From: Jake Davis
Sent: Monday, November 07, 2011 6:32 AM
To: MavideaAll
Subject: Daily Attitude Email 11 7 11

"Be the change that you want to see in the world." Mohandas Gandhi

My dad sent me this quote the other day and I thought I would share it with everyone.

Becoming a better person, a whole different person, requires change for most of us.

One of the hardest areas to work on for me has been looking outside myself for the things that need to change. Looking at others and seeing areas they should change.

That driver in front of me needs to drive better.

Congress needs to pass better laws.

Taxes need to be lower.

Other people need to post more positive comments on FaceBox

In order to see the changes I want to see in my life, I need to first “Be the change that I want to see in the world.”

Remember that the results of your life are a “merciless mirror” reflecting back to you what kind of a person you are. All of the treasures you have accumulated are in direct proportion to the development on your own character.

Challenge yourself.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

Make it a great week.

Jake

From: Jake Davis
Sent: Thursday, November 03, 2011 7:42 AM
To: MavideaAll
Subject: Daily Attitude Email 11 3 11

As a follow up to yesterday’s video, here is another Will Smith video:

http://youtu.be/IUlPVCbKCOo

The audio isn’t awesome, but the thoughts are.

My favorite part is when he talks about things that are unrealistic.

He says “it is unrealistic to expect to walk in a room and flip on a light switch and the lights go on, fortunately, Edison didn’t think so.”

He talks about belief.

You need to believe that great things are possible for you before they can start to happen.

Jake

From: Jake Davis
Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2011 6:43 AM
To: MavideaAll
Subject: Daily Attitude Email 11 2 11

I know this video is a little long, so make sure you have 10 minutes before you sit down to watch it.

I will save my thoughts except one. Watch this. It will be worth the investment of your 10 minutes.

Jake

From: Jake Davis
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2011 7:36 AM
To: MavideaAll
Subject: Daily Attitude Email 11 1 11

In an audiobook I was listening to recently the author mentioned that he had come up with a rule he called the 18, 40, 60 rule.

When you are 18, you care deeply about what everyone thinks about you.

When you are 40, you don’t care at all what people think of you.

When you are 60, you realize that those other people weren’t thinking about you at all.

It seems to me that part of being successful is an odd combination of not caring what others think about you and empathy. We need to simultaneously be our own person who is confident and full of energy about our own goals while being able to put ourselves in the other persons shoes in every social interaction.

Think about how this applies to you:

Do you worry about what others think about you?

Do you have a hard time putting yourself in someone else’s shoes?

Do you spend during conversations with others wondering what you will say next and what they think of the last thing you said?

I know that I personally struggle with this. Ever since I heard about this “rule”, I have said it in my head many times as a reminder that I must train myself to think of others first.

I hope that all of you make it a great day today.

Jake

From: Jake Davis
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2011 6:41 AM
To: MavideaAll
Subject: Daily Attitude Email 10 31 11

One of my favorite things about writing this emails is the response I get from others.

Below is an email my dad sent out last week that I thought I would share.

Jake

Jake has been writing about the way quotes help us reinforce the thoughts and behaviors we want to exhibit in our daily lives.

Here is a quote that I believe will help us relate to others:

"Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly"

When we act justly towards others we are treating them fairly according to what is good and right.

When we love mercy, we show compassion or forbearance to one whose behavior has hurt or offended us.

When we walk humbly, we behave in a manner that is not proud or haughty.

When we do these three things we treat others fairly when we are acting toward them, we don’t seek retribution for the hurts or wrong doing of others towards ourselves and we don’t seek to be treated with importance or consider ourselves better than others.

Just think of what our day would be like if we behaved this way every moment. Guess what, we never will behave this way for even one minute if we don’t make the decision that this is what we want to do. Once that decision is made, this little saying will help us get there.

"Act Justly, love mercy, walk humbly"…………

I’m glad I’m here.

Source: Micah 6:8

: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

KEN Davis

Chris Nichols shared the article below with me the other day and I thought I would share it with everyone.

It is amazing to me how much the words we use with ourselves and others effect the outcomes in our lives. And changing our habits in this area is difficult (at least for me it is).

