Annie turns 15 today! It really feels like we now have another young woman in the house.

Annie is the middle child in the Davis family, so she gets all the good and all the bad parenting.

I’ve told her from the beginning that she has a special role in the family – she’s the only one that gets to be a little sister AND a big sister.

I’m sure there are times when that perspective isn’t her favorite and it’s easy to get frustrated about being stuck in the middle.

But for the most part, I think she’s doing pretty well at it.

One more life lesson courtesy of Annie.

If you stick with it – you can get better at something.

When Annie started playing the flute…not so great….

Now, real music comes from her room all the time. I’m sure there is some talent in there but it’s mostly been her sticking with it. Playing it again and again until music came out.

So many times in life I’ve given up on something during the part where I’m not so great at it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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The present time has one advantage over every other – it is our own. – Charles Caleb Colton

I like the corny saying of – the present is a gift.

To this quote I might add – it is our own to steward.

I like the idea of stewardship when we think about the time of our lives.

Our lives aren’t ours to be hoarded and turned into comforting and selfish experiences.

It’s meant to be managed and spent in service to others with love.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love. – Reinhold Niebuhr

Reminder to start the week off right.

We’re in this together.

Working as a team is the best way to accomplish anything worthwhile.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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https://youtu.be/sIaT8Jl2zpI?si=xQ3OC_GhpuYhrIMl

This was on the radio on the way to church on Sunday.

I’ve always liked the message on this one.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. – Leo Buscaglia

Life goal – worry less!

You should try it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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We have all the light we need, we just need to put it in practice. – Albert Pike

Much of what we want to change or do or be in life is actually relatively straightforward.

Want to lose weight? Eat less and exercise.

Want to be build wealth? Invest your money and spend what’s left.

Want to be fit? Move your body.

Want to be wise? Spend time learning from wise people.

Easy, right?

Not easy for most of us though.

For me, the trouble comes on two fronts.

First – I let myself get distracted by all the little distractions. I let the sands of the hourglass slip through while I do the less important things and ignore the most important.

Second – I talk myself into making more complicated. A workout program needs to be devised. A complicated savings plan put in place. An extreme diet change is required. Before I know it, another week, month, year has gone by with little to no progress.

Probably time to give up….

OR….I could pick something simple and get started.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. – Saint Augustine

Easter was yesterday. Easter is the “big day” of the Christian faith. The day when Christians are reminded of the core focal point of their faith.

The Saint Augustine quote above reminded me of this core focal point. That God loved each of us enough to send his son to die on the cross.

Whether you are a Christian or not, there is also a life lesson in there. And this quote spells it out.

Love and serve others as if they were the only one.

Search today for an opportunity to serve someone else as if they were the only one.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Resending this toe tapper from a few years ago. Happy Easter!

https://youtu.be/y3sdByw9uUc

The kids sang this song at church last Sunday at church and it has been in my head all week.

Today is Good Friday, Sunday is Easter Sunday.

Easter is a great reminder of what Christianity is all about.

The simple idea that Jesus suffered and died for us because of his everlasting love for each and every one of us.

Happy Easter.

Make it a great day.

Jake

A version of the same song with a little more pep (fast forward to about 1:30 to get right to the singing):

https://youtu.be/z0CsJ6GO05s

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A relationship is NOT a place you go to GET, it’s a place you go to GIVE.

To those most dear to us we get to GIVE our ENERGY, our pure LOVE, and our open HEART.

LIFE IS PRECIOUS! Let’s not wait to say I love you… to smile, to stay in our heart, to laugh together, to be completely present and connected.

Why not take a moment now to decide how YOU will show-up in your relationships every day.

Who are YOU willing to BECOME for the ones you love?

Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins posted this on the FaceBox the other day and it really stood out to me.

We are all born with a need to be loved and to be in relationship.

One of life’s great mysteries is that the path to that love and those relationships is through giving ourselves in loving service to others.

Relationships are not where we go to be filled up, but the best place to empty ourselves into those we’ve deemed worthy of that level of giving.

Only in this flow of life do we live the lives we were created for.

Tony asks “Who are you willing to become for the ones you love?”

I think he asks this because of this “flow” and “in and out” nature of giving.

The “bigger” we become, the more we can pour in and out. Who you become is like the size of your cup (or bucket or gas tank or ocean), you can only pour the size of that cup out on our loved ones.

It’s the reason the hard work of change and growth is worth it. We grow out of our current capacity in order to pour more out on those who matter most.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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Be truthful, nature only sides with truth. – Adolf Loos

One of Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules is – “Don’t Lie”.

Nature is on the side of the person who sticks with this rule.

I try to think of it like physics – we can’t argue with or ignore gravity or heat or cold. We can only work with them. The more we work with them and their inherent principles, the more likely the preferred outcomes are to occur.

Same with telling the truth.

Maybe we can get away with a little lying, in the short run, but in the long run – it will come around. Just like gravity – airplanes and rockets can temporarily overcome gravity (but they burn a lot of energy).

Be careful to be more truthful this week. Try to pay attention to the opportunities to bend or shape the truth.

Make it a great day.

Jake

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