ACKNOWLEDGE it.

If there is mission

COMMIT it.

If there is daring

DO it.

If there is love

SPEAK it.

If there is resource

USE it.

If there is abundance

SHARE it.

Since today is the last regular Daily Attitude Email before the weekend, I thought I would write a little bit about Mother’s Day.

Before Maggie was born, Mother’s Day was a day to be appreciative of my mother.

A day to appreciate all the sacrifices, love and everything else that my mother has put into me over the years.

And while that has never gone away, it has taken on a new light after Maggie was born.

Watching my wife go through the transformation from regular person into "mom" has brought on an all new appreciation for my wife and for my mother.

The hardest part in thinking about and writing about this is that I am not a mother and I can only vaguely begin to put my finger on what exactly it was that happened to my wife almost 6 years ago when Maggie was born.

For instance, there are certain times with the kids when dad just doesn’t quite cut it. For one reason or another they are upset and just "need their mommy." There is a special bond there that I can’t quite define or understand, but it is there.

Maybe I can’t define it, but I sure do appreciate it.

I appreciate the fact that inside each and every one of us is a special spot that just "needs our mommy". Not in a sappy, whiny, needy way, but in a wholesome, soulful, loving way. In a way that is deeper and more meaningful than any short term boo-boo or ouchie that we may encounter.

We all need to be cared for in the way that a mother cares for her children.

Today’s email goes out to those women that provide that care. Especially to Meaghan and my mom.

Make it a great day.

Jake

One of the great parts of "How to Stop Worrying" by Dale Carnegie is that it includes a bunch of real world stories from people and how they have dealt with worry.

I have attached one of these sections of the book.

There are two important lessons included in this short story.

First, the idea of writing down your worries and puttin them away for later. His realization that most of his worries never came pass is such a fundamental truth that can help any of us worry warts.

The second lesson was learned from watching his wife do dishes. He realized she doesn’t mind washing the dishes because you only wash one day at a time. You can’t wash tomorrow’s dishes today.

Is there something worrying you that you need to write down and put away for a little while?

Are you trying to wash tomorrow’s dishes today?

Let’s make it a great day filled with joy and absent of worry.

Jake

PS – Another blatant sales pitch for this book. Filled with powerful stories and practical tips on an area of life that most of us struggle with.

Last Friday, Meaghan and I had the chance to be the Mavidea representatives at the annual MCCA “Seeds of Change” charity dinner.

Three things stuck out for me that I thought I would share. As usual, these most likely won’t be revelations to you, but they were good reminders to me.

First, I was reminded that there are people out there that need our help. We can argue all day long about the government’s role in helping, the politics involved or how best to help, but it doesn’t change the fact that there are people out there that need help. No matter why or how they ended up where they are, they are our fellow human beings and they need our help.

Second, I was reminded that there are people helping. People like the ones that work at MCCA are making a difference. They are, in fact, making a difference, every day.

Third, I was reminded that at Mavidea we are on the list of people that are helping. By providing Smiles on Faces and excellent customer service to organizations like MCCA we are part of them helping their customers. We are doing our part in the kindness and spirit that flow through a place like MCCA.

We heard some heart wrenching stories last Friday, but I left uplifted.

Proud to be part of a community that has places that are reaching out to help.

Proud to be part of a company that cares about our clients and our community.

We do make a difference. What a powerful realization.

I dare you to say that out loud to yourself without getting a few chills up your spine.

What an awesome opportunity.

Let’s make the most of it today.

Jake

I have been reading "Man’s Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl. In it he chronicles his story of living in the Nazi concentration camps during WWII.

One passage really struck me, so I typed it up for everyone below.

Reading this, I realized how lucky and blessed I am to have found my beloved.

Make it a great day.

Jake

A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into so by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth – that love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is in love and through love. I understood how a man who has nothing left may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way – an honorable way – in such a position can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment.

Brain isn’t working at 100% this morning after a night of Nyquil induced sleep, so I thought I would find a video to share.

http://youtu.be/EVKj2LmmFjI

Real short and to the point.

Jake