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

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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

You have heard me mention Earl Nightingale and “The Strangest Secret” before. This morning I thought I would share this excerpt that I received in another email.

For the Mavideans receiving this, email me if you want to know where the entire audio for this is. For the non-Mavideans, go out and find a copy.

The audio recording is one of the most thought provoking things I have ever listened to.

Jake

An excerpt from
The Strangest Secret
by Earl Nightingale

George Bernard Shaw said, “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.”

Well, it’s pretty apparent, isn’t it? And every person who discovered this believed (for a while) that he was the first one to work it out. We become what we think about.

Now, it stands to reason that a person who is thinking about a concrete and worthwhile goal is going to reach it, because that’s what he’s thinking about. And we become what we think about.

Conversely, the person who has no goal, who doesn’t know where he’s going, and whose thoughts must therefore be thoughts of confusion, anxiety, fear and worry—his life becomes one of frustration, fear, anxiety and worry. And if he thinks about nothing…he becomes nothing.

How does it work? Why do we become what we think about? Well, I’ll tell you how it works, as far as we know. To do this, I want to tell you about a situation that parallels the human mind.

Suppose a farmer has some land, and it’s good, fertile land. The land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses. The land doesn’t care. It’s up to the farmer to make a decision.

We’re comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn’t care what you plant in it. It will return what you plant, but it doesn’t care what you plant.

Now, let’s say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand—one is a seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison. He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds—one corn, the other nightshade. He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land…and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted. As it’s written in the Bible,

“As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

Remember, the land doesn’t care. It will return poison in just as wonderful abundance as it will corn. So up come the plants—one corn, one poison. The human mind is far more fertile, far more incredible and mysterious than the land, but it works the same way. It doesn’t care what we plant…success…or failure. A concrete, worthwhile goal…or confusion, misunderstanding, fear, anxiety, and so on. But what we plant it must return to us.

You see, the human mind is the last great, unexplored continent on earth. It contains riches beyond our wildest dreams. It will return anything we want to plant.

“The presidency has made every man who occupied it, not matter how small, bigger than he was, and no matter how big, not big enough for its demands.” – Lyndon B Johnson

Last night was the state of the union address.

While watching the first part of it, I realized something. While I wouldn’t have been standing and cheering for everything the President said, there were plenty of things to stand cheer for.

I would have stood and cheered for the President who goes to sleep each night with the worries and cares of a nation on his shoulders.

I would have stood and cheered for the Commander and Chief and the military men and women he represents.

I would have stood and cheered for the American people, who despite all our faults are still a kind, giving, hard working and creative people.

I would have stood and cheered for Mavidea and how we are a part of the American story in our special way as we chase our dreams of becoming the best.

I would have stood and cheered for each of you and how all your stories, good and bad, are represented in this thing we call America.

As the political season goes into overdrive again with the elections this fall, remember to keep things in perspective a little and try not to get swept up in the negativity. Do your best to become informed and make the best decision for you, but don’t decide out of hatred for one candidate or another. Decide based on hope for a better future.

We live in a great nation and should be proud of that.

Jake

The Three Bricklayers

A story that well summarizes the power of Vision, is the story of three bricklayers. The story goes, that three bricklayers were working side by side.

When asked, “What are you doing?”, the first bricklayer replied:

“I’m laying bricks.”

The second bricklayer was asked. He answered,

“Feeding my family.”

The third bricklayer when asked the question,

“What are you doing?”, responded,

“I’m building a cathedral.”

Yesterday’s email talked about enthusiasm. It’s hard to have enthusiasm without a vision of the future that you are excited about.

When someone asks you what you do for a living, how do you respond?

Do you respond with enthusiasm and an answer with some vision of the future?

And this goes further than what you do for a living.

If someone caught you at home on a Saturday and asked you what you are doing, how would you respond?

Do you have a vision for yourself outside of work? Do you have a vision for your family?

These are some challenging questions and they aren’t easily answered for most of us.

Spend a few minutes today thinking about how you would answer the question “What are you doing?”

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

One of the best things about working with a group of awesome people every day is the enthusiasm.

Everyone gets excited about some part of their job or something awesome they did for a client.

The MavideaAll emails fly around when someone claims The Rock.

It’s part of what makes Mavidea and each of you special.

Let’s all find ways to show more enthusiasm and encourage the enthusiasm we see in others this week.

Jake

There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage. – Martin Luther King

Today is Meaghan’s (my wife) birthday.

I found this quote above when looking for something to explain how much of an influence she is/has been on my attempts at building the best Jake I can.

Part of why I can be positive every day is because I have a great marriage.

I know that no matter what I am loved and that the special relationship Meaghan and I have will not be changed in any way regardless of how good or bad of a job I did that day.

There is real freedom in having someone in your life like that.

And it takes a special person to do that, especially when your husband is Jake.

Happy Birthday and Thank You to Meaghan!

I know this song will be on at some point today in our house, so I thought you should get to listen to it once too….

http://youtu.be/ztoSUhbNntQ

Jake

There is one thing that has worried me about sending these every day.

I am a hypocrite.

I am not a perfect embodiment of all the positive things and practices that I espouse in these emails.

Sometimes I lose patience with the kids.

Sometimes I’m not as positive as I should be in my conversations with Meaghan.

Sometimes I set weak sauce goals and don’t meet them.

Sometimes I’m not as smily and happy as I should be.

Sometimes I watch TV instead of reading a book or exercising.

The list could go on and on….

But one day I realized that maybe this is the reason that I should be writing these daily emails. I am just like you. I have my own insecurities and imperfections. I have worries and imperfections just like everyone else.

And that is where I hope that I can add some value to your day by writing these.

My hope is that by articulating my thoughts and my own personal journey towards becoming a better person, you can learn a little bit from me and my mistakes and the lessons I have and will learn in the future.

In the past, I thought of a hypocrite as being the worst kind of person and the kind of person to avoid. Having realized now that I am one, it changes my tune a little (conveniently).

I have come to the conclusion that I am not in charge of worrying about others and whether or not they may or may not be a hypocrite, I am in charge of growing myself into less and less of a hypocrite.

And these emails are about my journey towards becoming that person.

So, have a little patience with us hypocrites…..some of us are working on it.

Jake