“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day, I thought I would share one of his quotes I think of frequently.

This quote is my reminder of two important to dos.

First, to look for the little things to do for others. I don’t sweep streets, but there are little things that I can do every day to be of service to others. It doesn’t matter how small. Any time you have that moment of “what’s next”, try to think of something to do for someone else.

Second, no matter how small something seems, do it with a positive attitude and the best you can.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Yesterday was Meaghan’s (my wife) birthday. It was a great day to remember how lucky I am to have married such a beautiful younger woman.

But it also reminded me of something that maybe we can all learn from Meaghan.

For those of you that don’t know, Meaghan is retired (meaning she stays home with our kids).

Since very early on in our marriage (and probably before that) she knew she was going to stay home with the kids. She just knew she was meant to raise kids.

There is a lot of power in knowing something like that.

If someone had offered her a high paying job, she would have said no.

It wouldn’t matter what the offer was, she knew what she should be doing.

That kind of clarity is hard to come by. Most of us spend our time bouncing from idea to idea, unsure of our path.

So, what is the lesson here (besides “be more like Meaghan”)?

If you don’t have that kind of clarity around your purpose, get it.

Talk to others and ask them.

Read books and see what they have to say.

Spend some quiet time searching for the answer.

It will be worth it.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/19/the-17-most-awesome-lego_n_468640.html

I had the thought the other day that your vocabulary is the Legos of your mind.

By putting together different words and concepts you can create a mental image of your current reality and a picture of the future realities that are possible for you.

Jim Rohn uses this concept to explain why many end up in prison. Their vocabulary and view on the world are so small that they end up in a cell the size of their vision.

Similar to Legos, the possibilities for combination and building something unique are almost endless.

So, what to do about it?

Read. Listen. Watch.

The opportunities to learn and grow your vocabulary are out there. Seek and ye shall find.

Having trouble with creating a vision for your life?

Having a hard time seeing how you can get past an obstacle?

Having difficulty seeing the new you after the achievement of your goals?

Go find the words. Go find the building blocks.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I came home last night and Meaghan had written this on the chalkboard in our kitchen (just imagine it as being super cute and you will get the mental picture).

Above the quote she had written “2014” (with a heart for the 0, again, imagine it as super cute).

What a great way to start the year.

What if every day of the year got better than the last?

What if this year was a year of continual improvement and happiness for you?

What if you had the choice?

Choose wisely.

Make it a great day.

Jake

When you realize your time is limited, you begin to limit your time. – Andy Stanley

In a recent podcast from Andy he was talking about managing our time and priorities and this line stuck out to me.

Only when we see the hourglass and the sand running through it do we start to look at our time differently.

The priorities become clearer, the time wasters more obvious and those that are most important more important.

Spend a moment today and go through the mental exercise of picturing an hour glass with sand running through it and then imagine that represents your life. Your days are numbered.

The only question left is: what are you going to do with them?

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://youtu.be/7l_tFa4-5OM

We are at the point where it is easy to lose steam on your New Year’s resolutions and give up.

This reminded of the video above from Finding Nemo where Dory explains that they need to “just keep swimming.”

When you lose focus or enthusiasm towards your goals, just keep swimming.

Lost the first 5 pounds, but the second isn’t coming as easy. Just keep swimming.

Made it through the first week or so on your new budget, but now that new cool thing is coming out. Just keep swimming.

Whatever your goal, just keep swimming.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Good morning from Green Bay, Wisconsin!!

The temperature was -9 as I drove in, the gate to our parking lot is frozen shut, but a 33-28 road victory for our beloved Packers is the water cooler conversation.

As I stand in for Jake attitude email, there are dozens of clichés that I could pull from yesterday’s game. Instead I’ll share a story of friendship and camaraderie.

Much like Mavidea, the one thing that is most important to ITConnexx is our “family-like” culture. As our CEO, my favorite sound is laughter echoing through the building.

It’s not uncommon for one person to host a party and the entire company is invited. For yesterday’s Packer/Bear game, one of our employees (Gregg) hosted a party and several of us attended. Gregg has the misfortune of being married to a Bear’s fan. Watching the game in mixed company means that somebody is happy on every play. Even when your team has a bad play, it’s hard to be upset when you’re surrounded by the laughter and cheering of friends and family.

Have a fun day today.

Brian

Brian O’Shaughnessy

CEO

ITConnexx, Inc.

205 Doty St.

Suite 102

Green Bay, WI 54301

Direct – (920) 857-3208

Mobile – (920) 366-6204

Website – www.itconnexx.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/oshaughnessyb

Facebook – www.facebook.com/boshaughnessy

Facebook – www.facebook.com/itconnexx

Good morning from the 2013Q4 HTG Peer Group meeting in Orlando, FL. This is always one of my favorite events as I get the chance to catch up (face-to-face) with the colleagues and vendors who have been instrumental in the growth and success of ITConnexx.

The event started Monday with a day of Leadership training. The keynote speaker was Barbara Glanz. Barbara spoke about “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm – Creating Workplaces of Passion, Purpose and Productivity.”

Of course, Barbara shared her thoughts and expertise on a variety of topics. She discussed how to be creative with communication. She reminded us of the importance of showing appreciation and being respectful. She touched on empathy, enthusiasm and how to add a human element to business communication.

At the end of her talk, Barbara shared the story of a young man who attended one of her presentations several years ago. This young man was a leader and truly inspirational. Johnny the Bagger, with nothing more than a caring and positive attitude, transformed an average grocery store (and his checkout line) into a place that people went out of their way to visit – just for a little inspiration.

Click here to see the story of Johnny the Bagger

Like Johnny, you can make a difference in somebody’s life.

Smile at a stranger. Hold open a door. Go out of your way to be helpful.

It’s easy to do and will make a difference.

Have a great Wednesday!

Brian

Brian O’Shaughnessy

CEO

ITConnexx, Inc.

205 Doty St.

Suite 102

Green Bay, WI 54301

Direct – (920) 857-3208

Mobile – (920) 366-6204

Website – www.itconnexx.com

LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/oshaughnessyb

Facebook – www.facebook.com/boshaughnessy

Facebook – www.facebook.com/itconnexx

I thought today I’d keep it short and sweet and send a best of list of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Twitter quotes.

Pick one that meets you where you are and remind yourself today to keep going.

When you feel the world pushing against you… drop your head, lower your shoulders, dig in deep and push back. #CreateChange

"Greatness isn’t always about what you do in your life – but what you inspire others to do with theirs." #LiveGreatly

"The measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge" – Dr. Martin Luther King

When you succeed – embrace & enjoy it. When you fail – honor & respect it. #OurFailuresLeadUsToOurSuccesses

Walk up to opportunity’s door, don’t knock… Kick it in, smile and introduce yourself. – Dwayne Johnson

Put in the work today that others won’t, so tomorrow you accomplish what they can’t. ..Or just chill and eat ice cream. #ThatsCoolToo

BethAnne Dorn

Dr. of Rocket Scientry
Mavidea Technology Group
Putting Smiles on Faces.

www.mavidea.com
bethanne.dorn
Office: 309-829-2000 ext. 127

Toll Free: 888-898-8960