It’s always too early to quit. – Norman Vincent Peale
So much of the good stuff in life depends on our ability to see things through. To stick with it even when things aren’t easy.
This is a great reminder this time of year.
Don’t give up on your goals yet.
Even if you are behind, stick with it.
Even if you’ve fallen flat on your face, stick with it.
It’s always too early to quit.
Make it a great day.
Jake
PS – If you haven’t read any of Norman Vincent Peale’s books – you should!
Treasure your relationships, not your possessions. – Anthony J. D’Angelo
The Bible says that where our treasure is our hearts will also be.
It also says that the heart is easily fooled and can lead us astray.
Money and treasure (stuff) is an easy area to be fooled.
We can convince ourselves that we aren’t letting stuff take over our lives but then we look around at how our time is spent and see a lot of time spent chasing money and stuff.
We can get confused about where our priorities really are.
Let this quote remind you that relationships should be treasured and that stuff should take the back seat.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Lauren Daigle – You Say (Official Music Video)
Monday morning slow tapper to remind you of something after Valentine’s Day – God loves you.
He loves you so very much.
He’s counted every hair on your head.
He’s got the whole universe in His hands and He thinks about you all the time.
He’s excited when you do well. His heart breaks when you miss the mark. He loves you the same either way.
He created this whole big thing we call life just to love you.
Not sure who needed to hear this today, but I’m sure it was at least one of you (or maybe I’m the one who really needs these emails…..)
The world can be dark and scary. People can and will hurt your feelings and leave you feeling unloved.
God won’t.
He never stops loving each and every one of us.
He and His love are enough.
Make it a great day.
Jake
PS – As I get older I’ve become convinced this should be my first wish if I were ever granted 3 wishes or the fame and fortune to make a major impact on the world – that each and every person knows (really knows) that God loves them. I believe so much would change for the better if we could all get this idea stuck in our hearts and heads.
It’s Friday, I’m in love.
This seemed like a good one to send out right before Valentine’s Day.
You really could apply it to any day.
Any day with love is better than a day without.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.
I’ve been watching the Lord of the Rings movies during workouts and down time over the last few weeks and this moment stood out.
I couldn’t help but think of Tolkien’s service in WWI and how he must have wished to have never been in that horrible fight.
Lucky for us we don’t have to face such dire and heartbreaking circumstances.
But we do have to face our own challenges we would like to wish away.
All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. To do our best to face the challenges presented. To maintain faith, hope and love in spite of success or failure. To do the difficult thing with the honesty and integrity of character we would wish to see from those around us.
Life is not easy. Challenges continue to plague us. We won’t make it to the end of our lives without them.
Let them spur growth. Let courage and positivity reign in your spirit.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Love doesn’t make the world go ’round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile. – Franklin P. Jones
Love and loving relationships are what make everything worth it.
It’s worth the risk of heart break in order love someone.
It’s worth giving up some (or maybe all) of my selfish desires in exchange for a loving relationship for another.
It’s worth being vulnerable in a very real and scary way in order to truly give your heart to someone else.
By loving someone else and focusing on make their ride worthwhile we find meaning and substance in our own life.
Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it feels like you are on a roller coaster. Sometimes it seems like it will never work out.
But it will and it does. It works out. It makes the ride worthwhile.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Expect problems and eat them for breakfast. – Alfred A. Montapert
A key attitude change illustrated in this quote – problems will occur.
It will not be easy and we should not wish it so.
Problems and challenges require growth and change to meet them. If we want to do and be more we should expect and meet these challenges the best we can.
What is a problem you could eat for breakfast today?
Tackle it right away. Don’t wait. Get started first thing.
Make it a great day.
Jake
The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. – Vince Lombardi
After watching the Super Bowl last night, I wanted to go looking for a Vince Lombardi quote.
This one stuck out to me because the word “excellence” has been stuck in my head lately.
What if you made a constant effort to add excellence into your life?
What would an excellent drive in to the office look like?
What would an excellent meeting look like?
What would excellence look like when you got home tonight?
Pursue excellence today.
Make it a great day.
Jake
This seemed appropriate given some cold and wintery weather expected to continue this weekend.
Let it go. Part of starting a new year is letting the old stuff go.
Learn the life lesson and move forward.
Make it a great day.
Jake
Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts. – John Wooden
Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. – C. S. Lewis
This quote from John Wooden reminded me of one of my favorite CS Lewis quotes.
Courage counts because it’s what gets you through when things get hard.
And only by pushing through when things get hard do we grow.
Courage counts when your honesty is tested.
Courage counts when you can be patient or give in.
Courage counts when you have to pick an apple over that donut.
Courage counts when you tell someone no in order to honor your previous yes.
In these small moments, a courageous person is built.
Make it a great day.
Jake
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