Take a minute to read the article below and target just one phrase/word that you use frequently that is on this list and start working towards eliminating it from your vocabulary.

Make it a great day.

Jake

7 Phrases NEVER to Use at Work (or Anywhere Else)

By Robert Pagliarini for CBS MoneyWatch.com

Comedian George Carlin famously spoke about the “seven words you can never say on television,” but the following seven seemingly innocuous words/phrases might be even worse. To say them is almost like dousing your goals, hopes and dreams with sulfuric acid.

Creating a better life is hard work! It takes little effort to maintain the status quo, but if you have a dream of making more money, getting a promotion, starting a business, becoming healthier, or improving your relationships, you’re going to need as much support as you can get. Strike these seven deadly words/phrases from you lexicon today:

1. When. This is a filthy word when it comes to improving your life. It sounds like this . . . “When I lose 10 pounds I’ll start dating again. When I’m a little older I’ll go for that promotion. When I complete my degree I’ll start that side-business.” Most of the time, our “whens” just don’t happen, or if they do, they take so long that we’ve forgotten what it was we wanted in the first place. “When” is rarely necessary, but just to be sure, ask yourself this: “Would it be illegal, unethical or immoral to start now?” If the answer is no, don’t wait for when.

2. Someday. There’s nothing wrong with having a “someday” list of things you want to do and places you want to go, but when you find that your “today” list is empty, you’d best start moving some of your future goals into the present. Someday is such a deceptive word. It makes you feel good by proclaiming you’ll someday achieve something, but months, years, and even decades can pass and you may find that your someday is still a long way away.

3. Willpower. According to behavior change expert Dr. BJ Fogg of the Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, “Imagine willpower doesn’t exist. That’s step number one to a better future.” The problem with willpower is that most people either think they have it or they don’t. They’ll say, “Well, of course I ordered the double-fudge sundae. What did you expect from someone who doesn’t have any willpower?” Your genes determine the color of your eyes, NOT whether you order dessert.

4. Want/Wish/Hope. Don’t be a wimp! Stop wanting, wishing, and hoping to do something or for something to happen. If you want more control over your fate, you must take more responsibility for your actions and their outcomes. Don’t sit around expecting change to arrive in your mailbox. It takes a decision and it takes action, not wishful thinking.

5. Not good enough. How can a phrase with “good” in it be so bad? These three simple words will keep you from hitting the publish button, making that important phone call, or trying out for the audition. The solution? Flip it around. Instead of “This isn’t good enough…”, change it to “It’s not perfect but it’s good enough.” Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Just put it out there and see what happens. For more insight into this, listen to my interview on RicherLife.com with Peter Sims as we discuss his book, Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge From Small Discoveries.

6. I don’t have the time. The same guy who doesn’t have time to go to the gym with you after work will miraculously be able to free up an entire evening if you present him with free Lakers basketball tickets. It may feel like you don’t have time, but with some focus and pruning of non-essential commitments (e.g., TV), you can free up 20 minutes to two hours every night to work on those actions that will help you create a better life.

7. It’s not the right time. If not now, when? No, really: If you are waiting for the stars to align, it’s not going to happen. Instead of waiting for the right time, shift your thinking and look for the least worst time to get started.

Think back to an achievement or goal you’ve accomplished. It took vision, dedication, and perseverance. Not excuses. Stop castrating your future with these seven deadly words/phrases and start working toward a richer life.

©2011 CBS Interactive Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. Used by permission

Jake has been writing about the way quotes help us reinforce the thoughts and behaviors we want to exhibit in our daily lives.

Here is a quote that I believe will help us relate to others:

"Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly"

When we act justly towards others we are treating them fairly according to what is good and right.

When we love mercy, we show compassion or forbearance to one whose behavior has hurt or offended us.

When we walk humbly, we behave in a manner that is not proud or haughty.

When we do these three things we treat others fairly when we are acting toward them, we don’t seek retribution for the hurts or wrong doing of others towards ourselves and we don’t seek to be treated with importance or consider ourselves better than others.

Just think of what our day would be like if we behaved this way every moment. Guess what, we never will behave this way for even one minute if we don’t make the decision that this is what we want to do. Once that decision is made, this little saying will help us get there.

