Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter which fork you use.

-Emily Post

Meaghan has this quote on her blog and it reminded me of another quote that I really like as well "I am convinced that most of society’s ills could be solved with simple manners."

Manners are really just a manner (how about that for a play on words) for showing others that we are thinking of them more than ourselves. They are a simple way to show others we care more for them and their comfort than our own.

It is almost unbelievable how far simple "please" and "thank you’s" can take you in getting along with others in life.

Empathy for others is an important step in becoming a more mature and well rounded person.

In order to become the best version of ourselves we must subjugate our needs for those of others around us.

Let’s all make an effort today to use our manners a little more and think of ourselves a little less.

Make it a great day.

Jake

“To have a mind full of peace simply fill it with peace.”

Norman Vincent Peale

I must be a simple person because I am attracted to these simple quotes.

In order to be peaceful, you must fill your mind with peace. We often spend our days worrying and full of stress, repeating and introducing worrisome and nerve producing thoughts into our mind and then wonder why we aren’t filled with peace.

We wonder why it is that when we look around in our lives we can’t find that peace we are looking for.

Psst….got a secret for you.

You put it all there.

You put the worry in.

You put the nervousness in.

You put the stress in.

What might happen if you put peace in instead?

What if you read and said peaceful things?

What if you spent time with peaceful people?

And it works for more than just a peaceful mind.

Want a joyful heart, simply fill it with joy.

Want a mind full of wisdom, simply fill it wisdom.

Want a relationship filled with love, simply fill it with love.

Want a career filled with meaning, simply fill it with meaning.

Did I mention that I love these simple sayings…..so easy to apply to so many areas of life.

Make it a great day filled with __________, you fill in the blank.

Jake

‎"The best motivation is self-motivation. The guy says, "I wish someone would come by and turn me on." What if they don’t show up? You’ve got to have a better plan for your life." — Jim Rohn

I know you all have been anxiously awaiting the next Jim Rohn quote as part of a daily attitude email.

I saw this one on the FaceBox and thought it would be a good one to share.

If you really want something in your life, you will need to find the self motivation to make it happen.

Others will come along and offer help, but the start of the important changes belongs with you.

Too often we fall into the temptation of waiting for someone or something else to come along and get us jump started towards the change we need in our life.

If you are waiting for someone else, your results will depend on their "want to" and not your own.

That workout partner might not want to work out as much as you do.

That diet partner might want to "fudge" a little on that diet (pun intended).

That financial advisor/counselor might not want to meet and review as much as you need.

We all need others along the way, there is no discounting the positive effect that others can make in our lives.

We just can’t depend on them for the motivation part. We must find that within ourselves.

Make it a great day.

Jake

PS. Jim is definitely not talking about the daily attitude emails. Those are a great way to find motivation. Plus, you only have to wait until the next morning to get one of those..

Saturday night I had the unique (at least for me) experience of going to a Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney concert at Soldier Field.

I am not much of a country music fan, so I spent much of the time people and crowd watching.

It is amazing what happens when you get tens of thousands of people in one place together. It is even more amazing when you get the majority of those people to sing and dance along to a song.

There was a lot of power in all those people and their collective voices and actions.

It was a great reminder of just what we can do if we work together as human beings.

A positively focused group of people can accomplish amazing things.

I am glad to be part of a great group here at Mavidea.

Make it a great week.

Jake

“The Pledge of Allegiance starts with “I” and ends with “all.” That’s what America is all about – “I” (individual) and “all” (all of us). When all of us understand how valuable each of us is, that’s powerful. And here’s what else is powerful: When each of us understands how powerful all of us are.” — Jim Rohn

As I sat with Maggie watching the fireworks last night, I was thinking about how many others were celebrating the 4th at the same time. All across America yesterday there were parents and kids, friend and relatives, husbands and wives; all celebrating this great nation of ours.

It was great to feel that sense of community with everyone. As human beings we have this need to feel like part of a community and holidays and celebrations like the 4th are great opportunities to embrace that community and enjoy it.

I am so very thankful for that community and everything it has offered me and my family.

I hope you had a great 4th as well.

Make it a great day.

Jake

Ever heard of half-birthdays? That day of the year that is exactly halfway between your last birthday and the next one.

Well, I figured out (while watching a movie called “New Year’s Eve”) that Saturday night was the half-New Year.

We are halfway through 2012 already, how has it gone for you so far?

How are you doing on your goals for the year?

Do you need to adjust and/or set some new goals?

I am beginning to think that the calendar was made up strictly so we could have these checkpoints along the way. Times and dates to measure our progress against.

After reviewing your progress, it is time to look ahead.

Let’s move onward and upward for the rest of the year, starting now.

Make it a great day.

Jake

In the sales world, one of the secrets to success is a concept I call "one more phone call".

The idea is that at the end of the day when you are ready to pack things up and head home, you make one more phone call.

I have heard many successful salespeople say that this little trick is what made the difference in their sales career.

I know all of us aren’t necessarily in sales, but we can use this same principle to be more successful.

Think about what is your "one more phone call".

What little thing can you do every day to push you over the edge?

Pick something and try it for a week and try it out.

Make it a great day.

Jake

http://www.jimcollins.com/article_topics/articles/best-new-years.html

I know it isn’t New Years, but I came across this article and wanted to send it out.

What a powerful concept. A stop doing list.

And not necessarily in the usual sense of most people’s stop doing lists from New Years.

Most people automatically think of things like giving up chocolate, quitting smoking and no more fast food as their “stop doing” lists.

And while I think Jim would certainly recommend stopping those things as well, in this article he is looking more at how you spend your time.

I love his three circles analogy.

If each of the following questions represented a circle, your ideal role in life would be at the intersection of the three circles.

1) What are you deeply passionate about?

2) What are you are genetically encoded for — what activities do you feel just "made to do"?

3) What makes economic sense — what can you make a living at?

I especially liked the last two paragraphs about his mentor, Rochelle.

Looking back, I now see Rochelle Myers as one of the few people I’ve known to lead a great life, while doing truly great work. This stemmed largely from her remarkable simplicity. A simple home. A simple schedule. A simple frame for her work.

Rochelle spoke to me repeatedly about the idea of "making your life a creative work of art." A great piece of art is composed not just of what is in the final piece, but equally important, what is not. It is the discipline to discard what does not fit — to cut out what might have already cost days or even years of effort — that distinguishes the truly exceptional artist and marks the ideal piece of work, be it a symphony, a novel, a painting, a company or, most important of all, a life.

What’s on your stop doing list?

Not sure where to start? I would suggest taking an inventory of your time for a couple of days and then reviewing it. My guess is there will most likely be some glaring areas of “stop doing” potential.

Jake

"Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” – Earl Nightingale

What a great reminder for us as we pursue our dreams and our version of success.

This reminds me of two major recurring themes.

First, that time is passing at the same rate for all of us. The sands pass through the hour glass regardless of whether you are sitting on the couch watching TV or out running.

Second, there is a tendency to underestimate our potential in the future. With time it is amazing what a person can become. The realm of possibility for an individual that is dedicated to a goal or a dream is vast.

Make it a great day.

Jake