"Act Justly, love mercy, walk humbly"…………

I’m glad I’m here.

Source: Micah 6:8

Ken Davis

I have been reading a book lately called "Thou Shall Prosper".

The book is written by a Rabbi and is about why he thinks the Jewish people have done well with money over time in relation to other groups.

The book includes many of the daily attitude email concepts that I send out, but my favorite one so far builds on the service theme over the last couple of emails.

The author writes that the Jewish people believe in what he calls the "nobility of business."

Their belief that there is something noble in delivering a product or service to others in a way that allows you and your company to thrive and make profits is not only ok, but is in fact honorable.

Part of the reason that he believes that this is true is that the only way to run a profitable business is by serving customers the right way. Only by humbling ourselves and realizing that life is about service can a business truly succeed in the long run.

And this belief system is part of what helps Jewish businesses succeed.

And it has been part of what has made Mavidea successful to this point.

Our customer first attitude and willingness to serve is a large part of who we are as a company.

There is nobility in serving our customers and each other. Every day you are doing something noble.

How we spend our days is worthwhile. Serving others is worthwhile.

Jake

From: Jake Davis
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 6:20 AM
To: MavideaAll
Subject: Daily Attitude Email 4 4 11

I thought I would go with a theme for this week’s emails (I know…I am so creative).

Jim Rohn talks about life by using the analogy of the four seasons so I thought I would send an email with my summary of what he says on each.

Here is the link to the first of 4 short youtube videos about this subject.

Jim starts by explaining that we can’t change the seasons of life. We can only change our response to the seasons.

Jim says “Learn how to handle the winters, they always come right after fall”

Jim goes on to say that there are all kind of winters.

The winter when you can’t figure it out.

The winter when it all goes smash.

Economic winters, social winters.

The winter when your heart is smashed into a thousand pieces.

No matter what kind of winter you may or may not be experiencing at any given point, it is important to remember that we all face winters in our life.

Jim says “When it was winter, I used to wish it was summer.” But then he realized that winter served it own purpose.

Winter is a time to do three things.

Get stronger. Get wiser. Get better.

This part about handling the winters of life is probably my favorite of the four seasons and his explanation of them. I think it made the most sense to me because I used to (at least I am trying to make it used to) complain about the winters in IL and think that wasn’t any good that came of the winter time.

Jim’s explanation of winter gave me a different perspective. We need to use winter as a time to get stronger, wiser, and better. It is a time to hone our skills so that we can take advantage of the next season…..spring.

I know some of you skip the YouTube clips when I send them out. I would highly recommend listening to this series. This is one of the most powerful concepts that Jim explains and is something I think about all the time.

Jake

As you may or may not know, Erik and Bridget had the baby yesterday (Rowen Zane Barnlund, 12:56pm, 6lbs 14oz).

So, first of all, congrats to EB and BB. Hopefully the whole family is doing well and is quickly recovering so that they can return home.

When I heard the news, i thought of an earlier email I wrote about miracles (http://www.mavidea.com/archives/2010/11/15/miracles/), and thought that I would expand on it a little bit.

Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.

CS Lewis

When I think of babies, miracle is the first word that pops into my head. For those of you who haven’t experienced it, being there for the birth of a child is the most amazing thing in the world (at the least the most amazing thing I have been a part of yet).

It is a moment where you can’t help but realize why it is called the “miracle of life”.

And I think the CS Lewis quote is particularly applicable in this case. Every child born is a retelling in small letters of several stories written in letters too large for some of us to see.

It is the story of the love between two parents that is made deeper and even more unbreakable through the birth of their child.

It is the story of parents and their love for their children and their deep desire for a better life/world for the next generation.

It is the story of the inherent goodness that God places inside of each and every one of us.

It is the story of the uniqueness that each of us has, even at birth. They take finger prints and foot prints right away that prove it.

It is the story of the miracle of medicine and all the staff at the hospital that are selfless in their efforts to make sure that everything goes well.

Remember today all of those little miracles (and the many more) and think of the even bigger stories being told throughout our lives.

And don’t forget to say congrats to Erik and Bridget.

We are blessed to have them and baby Rowen as part of the Mavidea family.

Jake